Rick Stiebel/News Staff
If you haven’t tried the fastest sport on two feet, this camp is a great way to get a feel for the game.
George Westwood, president of Victoria Field Youth Lacrosse, said the goal of the Boys and Girls Field Lacrosse Camp on Saturday, Aug. 17, is to get more kids to give field lacrosse a try and connect to the sport’s growing popularity in a number of ways.
Construction of a new turf facility in Langford will open up more space for kids to play field lacrosse, which bodes well for the longterm future of the sport, Westwood noted. The artificial turf field that opened recently at Belmont Secondary is available for soccer and field lacrosse throughout the year. The field at Royal Bay Secondary for the school’s boys and girls lacrosse academies is already accessible to youth teams as well.
“There’s plenty of room to grow the sport,” said Westwood, who played for the Victoria Shamrocks for 10 years. The soaring popularity of the Shamrocks in the Capital Region and beyond has spurred more interest in lacrosse in general, he noted. “We would really like to see more girls get involved in field lacrosse.”
ALSO READ: Royal Bay girls’ lacrosse academy set to soar
Victoria Youth Field Lacrosse, which currently has eight teams, is hosting the camp geared toward introducing more kids to the sport at Royal Bay Secondary School. Boys born between 2008 and 2012 will take the field between 8:30 and 11 a.m. Girls born between 2000 and 2014 are invited to attend from 4 to 6 p.m. The cost is only $5, and the first 30 girls and the first 30 boys to register at vicfieldlacrosseregistrar@gmail.com will receive a free T-shirt.
“Although it’s a cliche, it’s true that from a parent’s perspective, kids that stay on the courts stay out of courts,” Westwood said. “The sport breeds character and the connections you make playing lacrosse will last a lifetime. I made friendships that will never end.”
Stickhandle over to vicfield.ca for more information.
ALSO READ: Royal Bay lacrosse academies growing
