SPARKS, Md. – National Lacrosse Hall of Fame players and championship coaches Kelly Amonte Hiller and Dom Starsia will be honored at the fourth annual USA Lacrosse Foundation Gala on June 4 in New York City. The event will be held at Gotham Hall and will be emceed by another Hall of Famer, ESPN lacrosse analyst Sheehan Stanwick Burch.

It’s no secret that the history of lacrosse is quite unique and features a deep spiritual connection to Native American culture. Natives believe that lacrosse was gifted to them by the Creator, with purposes that extend beyond just fun and recreation.

As one of the nation’s largest metropolitan centers, Houston has always been fertile ground for the development of elite athletes in football, baseball, and basketball. Local program leaders are now working diligently to add lacrosse to that line-up.

The Union Pines Vikings completed a perfect 2024 season last month, capping their run with a 20-6 win against Bishop McGuinness in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) 3A/2A/1A girls’ lacrosse state championship game at Durham County Memorial Stadium.

Sitting in the stands that day was Tim Ripley, as proud as any other father even though he didn’t have a daughter playing in the game.

“I was super nervous for them,” Ripley said, “but I loved every second of being there.”

Nick Phillips, third-year president of Norwalk Junior Lacrosse (NJL) in Connecticut, says there is a little secret to making a new player feel like he or she is connected to lacrosse. It’s based on the same concept as Christmas morning.

“Give them new equipment,” Phillips said. “Used equipment is fine, but new equipment really helps players feel like they belong. Every child who is new to our sport feels more special with a new stick or a new helmet.”

USA Lacrosse announces Kirsten Kelley of Blacklick, Ohio and Stephen Finnell, Jr. of Garden City, N.Y. as the recipients of 2023 Michael Breschi Scholarships.

Established in 2007 to honor the life and memory of Michael Breschi, son of University of North Carolina men’s lacrosse head coach Joe Breschi, the scholarships are awarded annually to two high school seniors who are attending college and are the son or daughter of a coach who serves as a full-time employee of an educational institution.

In 2022, Martha Barbera received a USA Lacrosse physical education grant to help introduce lacrosse to her students at Curtis Corner Middle School in Wakefield, Rhode Island. The sticks and balls were a perfect fit for the ‘Outdoor Games’ curriculum that Barbera had designed to keep her students physically active by experiencing new activities.

When I left Charlottesville, Virginia in 1997 to live on the Outer Banks, I left behind a very full life of lacrosse and ten years of coaching experience. I moved to the beach to run a water sports business.

At first, I didn't think I would miss lacrosse, but as I started raising my own kids I found myself in the youth sports world. This got me wondering if I could help lacrosse get started on this little sandbar.

In 2021, less than a year removed from high school, Rowan Phelps knew how she could best give back to her alma mater, and more directly, to students like herself that love lacrosse. She took it upon herself to coordinate the application for a USA Lacrosse equipment grant that could help launch a girls’ lacrosse team at Musselman High School in Inwood, West Virginia.

As a longtime coach with Shaker Heights Youth Lacrosse, and more recently, as president of its leadership board, Matt Kelly has continually been surprised by the lack of diversity within the program. At best, the number of minority participants has been less than 10-percent annually.

That figure is all the more surprising to Kelly given that Shaker Heights has traditionally been one of the most diverse communities among the suburbs around Cleveland, Ohio. That diversity has just never been mirrored on the lacrosse field.