Pictured above, USA Lacrosse staff members Caitlin Kelley, Lauren Davenport, Natalie Wills and Dara Woizesko

To celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day, we’re featuring some USA Lacrosse staff members that are constantly making an impact on young girls and women in lacrosse. Their efforts ultimately help shape the leaders of tomorrow.

LAUREN DAVENPORT
Manager of Athlete Development

Today, as we honor National Girls and Women in Sports Day, USA lacrosse wants to emphasize that providing opportunities for girls and women to play the sports they love is not a moment or a day, but a commitment. USA Lacrosse is committed to supporting all levels of play for girls and women by encouraging stakeholders nationwide to support the growth and enrich the game for female athletes. From the first time they step on the field to their biggest triumphs, these are some of the ways that USA Lacrosse brings the sport to life for female athletes 

Two years ago, on the last day in February, the Florida State women’s club team had a lot to celebrate. The Seminoles had enjoyed a warm, sunny afternoon in Tallahassee by defeating Ole Miss and South Florida in a pair of lopsided games, completing the program’s most successful month ever with a 9-0 record.

The following article is part of a content partnership with TrueSport, a positive youth sports movement powered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). TrueSport has partnered with more than 20 sport NGBs to promote a positive culture of youth sport with expert content and programming.

USA Lacrosse is excited for the 2022 lacrosse season and is dedicated to player, coach, and official’s safety, both on and off the field. We encourage organizations to follow strategies that help keep everyone healthy throughout the season. 

USA Lacrosse continues to strongly encourage vaccination against COVID-19 for eligible individuals and recommends using appropriate ways to reduce the risk of transmission. These include wearing a mask that covers the nose and mouth when in public, hand washing, and social distancing whenever possible. 

SPARKS, Md. — In an effort to help keep youth players as safe as possible, all new and renewing coach members of USA Lacrosse will be required to complete an online course as part of the organization's abuse prevention training program. The new requirement goes into effect on July 1, 2022. Criminal background checks, completed every two years, have already been a requirement for USA Lacrosse coach members since 2018.

The following article is part of a content partnership with TrueSport, a positive youth sports movement powered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). TrueSport has partnered with more than 20 sport NGBs to promote a positive culture of youth sport with expert content and programming.

Returning to sport from illness of any kind can be tricky, and with the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s only gotten more difficult. But even a simple cold or stomach bug can leave an athlete sidelined without a clear idea of when it’s safe or advisable to return to sport. 

The annual ceremonial kickoff to the lacrosse season will be back in person this year with the USA Lacrosse Convention taking place from Jan. 14-16 at the Baltimore Convention Center. Here are some highlights and key pieces of info for this year’s convention:

Dr. Trish Kelshaw, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire, has been involved in three research studies, funded in part by USA Lacrosse, to measure attitudes about women’s headgear among players, coaches, and officials. She presented her findings in a recent webinar hosted by USA Lacrosse.

The first, and smallest, of her three studies was a pilot study with high school players from one team in Virginia. Players were surveyed both before and after one season of headgear use (pre and post), with the following findings from the responses:

Lou Corsetti, USA Lacrosse’s director for the Southeast Region and a longtime lacrosse coach in Georgia, has been named as the recipient of APIVEO’s 2021 Brian Snitker Award as the organization’s youth coach of the year.

Based in Georgia, APIVEO (Always Play for Each Other) is an organization seeking to empower youth coaches by giving them simple, positive, and age-appropriate life and leadership lessons to share with their teams.