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Sent on April 3rd:
Frequency: weekly for 10 weeks
Dates: Monday, April 15th to Saturday, June 22nd (Championship Day)
Times: 5 PM to 5:45 PM
Duration: 45 minutes
Location: Children’s Arena, 155 Arena St., Oshawa
Please be at the rink and ready to go at 5:00 PM sharp. 😊
Participants should wear loose fitting clothing and wear running shoes. They should have a suitable hockey helmet and stick, and – if possible – wear some sort of gloves (ski gloves, gloves with fingers, but not mitts) to get used to wearing gloves with a stick. There is NO NEED to go out and buy tiny lacrosse gloves unless you want to. At this age, just the feel of gloves is good. If you will, please write your child’s name on a piece of masking tape and place this on the front of their helmet. Kids respond much better by name as I am sure you are aware! 😊
Bring a suitably labelled water bottle. We have frequent drink breaks. A snack for afterward is likely a good idea.
We ask that an adult parent, relative, guardian, etc., stay on the floor with the participant as this aids and encourages the player in their learning. We found that most players can last 30-45 minutes. There is zero pressure on them here, they learn at their own pace and comfort level. We’ve had kids wander, melt down, go quiet and give ‘the look’, etc. If this is their very first organized sporting event, it’s all good.
Our program is skills based, which are re-enforced through simple drills and demonstrations, and which will eventually proceed to small games. We do not have any competitive games, which are not allowed at this age group. It is skills and small games only. We will teach the following skills, keeping in mind that we introduce a new skill or aspect of the skill each week, while repeating the basic skill set.
- How to hold the lacrosse stick
- How to hold the ball
- Bouncing the ball
- Cradling
- Scooping
- Throwing
- Shooting
- Introduction to passing and catching
By Championship Day we are confident that your child will know the basic skills of lacrosse and be able to play small fun games against “teams” of other participants. We have been amazed at how quickly our U5 Peanut group catches on to lacrosse skills!
We have many participants this year, but I will do my best to ensure to answer any of your questions or concerns. If you wish to email me, please use the following email address exclusively: vprec@oshawablueknights.ca (as above)
