April 28, 2004
Lacrosse league ultimate goal
More than 100 students attend session on Grand Traverse Lacrosse organization
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Mike Carroll is a man on a mission: light a fire in the area for lacrosse in northern Michigan.
A family practitioner with a young family of his own, Carroll carves out time from his busy schedule to share his passion for the fast-moving sport with area youth. He formed the Grand Traverse Lacrosse organization in 2002 and for the past two summers has organized lacrosse clinics that drew 40 players each year.
This spring, he is starting a lacrosse league for young male players in junior high school. This month he visited both East and West Junior High schools to talk to interested boys there. More than 100 students attended the sessions, some of whom previously tried the sport in gym class.
Carroll hopes to have two teams at each school in the league, which will get underway within two weeks.
Many attendees were definitely intrigued with the game.
"It's fun because it's not like soccer where the ball moves all over, in lacrosse you have more control," said David Coiman, a ninth-grade student at West Junior High after Carroll's presentation at the school last Wednesday.
Carroll also noted for the boys that lacrosse is excellent cross training for hockey players. Ninth grader Nico Gelmini, an 11-year veteran of the Grand Traverse Hockey Association, agreed, calling lacrosse 'hockey on foot.'
"Lacrosse is like off-season training," said Gelmini, a student at West Junior High who tried the sport in gym.
A Detroit native who played lacrosse through college at Notre Dame, Carroll said the sport is wildly popular downstate. Professional teams in Ann Arbor, Grand Rapids and Detroit have big followings and many youth teams exist.
He believes lacrosse will catch on in Traverse City once kids get a taste of it.
"It is such an easy sport, it has the speed of hockey and contact of football and the flow of soccer," said Carroll, who noted that this is the first year lacrosse has been sanctioned by the Michigan High School Athletic Association. "There's a lot of hand-eye coordination and it is a fun sport, it really is."
"We're excited to bring it up here and hope to just grow it into the high school level," he noted.
During the introductory sessions, Carroll showed the boys at both schools videos of world-caliber players and later guided them in basic throwing and catching techniques. He also outlined the basics of the game and equipment, encouraging students to at least get a stick and start playing with a friend. He noted that Grand Traverse Lacrosse would provide the helmets, padding and goalie equipment for the league; the kids merely need a stick to play.
"What I recommend is that you go buy a stick, get your buddy to go buy a stick," he told students at West Junior High School. "Play some catch with it and if you like it get some gloves and practice throwing and catching with them."
At this point, the Grand Traverse Lacrosse league is geared to male players, though Carroll does not rule out the possibility that there may be demand in the future for a female lacrosse league.
"Girls lacrosse has different rules and is a different sport," Carroll said.
Grand Traverse Lacrosse will hold an introductory clinic to the sport on Sunday, May 2, at 2 p.m. at Just for Kicks. Although the league is geared to junior high school age students, all ages are welcome at the clinic; a $5 fee will be charged to clinic participants. For more information on the lacrosse league and the sport in general, visit online at www. grandtraverselacrosse.org