For release: Dec. 23, 2003

US LACROSSE ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF YOUTH EQUIPMENT, COACHES TRAVEL CLINIC AND PCA GRANTS

BALTIMORE – US Lacrosse has named 24 winners of Youth Equipment Grants for the 2004 season, as announced today by Jennifer Allen, director of programs at US Lacrosse. The grants are awarded to recreation programs, schools and BRIDGE (Building Relationships to Initiate Diversity, Growth and Enrichment) programs in developing lacrosse areas that have demonstrated financial need.

The Youth Equipment Grant Program began with the creation of an endowment following the 1998 International Lacrosse Federation (ILF) World Championships, hosted by US Lacrosse. The grants are made possible in part thanks to donations by the lacrosse equipment industry, including: Bacharach, Brine, Cascade by Sport Helmets, deBeer, Gait Helmets, Lax World, Shamrock, Sports Her Way, STX Lacrosse, Tuskewe and Warrior Lacrosse.

The 24 grant winners represent 19 states. Boys' grant winners are: Barron Collier (Fla.) High School, Bay Area (Mich.) Youth Lacrosse League, City of Bayonne (N.J.), Collier County (Fla.) Lacrosse, Delaware Military Academy, Glascow (Ky.) High Lacrosse Club (Lance Holden Memorial Grant) and Southeast (N.C.) Middle School.

Girls' grant winners are: Durango (Colo.) Parks and Recreation, Lake Sammanish (Wash.) Lacrosse Club, Rappahannock (Va.) Girls Lacrosse League, St. Mary's (Md.) Girls Lacrosse League, Southeast Guilford (N.C.) High School, West Jordan (Utah) High School Lacrosse Club and Westbrook (Maine) Youth Lacrosse Program.

Combination grant winners are: Central (Calif.) Elementary/Belmont/Redwood Shores School, City of Frankenmuth (Mich.) Parks and Recreation, Cumberland (R.I.) High School club teams, Lakeville (Minn.) Lacrosse Association, LBJ (Texas) High School boys' and girls' lacrosse teams, Ralph J. Stolle (Ohio) Countryside YMCA, Salt Lake County (Utah)/Marv Jensen Fitness and Recreation Center, Shades Valley (Ala.) YMCA, Southern Ute (Colo.) Community Action Programs, Inc., and Temecula Valley (Calif.) Lacrosse Association.

US Lacrosse also has awarded seven of its regional chapters with Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) Workshop Grants. The grants provide for a PCA representative to conduct a workshop for area coaches that includes teaching practical and effective tools to help athletes perform at their best while developing skills to excel in life, exploring PCA's three guiding principles of Honoring the Game, Redefining “Winner” and Filling the “Emotional Tank,” and sharing ideas about how to incorporate these principles into practices and games.

The value of each grant is estimated at over $2,000. Chapter winners are Colorado, Connecticut, Northern California, Oregon, Potomac, San Diego and Southern Ohio.

US Lacrosse also announced nine winners of Coaches Travel Clinic Grants. The grants cover the cost of a college coach traveling onsite to share knowledge as part of a local coaches or players clinic. The program is open to new lacrosse organizations or recreation programs.

Winners are: Arizona Girls Lacrosse Association, Centennial Franklin (Tenn.) High School Boys' Lacrosse Team, Georgia Lacrosse Foundation, Palmetto (Fla.) Lacrosse Club, San Diego Chapter of US Lacrosse, Southern Marin (Calif.) Lacrosse Club, Suffield (Conn.) Lacrosse Association, Sylvania (Ohio) Lacrosse and the Washington Chapter of US Lacrosse.

US Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, is the national governing body of men's and women's lacrosse. To learn more, visit its web site at www.uslacrosse.org.

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