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Girls Summer MSSLax League
Summer MSSLax Youth League
The EPLA will have teams representing 3/4th, 5/6th and 7/8th grade Girls in the Summer MSSLax league. This is a league for beginner to experienced girls who need to register for the age group of the grade they are currently enrolled in for summer. Practices begin in Mid-May and league games begin in mid-June. We expect to have two teams of 5/6th and 7/8th grade Girls and one team of 3/4th Girls. Cost is $230.00 for the 5/6th & 7/8th team and $205.00 for the 3/4th grade team, included will be a EP Shooter Shirt or Pinnie. Costs have risen due to the fact that we need to pay our coaches for the knowledge they can provide to our players. We cannot rely on parent volunteers due to not having many parents who grew up playing the game of lacrosse. We also have chosen to participate in the Gold Division for the 7/8th levels which has higher certified referees. A US Lacrosse Membership is required (www.uslacrosse.org) Games and practices will be primarily at Nesbitt Park & the new Flying Cloud Fields near Grace Church in Eden Prairie,along with some practices at Rice Marsh Park. Games will be M-TH and practices will include optional Saturday mornings. We are always looking for parents to assist with coaching and managerial positions. Parents who assist with these duties will have their child's fee waived for their participation.) Contact npcolford@mac.com or don.r.bloyer@seagate.com if interested.
EPHS Girls Summer High School Lacrosse League
This is a 6-week Summer Girls Lacrosse league for 8th-12th grade girls to be held at the EPHS Turf Field B (where Prairie Dome stands in Winter). You will play regulation lacrosse games in the Varsity League and is open to 8th-12 graders. You will participate and play one 60' game per week on Wednesdays from 6:30-9:30 pm. League runs June 19th, 26th ,July 10th ,17th, 24th & 31st. (No games on 3rd of July). 2013 will offer a Team Sign up with local High School players forming own teams and playing in 6-team league. If you wish to have a Team participate, contact Nancy Colford (npcolford@mac.com) to get information. All players must be current members of US Lacrosse (www.uslacrosse.org)
The Difference between Girls Lacrosse Associations and Lacrosse Clubs
A Open Letter from the Girls EPLA Coordinator,
For many parents who have had their children in soccer and decide to have them participate in lacrosse, a confusion arises between club and association. For the record, in the sport of Girls Lacrosse, if you wish to participate in your community program, you will have to participate in the Lacrosse Associations (Eden Prairie Lacrosse Association, Minnetonka Lacrosse Association, Edina or Bloomington Lacrosse Association).
The Associations are the best way to first learn the sports beginning at the youngest age and up to 12th grade for Winter, Spring,Summer & Fall Clinics and Leagues. Within the Association (EPLA), you sign up to participate in the Spring & Summer lacrosse leagues MSSLax for Girls grades 3rd to 8th grade. You can also learn the game by participating in Camps or Clinics from other Lacrosse Facilities (MN Elite Academy, Homegrown,etc...)
MSSLax is the only lacrosse leagues within the metropolitan area for Girls grade levels 3rd to 8th grade. For Girls who love Lacrosse and cannot get enough of it and want to take the next step in learning the game. That is when you choose to participate in Club Lacrosse. Currently there are five Club Lacrosse programs in the Metropolitan area that we know of. MN Elite, under the direction of Judy Baxter (EPHS) and Laura Mark (The Blake School) and Winning For Life , The Minnesota Lakers, Minnesota Storm & Monarchs program under the direction of Anne Molke and the Minnesota Frost under the direction of Heather Brink and running out of Chicago, True Lacrosse and a new club based out of the NW Suburbs, whose name is not known. These Club teams offer teams based on Graduation year (2014, 2015,2016,etc..) and have Tryouts in the Summer , Fall or Winter depending on the Club team. You will have costs for being a member of each club for the coaching & training & practices and additional costs covering out of town tournaments (2-4 per year). There are possibilities for local tournaments.
If you are a member of a EPLA team and a Lacrosse Club Team, you may have conflicts as both practice during June & July, most MSSLax league games are M-Th in the summer and Travel Tournaments are long weekends also in June & July. In the EPLA, we try to schedule practices so they do not conflict with MN Elite practices, but cannot control the game schedule in the summer. If you participate on both teams, you may have the opportunity to play in local tournaments and then it gets tricky since possibly both your Travel and Association team will play in the same tournament. Therefore you have to make a decision as to which team you will represent in that tournament!
The Lacrosse Clubs train from only in the summer, this due to MSHSL rules that do not allow players to receive training from their high school coaches during the school year, only during the Varsity Spring Lacrosse season. (This is different from other states Club Lacrosse Teams, it is a MSHSL rule that puts our Girls at a disadvantage in this sport) So the emphasis of the Club Teams is to train during the summer and attend recruiting tournaments on the East Coast in the summer. The ulitment goal of these teams is to hone your lacrosse skills in order to improve you lacrosse game and be seen by Collegiate Coaches so you may continue playing after high school.
That is the difference between an Association and Club Lacrosse, in a nutshell! After speaking with a Soccer Club Coach who was totally confused about Lacrosse Associations and Club Teams and a Parent whose daughter had played Club Soccer and thought Association Lacrosse was a Recreational League and not Competitive, I felt an explaination was needed!
Thank you,
Nancy Colford
EPLA Girls Coordinator
