League Overview
Welcome to West LA Lacrosse. We started with a handful of children at one elementary school (Canfield), and we just finished our fourth season with over 300 players. We have grown so fast because existing players have a great time and spread the word, and we welcome new players (no experience is necessary). West LA Lacrosse operates in two seasons: regular season in winter (Dec-Feb) and a casual pick-up game format in the summer months.
We make lacrosse affordable through the contributions of parent and community volunteers. The registration fee last year was $135. West LA Lacrosse seeks out quality coaches who teach the skills and strategies associated with our great game, all the while emphasizing sportsmanship and teamwork - the hallmarks of lacrosse. Many West LA Lacrosse coaches are members of the Mens teams at UCLA and LMU. The head coaches of Boys HS teams at Culver City, Palisades, and Loyola all volunteered as coaches in our league this past year. We were also very excited to see high school players earning community service by coaching and we thank Beverly Hills HS, Culver City HS, Loyola and Palisades HS for the energetic and effective coaches who worked the sidelines this past year.
West LA Lacrosse expects all players, coaches, referees and parents to exhibit respect for each other. Sportsmanship is our highest priority.
West LA Lacrosse is a volunteer organization, completely non-profit. We are incorporated as a California non-profit Public Benefit Corporation (under the name West Los Angeles Lacrosse). Our board and officers are comprised of volunteer parents and coaches. Every parent in the league is asked to volunteer in one form or another during the course of the season - from timekeeper to field set-up to team parent, and more. Working together, we are able to offer a quality experience at a low cost and we all get the feeling that we are contributing to the effort.
Last year we fielded teams with home fields in 3 locations throughout West LA: Cheviot Hills, Santa Monica and Westchester.
Westchester teams practice and play home games at Westchester Rec Center, 7000 W. Manchester Ave., Los Angeles, CA
Santa Monica teams practice and play home games at Penmar Rec Center, 1341 Lake St., Venice, CA
Cheviot Hills teams practice and play home games at Cheviot Hills Rec Center, 2551 Motor Ave, Los Angeles, CA
The Teams in our winter league are grouped by the players' grade level:
Boys:
K - 2nd grade (this special level is called Chumash)
3rd - 4th grade
5th - 6th grade
7th - 8th grade
Girls:
3rd- 5th grade
6th- 8th grade
In our regular season (winter), we strive to create a league with at least 4 teams at each level and schedule at least 10 games for each team, played mostly on Saturdays. We expect 1 non-league away game to be scheduled for each team, where a family might have to drive as far as 45 minutes to the opposing team's field. At the end of the season, we will conduct playoffs and a championship game for each level except Chumash.
The younger teams practice one time per week. The older teams practice two times per week. Practices are scheduled for late afternoon or early evening, depending on the availability of the coach.
Practice philosophy: attendance at practices is important. We'd like to see the players attend every practice, but we understand that there may be a missed practice or game here and there. But the players and parents must recognize that lacrosse is a new sport. It's not like playing on a soccer team, where the rules and strategies may already be well understood by the players. We are starting from scratch; teaching the game of lacrosse to a new audience is a step-by-step process. Players are urged to get to the practice field 15 minutes early. Parents: please do not be late in picking up the players after practice (safety and courtesy issue).
For insurance and liability purposes, all players and coaches must be current members of US Lacrosse. The US Lacrosse web address is http://www.uslacrosse.org and the cost for player membership is $35.
For Further Information:
League President
Mitch Fenton
fenton@lbbslaw.com
310.993.1426