New High School Girls Team needs helpby N/A on 3/11/2012

The Griswold Girls’ High School Lacrosse Club I seeking assistance in starting a girls’ high school lacrosse program. Anything you can do to help is appreciated! What are they looking for? Anything that on would need to start a program. From a head coach to goals to goalie equipment to sticks and balls! See the attached request from Ed Perry, Griswold’s leader in this effort.

IF YOU CAN HELP…Please reach out to Ed at 860 908 4572 or eperry@dws-ct.com.

It’s great to see another program in the works. Let’s give them a helping hand!

Thanks you!

Mark Duclos
CT Lacrosse Foundation Grant Committee

Sponsored by the Connecticut Lacrosse Foundation.
Free for all coaches!

Positive Coaching Alliance Workshop  

“Coaching for Winning & Life Lessons"
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
7:00pm – 9:00pm
North Haven Middle School

Questions?  Contact Rich Heritage - rheritage@cox.net

All Girls High School coaches should have received Lower New England tryout information.  If you have not received anything, please contact Lori Connelly at lconnelly@northbranfordschools.org. The application deadline is April 11^th and the tryout is April 17^th at Loomis Chaffee.  There are very specific tryout criteria, including a letter from your principal requesting a waiver from the CIAC allowing any public high school player to participate, so DO NOT procrastinate. No exception to the deadline is made.

This year's Junior ref certification requirements are the same as last year.  The emphasis continues to be on ensuring the safety of the players.  The leading point of emphasis is protecting the sphere around each players head.  CWLOA relies on each town to determine your needs.

New officials have a 6 hour class requirement, renewing officials a 3 hour class and everyone has to do 3 hours of field instruction.  Class fees are $150 for the 3 hour clinic and $300 for the 6 hour session.  Adult refs doing field training get $25 per hour.  All fees are payable to the clinicians.  We recommend that the 6 hours be broken into 2 days, but if you decide to schedule it on 1 day, include a lunch break.  Classes are limited to 25 participants.  Town coaches are encouraged to sit in but we ask that they refrain from questions to give the HS girls first priority.  The clinicians will find time to discuss coaching concerns after focusing on the HS girls.

The 3 hours of field training will including an hour general field class for everyone combined with 2 hours of game time under adult supervision.   Youth officials may not receive a "YA" rating (qualified to ref an "A" game) unless they train on an an "A" game or scrimmage. 

Setting up games & events for youth ref instruction is the most challenging part.   The preferred schedule is to hold the 1 hour general session before games.  Everyone in the class can participate  Then you need 2 games to train a maximum of 8 junior refs.  For planning purposes, one adult official can train 4 youths or 2 adults can train 8 youths on 2 games.  The total cost to train 8 junior refs would be $150; for 16 refs $250.

CWLOA cannot support youth events or field training on the first 2 Saturdays of the season (4/2 and 4/9).  HS play-dates which are used to train the adult refs will require nearly all senior adult officials. Please plan your youth dates on Sundays when we will have no HS conflicts. 

Registration will again be done through the CT Chapter website and class materials will be available for download.   We are going to try to have all junior candidates take the test on-line after we go over it in class.  The USL membership system is a bit convoluted so I will be sending out the exact online test procedure later.

The list of adult officials available for youth games will be updated, posted on ctlacrosse.org and emailed to everyone on this list.

I look forward to hearing from many of you.  Please put your town in the subject line when you email me as it helps to keep track of the requests.  If you are no longer involved, please pass this information along to  your successors.

FYI  The CONNY league is requiring one adult and one junior ref on A & B games this season.  This will mean fewer games for junior refs on that level.  I have heard in general that there will be more B & C teams which will counterbalance this.  The intent is to raise the safety of the game.  CWLOA has had a singnificant increase in adult membership with more taking training this spring.  We are always looking for new refs and welcome anyone interested in becoming either a HS level or youth level official.

Thanks for your help and best of luck for spring.

Randy Bayliss
CWLOA youth coordinator
203-219-7381 cell