CARLYLE - Over 160 young athletes from southeast Saskatchewan travelled to Carlyle last weekend for the first of four season-ending lacrosse tournaments.
The games were played at Lions Park and brought teams together from Carlyle, Carnduff, Moosomin and Redvers. Kipling was also in attendance and their teams also had players from Grenfell participating. The age groups in action were from U6 to U14.
The spring box lacrosse season runs from April until June and is played indoors. Fall field lacrosse started at the end of August and will run to Thanksgiving. This was the first of four weekend tournaments to end the competitive playing seasons in each town.
Redvers, Moosomin, and Carnduff are up next. Regular practices in Carlyle will continue every Tuesday and Thursday.
Lacrosse co-ordinator Rod Day has been pleased on how the season has gone and wanted to clarify the name of the game.
“Everyone calls it field lacrosse, but it isn’t. The game is actually called Lacrosse 6’s and this is what is being played in the Olympic Games in 2028. We are the only group in the province playing it. We use it to introduce the lax (lacrosse) game to kids and to work on the skills and concepts of lax. The game is minimal contact and keeps kids safe while providing all the advantages of lax, physical endurance, co-ordination and game-day skills.”
Tyson and Terri Morson have had their two boys enrolled in field lacrosse this fall. Keegan is 10 and Braeden is six.
“This is our second year of lacrosse, and we have nothing but good things to say about Rod Day and his program. Terri and I are very happy he has branched out from Carnduff to the surrounding communities including Carlyle. Our kids absolutely love the sport. It keeps them physically active in September and October and gets them ready for the upcoming hockey season.”
There was a good crowd in attendance at Lions Park with many coaches, cheering parents and excited fans. Participating, and not winning or losing, was the order of the day.
