EAST BAY BRISTOL COUNTY LACROSSE ASSOCIATION COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

March 2009

*Game and practice schedules

Team assignments will be sent via e-mail on Thursday, March 18th. This announcement will include team roster, coaches and practice schedule and location. Most teams will practice two nights each week in Barrington or Bristol. RIYLL game schedules will be available the week of March 23rd on the EBBCLA website eastbaylax.org. Most RIYLL games are played (home and away) on Saturday mornings.

*Competitive Teams Selected

After conducting numerous tryouts where players were scored by a number of judges on different skill sets, the EBBCLA Selection Committee has selected players for its 2009 competitive teams in the Boys Grade 7/8, 5/6 and 3/4 levels. EBBCLA will have one competitive team in each age group. Regular season games will begin on April 11, a pre-season jamboree will be held as part of RI Lax Festival at Brown University on April 4. The RIYLL semifinals and finals will be held on June 6.

*EBLAX Magnets Available $5.00

Show your spirit for East Bay Lacrosse with an auto-magnet! Magnets will be available most home games and always through info@eastbaylax.org. You cannot get these anywhere else! Send an e-mail for further details & instructions. New East Bay Lax logo gear will soon be available as well - hoodies, t-shirts, shorts & more with exciting new artwork!

 *RI Lax Festival

Save the Date for the RILAX Festival on April 4 - a day long event at Brown University. Admission to the men's (3pm) and women's (1pm) Brown Lacrosse games is free. Let's show the EBBCLA colors, stop by our welcome tent. A flyer with more details will be sent shortly.

*Space Available on Some Teams

EBBCLA has limited space available at the following grade levels: GIRLS Grade 1/2 BOYS Grade 5/6 BOYS 1/2 If you know of someone interested in playing this Spring direct them to register at eastbaylax.org.

*Girls Competitive League

There will be an opportunity for girls at A level of play to participate on competitive teams for grade level 7/8 and 5/6. The season will start on April 26 and run 4 consecutive Sundays. More details to follow early April.

*Metacomets Tryouts

Metacomets, the girls competitive club, will hold tryouts on March 29 and April 5. A flyer on this program was sent Monday, March 16th. Please visit the Metacomet website for more information: http://www.metacometlacrosse.com/

*Coaching Standards

All EBBCLA coaches and assistant coaches are required to be approved by the Executive Board of EBBCLA, submit to a criminal background check and be members of US Lacrosse. Coaches are encouraged to be US Lacrosse Level 1 certified.

*Coaches Kick-Off

The Coaches Kick-Off will take place at Teamworks on Sunday, March 29 from 8am to 10am. Coaches clinics will be conducted by Meg Miller and Dennis Dobbyn. Coaching bags, manuals and equipment will be distributed at this time.

*Board Opening

The EBBCLA Executive Board has an opening for an At-Large member. Dennis Dobbyn resigned from this position when he accepted the job of Boys Director of Coaching.Please contact Matt Hayes, EBBCLA President, at mhayes@eastbaynewspapers.com if you are interested in learning more about joining the executive committee. See you on the field!!!

EAST BAY BRISTOL COUNTY LACROSSE ASSOCIATION

COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER

February 2009

Spring Registration News!

Registration for the EBBCLA spring 2009 program is 95% full. We have increased team sizes to make room at some levels so don’t miss out. Please take a moment to register today. The $160 ($60 for Land/Lady Sharks) includes a late charge for registering after January 15th. We are also collecting the $25.00 US Lacrosse membership fee to save you that registration step. We also collect a $10 field use fee. Register online at www.eastbaylax.org. We also know times are tight so if you need financial assistance, please inquire at info@eastbaylax.org or call 633-7770.

Coach Night Update

Thank you to all who attended the EBBCLA Coach's Information Night on Tuesday, January 20th. We had an excellent turnout of over 40 people, including many prospective new coaches! As we have said before we can’t do it without you and you responded in force! We appreciate your willingness to commit your valuable time to helping our young players learn and develop in the great game of lacrosse. If you are not yet lined up to coach but would like to be please contact: BOYS - Mike Curry - mailto:currymichaelp@yahoo.com GIRLS - Ted Broomhead - Edmund_Broomhead@ml.com

Welcome to our newest additions to the EBBCLA family; Meghan Miller, Girl's Coaching Director and Dennis Dobbyn, Boy's Coaching Director. The hiring of Meg and Dennis to support our coaches and players is a great step forward for our program. Our program is just about at capacity so there will be plenty to do. All coaches, after being approved by the EBBCLA board, are required to submit to a confidential background check, join US Lacrosse and attend a Level 1 US Lacrosse Coaches Clinic ( all reimbursable expenses by EBBCLA). Coaching Clinics For those who are ready to take a first step to coach, here is the link to the Coach Education Program (C.E.P.) through US Lacrosse. Programs so fill up fast so sign up soon. A Level 1 certificantion course will be held at Providence Country Day in East Providence on March 14th - go to www.eastbaylax.org for registration information.

US Lacrosse Level 1 Clinic.

Two sessions are available for girl's coaches on February 28th at Bridgewater Middle School in Bridgewater, MA and March 14th at Providence Country Day in East Providence Boy's coaches may attend the March 14th at Providence Country Day in East Providence. Check out the US Lacrosse website for more details about other regional clinics in CT and MA.

Time to Order Uniforms

Please visit The Gob Shop in Warren to place your uniform order if you have not already. They can answer all your questions about size and appropriate fit as well as any gear questions you may have. Use the coupons at the end of this newsletter towards your purchases. The Gob Shop has a record of all the jersey numbers already assigned to hopefully avoid duplicates. If you are using a jersey handed down to you, please be sure to let us know. We often “return” a number to the Gob Shop when a player leaves the program, this allows that number to be reassigned.

Old Equipment Donations

Clean out those closets and help a player new to the sport! If you would like to donate any old gear to help a new player get started (helmets excluded) We will be posting on the EastBayLax.com website your used lacrosse equipment that you would be willing to part with. Please send your listing including; type of equipment, size, price (or free), phone number and email address to eastbaylacrosse@gmail.com. Keep it coming all is welcome! Thank you!

Indoor Pre-Season Dates

We are hard at work developing the pre-season program to be held at Kickemuit Middle School during the month of March. We were able to secure the large & small gymnasium (alternating days) from 7pm to 9pm on Wednesday & Fridays throughout the month of March. Space in all the East Bay towns is at a premium and we are fortunate to have secured this space. Due to space constraints we have split grades 3rd & 4th into two groups by last name to fit the players comfortably. Please arrive 15 minutes early, no cleats or indoor lacrosse balls allowed and be ready to go on time. Don’t forget to bring water. Please visit the EBBCLA News website tab for the full indoor schedule.

Last chance for US Lacrosse Membership Refunds

This year EBBCLA collected the $25.00 fee for all player’s US Lacrosse memberships when you registered. We will be submitting the renewals and new membership requests on February 20th. Some parents renewed their US Lacrosse memberships in anticipation of this season and/or for other indoor winter lacrosse programs. If you have a current US Lacrosse membership that expires after June 30, 2009 you are entitled to a refund of the $25.00 fee collected by EBBCLA. Please contact Dee Walton @ info@eastbaylax.org to request this refund. Refunds will not be issued after February 20, 2009. Checkout the US Lacrosse website to locate your membership and expiration date: US Lacrosse Membership Check. Forward to Dee Walton your US Lacrosse number and once verified, she will issue a refund to you.

Help Wanted- Webmaster

EBBCLA seeks an experience volunteer webmaster to assist the organization in improving and updating its website www.eastbaylax.org. Please contact Dee Walton at 401-633-7770 or at info@eastbaylacrosse.org. EBBCLA PO Box 591 Warren, RI 02885 401-633-7770 info@eastbaylax.org