SOAR awarded grant from US Lacrosse

SOAR was just awarded a coveted equipment grant from US Lacrosse that will allow SOAR to offer a lacrosse spring league for middle school boys and girls.

Matt Macauley, sports director for SOAR, and Bill Rexford, high school lacrosse coach, worked together on the grant.

Macauley said, “Last year I was having a discussion with Bill about starting a middle school lacrosse program and Bill told me about the grants that US Lacrosse awards every year. We decided to apply.”

US Lacrosse awarded only 50 grants nationwide: 17 for boys programs, nine for girls programs and 24 to communities for both a boys and girls program. Sisters was one of the 24 communities to be awarded a grant to start both a boys and girls program.

The equipment grant includes 20 sets of equipment for middle school boys including arm and shoulder pads, gloves and sticks and eye protection and sticks for the girls.

If SOAR were to purchase the equipment retail it would cost between $5,000 and $8,000.

According to Macauley, SOAR has been looking for a spring sport that would target kids that aren’t interested in track or soccer, but are still looking for something to do. Macauley was approached by both boys and girls at the middle school level asking about the possibility of SOAR offering lacrosse.

“We’ve been asked about the possibility of offering lacrosse as a spring sport,” said Macauley, “but the cost has been just too staggering until about a week ago when we received news we’d been awarded the grant.”

“US Lacrosse usually targets an area where they feel lacrosse will grow as a sport,” said Rexford. “When you receive one of these grants, the whole lacrosse world knows about it. It’s huge.”

Macauley said that he and Rexford hope to make lacrosse tournaments available on the weekends for teams at both the middle school and high school level.

“These tournaments,” said Macauley, “will offset the costs of the program, help build the lacrosse teams and make the program financially solvent for future teams.”

Middle school sign ups will begin after the holidays. Anyone with lacrosse experience is encouraged to contact Matt Macauley at SOAR (549-2091) or Rexford at 549-4045 ext. 1033.