The summer of 2014 looks to be an exciting time to be part of the Portage Junior Trojans Lacrosse club.
With three age groups set to hit the floor of the PCU Centre this July and Trojans Field at PCI this August, the Junior Trojans are looking to continue to capture the attention of Portage’s young athletes.
The club will hold a registration evening on Monday, May 12 at the PCU Centre for this summer’s five-week season with boys and girls born between the years 2002 and 2007 eligible to play.
Head coach and director Al Patterson says it’s a good time to get involved in Canada’s national summer game.
“The game is growing across North America. More and more athletes are getting involved and finding their way into high school, junior and college lacrosse programs.”
Backing up Patterson’s statement are some astonishing statistics.
For example, U.S. Lacrosse recently reported a nine year rise in participants from 250,000 to 625,00 in just over 10 years.
There are also two established professional lacrosse leagues in North America (Major League Lacrosse and the National Lacrosse League) and 17 professional teams.
The NLL’s Toronto Rock, Vancouver Stealth, Calgary Roughnecks and Edmonton Rush play in front of large crowds in NHL arenas and locally, the PCI Trojans are coming off an MHSAA field lacrosse provincial ‘B’ title.
As for the local club, Patterson says he’s hoping to see continued growth.
“We started with 16 or 17 kids two years ago and grew to more than 50 last summer. This year we’re hoping to get 60-80 players registered. It’s a natural feeder system into the high school program and another way for young people to get active.”
While last season’s format of eight box lacrosse games was successful, this season’s plans for the Junior Trojans include an evening skills camp as well as exposure to field lacrosse. The focus will be on skill development, fitness and fun.
Registration for the Junior Trojans program is now open at www.portagelacrosse.weebly.com.