Dear 1st and 2nd Grade Laxers,

TODAY'S 1st GRADE SCRIMMAGE/1ST&2ND GRADE PRACTICE HAS BEEN CANCELED DUE TO POOR FIELD CONDITIONS.

1. The Randolph Pee-Wee Jamboree is for 2^nd and 3^rd grade players only.  All players must be fully equipped (pads, gloves, helmet, mouth guard, etc).
2. Coaches must arrive between 8:00 and 8:30 am to register their team.  Mandatory coaches meeting (for head coaches) at 8:30 am at the snack bar.
3. Spectators must remain in designated and marked areas.  Spectators are not allowed on the player’s side of the field nor on the turf field.
4. Tents are allowed but must remain in the designated tent area outside the fence.  
5. A full service snack bar will be available and open during the jamboree.
6. You are allowed to bring food and beverage to Freedom Park.  However, no food is allowed on or by the fields.  Only water (no colored beverages) are allowed on the turf field.  No gum on turf.
7. No Grills. No Pets. No Alcohol.  No Smoking near the fields.
8. Commemorative Jamboree T-shirts (with team names) will be available for sale at the Universal Lacrosse booth by the electronic scoreboard.
9. No unauthorized vendors of any kind without specific approval.
10. Park only in designated parking areas.  If paved lot is full, there is additional parking across Millbrook Avenue in the grass field “overflow” lot.  Randolph staff will be around in the morning to assist with parking.  
11. There will be a drop-off area near the fields if you have heavy equipment, tents, coolers, etc.  Please drop off quickly and then move to an approved parking spot.  
12. If using a navigation system, the address for Freedom Park is:  630 Millbrook Avenue, Randolph, NJ  07869.  Directions to Freedom Park may also be found on our website:  www.randolphlacrosse.org

GAMES RULES:

1. Each game will consist of two 11-minute running time halves with a 3 minute halftime.
2. Substitutions must be made on the fly or after a goal (i.e. No horn for substitutions).  No time-outs are allowed.
3. There will be a central clock and horn.  (1 blast=start play, 2 blasts=end play)
4. At the end of a game, please line up and shake hands quickly, and then get off the field so the next game can start on time.  There is 5 minutes between games.
5. One coach from each team should be on the field to coach and officiate.  Penalties result in removal of the player.  Player initiating foul shall be replaced (no man-up, man-down)
6. Players should be encouraged to play the ball.  Body checking is not allowed.
7. No face off if a team leads by 3 or more goals.
8. After bringing the ball across midline, one pass must be made before a shot can be taken.
9. Each team should put 2 – 3 balls on one end line at the start of the game.  At the end of the game you can retrieve whatever balls you provided.
10. Please keep your team area clean and pick up any bottles or trash by your bench before leaving the field (thanks!)
11. Each team will have a scheduled time slot for the FAST SHOT contest.  You MUST adhere to this schedule.  If you miss your time it will not be rescheduled.  A prize will be awarded to the fastest shot on each team.
12. In the event of bad weather, check the home page of our website, www.randolphlacrosse.org, for status.  If grass fields are unplayable, we will run a modified schedule on the turf field only.  A decision and posting will be made by 7:30 am the day of the event.
13. Honor the game of lacrosse by insisting on exceptional sportsmanship from players, coaches and spectators!!!
14. Unruly parents will be spanked, given “time-out” and then removed from the facility

Dear 1st and 2nd Grade Laxers,

NEXT PRACTICE is tomorrow Sunday April 28 from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm at the Library Field.  Weather forecast is for the high 60s and sunny! Full equipment- stick, helmet, gloves, armpads, shouderpads, cleats (if you have them), and mouthguard. Please wear your team pinneys. We realize that some of you may not be back yet from school vacation, but we'll be there, playing lax. If for any reason your son won't be in attendance, please let me know by return email.

FYI: Here is our schedule for the next few weeks (subject to change, and weather permitting):

Sunday May 5 2:00pm to 3:30 pm at the Library Field 

Sunday May 12 2:00pm to 3:30 pm at the Library Field

As always, please check  www.eteamz.com/mshlax , and click on the "1st & 2nd Grade News" tab one hour before practice to see if there are last minute changes to our schedule. Please feel free to call or email if you have any questions.

Best regards,

Coach Baker

Dear 1st and 2nd Grade Laxers,

NEXT PRACTICE is Sunday April 21 from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm at the Library Field.  Full equipment- stick, helmet, gloves, armpads, shouderpads, cleats (if you have them), and mouthguard. Please wear your team pinneys.

Weather forecast is for low 50s (so wear a few layers). We realize that some of you may be going away for school vacation, but we'll be there, playing lax both weekends. If for any reason your son won't be in attendance, please let me know by return email.

Also, please note that tonight is Senior Night for the 2013 Millburn HS Varsity. Please see the message below from Coach McCutcheon:

Dear 1st and 2nd Grade Laxers,

NEXT PRACTICE is Sunday April 14 from 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm at the Library Field.  Full equipment- stick, helmet, gloves, armpads, shouderpads, cleats (if you have them), and mouthguard. Please wear your team pinneys. Weather forecast is for low 60s (so wear a few layers). If for any reason your son won't be in attendance, please let me know by return email.

FYI: Here is our schedule for the next few weeks (subject to change, and weather permitting):

Sunday April 21 2:00pm to 3:30 pm at the Library Field

Sunday April 28 2:00pm to 3:30 pm at the Library Field

As always, please check  www.eteamz.com/mshlax , and click on the "1st & 2nd Grade News" tab one hour before practice to see if there are last minute changes to our schedule. Please feel free to call or email if you have any questions.

Best regards,

Coach Baker

Dear 1st & 2nd Grade Laxers,

Our next practice will be held on Sunday March 17 from 11:00 am to 12:15
pm at the east end of the HS Stadium, behind the turf in the pole
vault area (just like last weekend). We will either practice on the soft surface there or on an adjacent athletic field.

Please wear FULL EQUIPMENT: sticks, helmet, gloves, arm pads, shoulder
pads, mouthguard with SNEAKERS (no cleats).  Veteran players, please wear your Millburn Lacrosse pinney.

The weather report calls for partly cloudy, with temperatures in the mid-40s, so please dress warmly in layers.

As always, please let me know by return email if for any reason your son
won't be attending the practice- and check the website at
www.eteamz.com/mshlax and click on the "1st & 2nd Grade News" tab for the
latest up-to-date info on practices and games.

See you Sunday-

Best regards,

Coach Baker

Dear 1st and 2nd Grade Laxers,

The season begins TOMORROW Sunday March 3 on the High School Turf at 2:45 pm to 4:00 pm. It's going to be in the low 40s, so please make sure you wear multiple layers- sweatpants and a sweatshirt are REQUIRED in this kind of weather.   

All players need to have full equipment: stick, helmet, gloves, arm pads, shoulder pads, and mouthguard. 

Please call or email if you have any questions. Click on the "1st & 2nd Grade News" tab for more information.

We are going to have lots of fun!  See you tomorrow.

Coach Baker 

201-452-6641

stpbaker@verizon.net 

Dear 1^st and 2^nd Grade Laxers,

First of all, I’d like to congratulate our players for a job well done at the Randolph Tournament- I was very proud of our boys. I hope everyone who was there had fun! We also learned a great deal about how the game is played, and I think we’re all looking forward to the next tournament in Florham Park on June 1. As we approach the end of the season, here are some important news items: 

SAVE THE DATE FRIDAY JUNE 8,  5:45 pm to 7:45 pm MILLBURN LACROSSE CLUB ANNUAL TEAM PICNIC on the HS Turf!! Please join the entire Millburn Lacrosse Club for our annual family picnic on the HS Turf on Friday evening June 8. We’ll have hot dogs, burgers, cookies, water, soft drinks, and other goodies (courtesy of Manny’s), plus skill competitions and lots of lacrosse fun for everyone. More details to follow under separate cover.

NO PRACTICE MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, Sunday May 27: This is NCAA Championship Weekend at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro- on Saturday, the semifinals for D1 will be Loyola vs Notre Dame and Duke vs Maryland; D2 and D3 championships will be held Sunday; and the D1 Championship will be held on Memorial Day, Monday May 28. If you can’t make it to Foxboro, most of the games will be broadcast on ESPN or its affiliate ESPN channels. (Check your TV listings). Don’t miss it!

FRIDAY JUNE 1 FLORHAM PARK LAX FESTIVAL 6:00 PM TO 9:00 PM We will forward tournament information (schedule, directions, general rules, etc.); under separate cover but here are the key points:

REMAINING PRACTICES: We’ll practice on Sunday June 3 and end the season on Sunday June 10 at the Library, at our usual time 3:00 to 4:30 pm. We’re working on perhaps scheduling one more game against a neighboring town- stay tuned!

Thanks in advance for your prompt reply regarding Florham Park, and please let me know if you have any questions.

Regards,

Coach Baker

Dear 1^st and 2^nd Grade Laxers,

We will have our walk-through practice at the High School from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm tomorrow, Friday May 18. We will meet behind the stands, between the Stadium Turf and the Practice Turf. As stated previously, this is an optional practice, for those who are playing in Randolph on Saturday- helmets, gloves, and sticks only- no pads. (As many of you will be coming directly from soccer tryouts, don’t worry if you’re a few minutes late)

Sunday we will be at the Library at our usual time, 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm, with full practice gear.Please let me know by email if your son won’t be able to attend. Hope to see you there.

Regards,

Coach Baker

Dear 2^nd Grade Laxers, 

I’m very pleased to share information with you about this Saturday’s Lacrosse Festival at Freedom Park in Randolph.  See the attached information from Randolph Lacrosse (directions, general rules, etc.), but here are the key points: 

• Millburn will play four 22 minute games (running time); at 10:00 am, 11:00 am, 12:30 pm, and 1:30 pm. Millburn players will also be invited to enter the Fastest Shot Contest at 11:45 am. All of the day’s games will stress competitive skills and good sportsmanship- not scores, wins, or losses.
• Please be at the field and dressed no later than 9:30 am !!!!!
• Full equipment and mouthguards are MANDATORY.
• If your son wants to play goalie, he must wear an athletic cup- we will supply the chest protector, goalie mask, and goalie stick. (We have a couple of spare cups on hand, factory sealed, brand new)
• Wear your Millburn game jersey (handed out on Sunday) and black athletic shorts (preferred) or blue athletic shorts (acceptable)
• If you weren’t at practice on Sunday, we will hand out game jerseys at 9:30 am.
• You are responsible for your own water and food (there will be a Snack Bar open during the entire tournament). Some, if not all of the fields are turf, so they will most likely be at least 10 degrees hotter than a natural grass surface. I encourage you to pack a cooler/picnic lunch (the boys will need to snack in between games) and bring plenty of water!
• I will be there early with a canopy/tent. If any parents would like to coordinate additional food/tents/etc. please let me know. Volunteer parents to help with wrangling the players will be greatly appreciated. Please call or email to coordinate
• In the case of a cancellation or postponement due to bad weather, we will communicate by website and email by 7:45 am.

Dear 1^st and 2nd Grade Laxers, 

This Sunday once again we will have our practice at the Library from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm. Realizing that it is Mother’s Day, we know that some of you may have family celebrations planned; just let us know if you can’t make it. When you wake up on Sunday morning, we want all of our Millburn Laxers to go give Mom a big hug and a kiss to thank her for everything that she does. 

REGARDING THE RANDOLPH 2^nd GRADE TOURNAMENT on Saturday May 19: Details will follow under separate cover, hopefully later today. (I’m waiting to hear back from the folks in Randolph about the actual game schedule, rules, etc.) I’ll need your firm commitment by late Sunday, either at the practice or by email, for your son’s participation. We will also try, subject to field availability, to schedule one extra mid-week practice or scrimmage to prepare. Keep checking your email for the latest updates. 

Check the website www.eteamz.com/mshlax for any last minute changes in location or practice time. See you Sunday. 

Regards, 

Coach Baker

Dear 1^st and 2^nd Grade Laxers,

Dear 1st and 2nd Grade Laxers,

Mark your calendars! We are planning to hold our first practice on Sunday March 18, one week from this coming Sunday from 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. We are still working on the location; we'll let you know ASAP by web and email. Please remember to have all your equipment, and dress warmly. See you next week!

Coach Baker

Dear 1st and 2nd Grade Lacrosse Parents,

Welcome to the Millburn-Short Hills Lacrosse Club for Boys 1st & 2nd Grade Team. (Returning 2^nd Graders, it’s great to have you back!) We are excited to have you with us, and we hope to have a fun and rewarding 2012 season.  Along the way, we will do our very best to help your son develop new athletic skills and an understanding of the game of lacrosse, while also instilling the values of teamwork, good sportsmanship, and respect.

Practices: We plan to practice outdoors on Sunday afternoons, probably from 3:00pm to 4:00pm at a township field (location and final schedule tbd), beginning Sunday April 1st. There will be no 1^st/2^nd grade practice this coming weekend Sunday March 4. We do hope to fit in at least two pre-season practices on the High School turf in March, time and dates to be determined. (Millburn’s township fields are officially “closed” until April 1). Stay tuned for more info, coming soon.

Games: There are no formal games played at the 1^st and 2^nd Grade level- our focus is entirely on building skills. However, for the past two years, we have participated in Florham Park’s 2^nd Grade Lacrosse Festival, and we expect to do so again. It’s a great way to emphasize skill and sportsmanship, while not getting caught up with competitive pressure over winning or losing. The format is 6 vs 6, round robin style- scores are not kept, there are no brackets, no champions- it’s just having fun, playing lacrosse. We’ll let you know more when we get the details later in the season.

Communications via Website: The Millburn-Short Hills Lacrosse Club for Boys website address is www.eteamz.com/mshlax . All of our communication will be done via the website. We have a dedicated News tab on our website for the 1st/2nd Grade Team. Please bookmark and make a habit of checking the 1st/2nd Grade News tab regularly for the latest updates on practice times and locations.

Coaches: As in years past, I’ll be your son’s head coach. We also expect to have members of the Millburn High School Varsity helping out every Sunday. As have most of the other coaches in the program, I’ve played lacrosse in high school, college, and on post-collegiate clubs, so we all know and love the game. We want to teach, learn, and have fun with your kids this season. Please feel free to talk with us at any time if you’d like to discuss your son’s activities on the team.

Parent Volunteers: We’d love to have you involved both on and off the field. Yes, we are recruiting! Please contact any of us to discuss what you can do to help the team and the program.

Attendance: if for any reason, your son cannot attend a practice, please inform me by email, preferably the day before the practice. We understand, and frankly expect, that your son may play other organized sports that sometimes conflict with lacrosse this spring. All we ask is that you let us know in advance when your son won’t be available.

Equipment: Player safety is our number one priority. Lacrosse helmets, gloves, elbow pads, shoulder pads, and mouth guards are required. Please outfit your son with soccer cleats, sneakers, or turf shoes, and athletic shorts. Whenever we practice outside, especially early in the season, warm dress is required (sweatpants, sweatshirts, and multiple layers). While not yet required at this level, please acquaint your son with an athletic cup. It’s not too early to get used to wearing one. Lacrosse equipment is widely available at most sporting goods stores but we strongly recommend that you check out a local specialty store such as Kicks ’n’ Sticks at the Millburn Mall on Vaux Hall Road or Thompson’s Sporting Goods in Summit.

Conduct by Players, Parents and Coaches: We follow a coaching paradigm for youth sports developed at Stanford University called the Positive Coaching Alliance, and the Code of Conduct developed by US Lacrosse, the national governing body for the sport:

 “Players, coaches, spectators, and parents are to conduct themselves in a manner that "Honors the Game" and demonstrates respect to other players, coaches, officials, and spectators. In becoming a member of the lacrosse community an individual assumes certain obligations and responsibilities to the game of lacrosse and its participants. The essential elements in this "Code of Conduct" are HONESTY and INTEGRITY. Those who conduct themselves in a manner that reflects these elements will bring credit to the sport of lacrosse, themselves, their teams, and their organization.”

Regards,

Dear 1^st and 2^nd Grade Laxers, 

Our next practice will be held this Sunday afternoon May 22 from 2:45 pm to 4:00 pm at the Library Field, FIELD CONDITIONS PERMITTING. It has been so wet this week, many of the grass fields have been closed- we probably won’t know until Sunday if we are OK to go. Forecast is for some showers, and a high of 68 degrees. Wear your pinneys with the color on the outside. Please check your email and the website ( www.eteamz.com/mshlax , and click on the “1^st and 2^nd Grade News” tab) on Saturday and late Sunday morning for any last-minute updates or changes.  Some housekeeping issues: 

• Mark Your Calendars! The Millburn Short Hills Lacrosse Club will hold its Annual Picnic on Sunday June 5 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the High School Turf Field. Parents, siblings, and players are all invited.  We need an approximate headcount, so please return this email indicating how many people from your family will be present. Final details will be sent shortly under separate cover.

   ___________people (total number attending, including your 1^st/2^nd Grader) from the ____________family will attend   

• No practice next Sunday May 29. Next weekend is the NCAA Lacrosse Championship for Divisions I, II, and III in Baltimore at M&T Bank Stadium. I hope to see some of you around the Inner Harbor and the Stadium, enjoying all the lacrosse action!

• Last call for 2^nd Graders if you’d like to play in the Florham Park Lacrosse Festival on Friday June 3^rd. Please let me know by email or at practice on Sunday (and thanks to all that have already replied).

Dear 1^st and 2^nd Grade Laxers, 

Weather permitting, our next practice will be held this Sunday afternoon from 2:45 pm to 4:00 pm at the Library Field. Forecast is for showers, and a high of 66 degrees. Wear your pinneys with the color on the outside. Please check your email and the website ( www.eteamz.com/mshlax , and click on the “1^st and 2^nd Grade News” tab) on Saturday and late Sunday morning for any last-minute updates or changes due to the weather. 

• Looking ahead, please note that there will be no practice over Memorial Day weekend. For those of you who are new to the sport, the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Division 1, Division 2, and Division 3 Championships will be held at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, May 28-30. Some 40,000 to 50,000 lacrosse fans will be in attendance to watch the very best teams in the country compete for the championship. If you can’t make the trip, you can still catch all the action on television, as the games will be televised live on ESPN and its affiliates- check your listing for details.

• SAVE THE DATE: The Millburn Lacrosse Club will hold its annual picnic on Sunday June 5 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. at the High School Turf Field. Food, fun, and lacrosse are on the menu. MORE DETAILS TO FOLLOW UNDER SEPARATE COVER.

 As always, please let me know by email if for any reason, your son won’t be able to attend Sunday’s practice. 

Regards, 

Coach Baker

Dear 1^st and 2^nd Grade Laxers,

Our next practice will be held this Sunday afternoon at our “regular” 4:00 pm at the Library Field. Forecast is for 70 degrees and sunny. Wear your pinneys with the color on the outside. However, since it is Mothers Day, the practice is optional, and we are requesting a head count from everyone. Please reply via email ( stpbaker@verizon.net ) at your earliest convenience:

_____ YES, we will be at practice because we want to play lacrosse! (Mom can relax while we are at practice)_____ NO, we cannot attend practice because we already have other plans for Mothers Day

Please check your email and the website ( www.eteamz.com/mshlax , and click on the “1^st and 2^nd Grade News” tab) late tomorrow and Sunday morning for any last-minute updates (or possible cancellation). Thanks in advance for your prompt reply.

Regards,

Coach Baker