BALTIMORE – US Lacrosse has announced its 2009 Sportsmanship Grant recipients. US Lacrosse, in conjunction with the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA), has provided grants to 19 organizations, the most in the program’s history.

The grants will financially assist these organizations in educating their lacrosse coaches, officials, athletes and fans in honoring the game. Most organizations use the grant to help cover the costs of a PCA workshop or to implement the US Lacrosse Sportsmanship Card program in their area.

US Lacrosse has collaborated for over eight years with the Positive Coaching Alliance, a Stanford University (California) based program. US Lacrosse and PCA have partnered in a nationwide endeavor to make lacrosse a positive, character-building experience for every athlete and to make the experience a more successful one for coaches, parents, fans and officials.

"US Lacrosse is proud to provide the resources necessary to promote positive coaching and sportsmanship for lacrosse organizations across the country," said Joshua Christian, managing director of programs and services. "It is our hope that these partnership grants will serve as the foundation for establishing and maintaining a healthy lacrosse environment."

Grant winners will receive their grant in December and have until March 15, 2009 to utilize their award.

PCA Grant Winners:
Aloha Youth Lacrosse Association (Stephanie Jones)
Colorado Girls Lacrosse Association, Colorado Youth Lacrosse Association and Colorado Lacrosse Foundation (Kate Dresher)
Connecticut Lacrosse Federation (Patrick Thibadeau)
Delaware Lacrosse Foundation (Kevin Greene)
Georgia Youth Lacrosse Organization (Don Rigger)
Illinois High School Women’s Lacrosse Association (Pete Collins)
Madison Area Lacrosse Association (John Haney)
Minnesota Lacrosse Association (Mark Erickson)
New Jersey Junior Girls Lacrosse League (Susan Johnson)
North Texas Chapter, US Lacrosse (Tom Fitzsimmons)
Northern California Junior Lacrosse Association (Keith Denebeim)
Philadelphia Lacrosse Association (Tim Udinski)
Somers Lacrosse Association (Mark Murdoch)
South Jersey Chapter, US Lacrosse (Neil Brown)
St. Louis Chapter, US Lacrosse (Christopher Brescia)
Vermont Chapter, US Lacrosse (David Hallam)
Western Maryland Chapter, US Lacrosse (Kim Lenta)
Wisconsin Lacrosse Federation (Robert Buckley)
York County Lacrosse Association (Robert Rhein)

About Positive Coaching Alliance
Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) is transforming youth sports so sports can transform youth. Through partnership with more than 1,100 youth sports organizations, leagues, schools and cities nationwide, PCA has conducted 5,000-plus workshops for youth sports coaches, parents, organizational leaders and athletes. To learn more about PCA visit, www.positivecoach.org.

About US Lacrosse
US Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is the national governing body for men’s and women’s lacrosse. US Lacrosse has more than 250,000 members in 60 regional chapters around the country. Through responsive and effective leadership, US Lacrosse strives to provide programs and services to inspire participation while protecting the integrity of the game. To learn more about US Lacrosse, please visit www.uslacrosse.org.