Kids between the ages of six to 14 wanting to take part in organized sports in Kipling this fall might well have a new option open to them.
Rod Day (Carnduff Lacrosse) says that he was led to start lacrosse teams in several communities in this area through his sons’ interest in the sport.
“My oldest son caught the lacrosse ‘bug’ from a friend of his in Estevan. He tried playing with his friend’s team a couple of times – and was hooked.
“So, both of my sons were playing with teams in Estevan for seven years before COVID. When the pandemic started – everything was shut down. Then last year, they had the chance to start playing again.
“But I thought that instead of investing 12 hours per week to travel back and forth to Estevan, I’d invest the same amount of time and try to get a lacrosse team going at home.
“I started Carnduff Lacrosse. And the idea became a snowball; it just kept growing as it rolled along. This fall, teams in Carlyle, Moosomin and Redvers will be playing for the first time. And hopefully, if there are enough kids interested, we’ll have lacrosse in Kipling as well.”
Day says that there has been significant interest in the game.
“Last fall, I had 155 kids between the ages of six to 14 who were interested in playing lacrosse for the first time. Then this past spring, I had 132 kids signed up to play.
“I knew enough about the Kipling community to know that something could happen there too. I talked with a couple of moms and they were excited about the idea.
“Then Bobby Bouche (Ready Go Solutions) stepped up and offered to cover the cost for all the Kipling registrations. So, we’re hoping that there’ll be enough for a Kipling team too.”
He points out that lacrosse is a sport that a child can easily get into and says that this fall season will be focused on introducing kids to the sport.
“It’s not a sport that you have to go out and buy a lot of equipment for. Any kid who plays hockey already has everything they need except the stick. (Lacrosse is actually a great ‘summer sport’ for kids who play hockey in the winter.)
“It’s also a game that’s easy to learn. You need to have a very basic ‘skill set’ to start. If you can run, you can play lacrosse. And this fall, it will be all about helping kids to learn the game and sparking interest in it.
“We’ll be taking all of the best parts of ‘box lacrosse’ (which is played indoors) and combining it with field lacrosse. So, we’ll be playing outside in the ball diamonds. That will mean that the kids can learn to play on grass and won’t have the shock of hitting cement when they fall.”
Day adds that lacrosse provides an exciting way for kids to stay active during this time of year.
“Lacrosse is a fantastic game for kids to learn. It’s fast – faster than hockey. The ball moves faster than a puck. And you don’t get to ‘glide’. You’re running and working all the time. So, lacrosse really gets kids moving and doing something.”
“Lacrosse also fits into the calendar really well. It happens in the fall, when kids are back in school and there really aren’t many other organized sport options open.”
He notes that anyone who would like to play is able to register now.
“We’re going to start on Wednesday August 31 and have two practices per week. Everything will wrap up by Thanksgiving. We’ll end the season with a get-together and have a tournament/fun-day.
“Anybody wanting to register and become part of the Kipling Canons Lacrosse Team can visit the Carnduff Lacrosse Facebook page and sign up!”
