Sharon Youth Lacrosse Participation Growing

Sharon Youth Lacrosse continues registering online.

The program's growth, though, may not register with residents until the season starts.

They'll see more players than last year.

"We are trending about 10 percent up in terms of participation from last year, which was about 10 percent up from the previous year," President Gene Kim says.

Boys Coordinator Ed Paik says the boys program started with three teams: U11 (third and fourth grade), U13 (fifth and sixth grade) and U15 (seventh and eighth grade).

"We started with basically one team at each grade level," Paik says.

Now there are six teams: U9 (first and second grade), U11, and two each in the U13 and U15 age groups, he said.

Meanwhile, Kim says that "we have been relatively flat on the girls side, and are making a big push to recruit more girls of middle school age to pick up the sport."

Paik says, "Just like every other town in the region, lacrosse is relatively new."

Sharon High School also offers the sport in the spring.

The 2011 girls captains are Leah Briscoe, Katie McLaughlin, Cindy Powell and Liz Wluka, according to the Sharon Youth Lacrosse website. The boys captains are Josh Parness and Jake Rotman.

The game does "sell itself," as a combination of soccer, hockey, basketball and football, Paik says.

"There's a significant amount of participation in terms of running around, touching the ball and getting involved," he says.