Johns Creek Gladiator Girls Lacrosse Program Opens Registration

JOHNS CREEK, GA — Atlanta’s suburbs are a hotbed for niche sports such as lacrosse which is one of the oldest team sports and fastest growing sports in North America. It is quickly spreading to Georgia, and is hitting an all-time high in such areas as Johns Creek.

As a matter of fact, 100 high schools in North Atlanta are offering lacrosse to youth athletes who are jumping in and loving the game. According to Global Sports Matters, since 2001, lacrosse has added more than half a million participants from youth to the professional level.

One of the local programs offered to residents who are interested in playing lacrosse is the Johns Creek Junior Gladiator program, a feeder program to Johns Creek High School, which launched a girls' lacrosse team in 2010. Just this past fall, the Junior Gladiator program lowered the entry point to 3rd grade due to the high interest of younger girls who wanted to play the sport.

The program has multiple teams for grades 3–5 and teams for grades 6–8. All grade level teams offer lacrosse as a recreational sport in the fall with a more competitive “edge” during the spring, which is when the sport is played in high school.

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In addition to the fall and spring seasons, the program also has teams that play in various local tournaments such as the most recent one in Milton called Merry LAXMAS. For the older Junior Gladiator girls (6th – 8th grade), the program has partnered with Spak Attack Sports which offers an additional winter clinic for those athletes who are looking to gain more strength, speed, coordination, balance and confidence on the field. This ensures players are in optima shape and ready to begin the spring season.

These younger girls playing in the Johns Creek area now have an opportunity gain more experience, starting at an earlier age, so if they want to learn the sport, improve their game and move onto the high school level and beyond, this program offers an amazing opportunity for gaining experience and knowledge in the game.

The Johns Creek High School program has grown from 38 girls in 2016 to approximately 60 girls in 2019 representing the Junior Varsity and Varsity teams. In 2016, the Johns Creek High School team made it to the elite 8, finishing 2nd in the area and in 2017 made it to the Sweet 16 (after expanding playoffs to 32 teams), finishing 4rd in the area.

The team made it to the Sweet 16, finishing 2nd in the area again in 2018. Since 2016, Johns Creek High School has had many girls continue on to play college D1, D2, and D3 lacrosse. When starting lacrosse, it is never too late to learn and excel at the sport as there is one former Junior Gladiator, who started playing lacrosse in 8th grade and is now playing at a D1 school doing an amazing job.

Registration for Spring 2019 season is now open until January 8th, be sure to register before January 6th to avoid a late fee. Here is the link to our registration form as well as to obtain more information at http://www.jrgladiatorslax.org/

Registration fees are $250 for 3rd through 5th grade girls $375 for 6th through 8th grade girls during regular registration. A late fee of $50 will be assessed for registrations after January 6th. Registration closes on January 8th.

All players within the Jr. Gladiators Girls Lacrosse program must reside and be zoned for Johns Creek High School (JCHS).

A valid US Lacrosse membership is required to complete the registration process. Membership must be current throughout the season and must be validated prior to the player engaging in any play during any assessments, practices, and games. To initiate, renew, or verify membership go to US Lacrosse.