The Club:
Wilson Men’s Lacrosse club is open to 9th – 12th grade boys living in the Wilson High School district of Southwest Portland.  In Oregon, lacrosse is not an official sport of the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA).  Therefore, our team is run as a non-profit club by parent volunteers, and we rely on fees and fundraising.  Wilson is a member of the Oregon High School Lacrosse Association (OHSLA), Columbia Division, which follows OSAA rules and guidelines, with very few exceptions.

 

Lacrosse:
Lacrosse is one of the fastest-growing sports in the U.S.  It is a team sport of Native American origin.  Lacrosse is played using a small solid rubber ball and a long-handled stick called a crosse, with a head strung with loose mesh designed to catch and hold the ball. Lacrosse is a fast, physical, contact sport.  Offensively, the objective of the game is to score by shooting the ball into an opponent's goal, using the lacrosse stick to catch, carry, and pass the ball to do so.  Defensively, the objective is to keep the opposing team from scoring and to dispossess them of the ball through the use of stick checking and body contact or positioning.

 

Prior Experience:
Wilson Men’s Lacrosse is open to players of any level of experience.  Many of the players have previous experience with Wilson Youth Lacrosse, but that is not required.  If you do not have prior lacrosse experience, it helps to be generally athletic, have good hand-eye coordination, be in good condition and be ready to work hard in practices.

 

Expectations:
Players are required to attend all practices and games, and adhere to all team, Wilson High School, Portland Interscholastic League and OSAA rules pertaining to athletic eligibility, behavior, class attendance and grades.

 

Teams:
We currently offer teams at the Varsity and Junior Varsity (JV) level.

 

·        Varsity – This team is made up of our best players at each position regardless of their year in high school.  However, freshmen will only be placed on Varsity if there is a reasonable expectation that they will get consistent playing time.  While league games carry the most weight, the outcomes of all games affect play-off seeding.   Games are played to win.

 

·        Junior Varsity – This team is for new players and those not ready for the Varsity level.  Games are played to win, but the focus is to develop all players and to prepare them for the Varsity level.  Playing time is earned by showing effort and commitment in practice.

·        Note - Seniors may play in JV games only by exception and with permission of the opponent.  Players may play in both Varsity and JV games, but we must adhere to the ‘5 quarter rule.’  This states that a player may not enter more than 5 quarters on any play date(s), including games on the same play date or a common opponent on consecutive dates. 

 

Practices: 

·        Optional pre-season conditioning generally runs from December to mid-February.  Conditioning can be scheduled and run by the coaches or players.  Conditioning is typically held 3-4 days a week after school, and may consist of speed, agility and weight training.  Players may also organize stick-work drills and light scrimmaging (coaches may not organize or participate in these ‘sport-specific’ activities).  All players are strongly encouraged to attend as many optional conditioning sessions as they can.  Players are required to show up for the first official practice in shape!

·        Official practices usually begin in late February, and are run by the coaches.  Practices are held on the Rieke Elementary School field daily Monday-Friday and may begin at either 3:45 p.m. or 5:30 p.m. (we rotate practice times with the girls team) and last about 1 ½ - 2 hours.  We typically are allowed only 10-12 official practices before our first match is scheduled.  Our practices are purposely designed to be fast-paced, emulating game-type situations and pressure.  The first few practices are used by the coaches to determine the Varsity and JV squads and the rest are to prepare for games. 

 

Matches:
Competition usually begins in early March.  Wilson competes in the OHSLA’s Columbia Division, against other teams from the Portland area, and also plays non-division matches against Portland area and northern Willamette Valley teams.  Matches may be held once or twice per week, typically on Tuesday and/or Thursday afternoons (but the schedule may vary).  Home matches are played on the Rieke field.  Players are responsible for finding their own transportation to and from most away matches (we may very occasionally charter a bus).  We play about 15-16 regular season matches, with the possibility of additional playoff matches. 

 

Registration:
Registration usually opens in the fall and all forms and payments must be turned in prior to turning out for official practices. 

 

Uniforms:
The Club provides uniforms.  All players are issued two game jerseys each season (home, away) and a practice jersey.  All jerseys must be returned washed and in good condition at the end of the season.  New players are issued one pair of game shorts which are theirs to keep.  For details, see the Uniform Agreement section of the Registration Packet.

 

Equipment:
Players are responsible for providing their own equipment.    Equipment can be purchased at local retailers like Bigfoot Lacrosse & Dick’s  Sporting Goods.  (The Club has a limited amount of used equipment which may be borrowed.  Contact the Club President for more information.) 

 

Required:         

·        Helmet (green)

·        Stick

·        Mouth guard

·        Men’s lacrosse gloves

·        Shoulder pads

·        Elbow pads/arm guards

·        Athletic protective cup

·        Shoes with cleats (lacrosse/ football cleats highly recommended, no baseball spikes)

·        Water bottle (with water) that can be accessed without removing helmet.  Bring water to every game and practice!

 

 Recommended:

·        Thermal layer (such as Under Armor).  This is the Northwest, so we practice and play in the cold, wind and rain!

·        Gear bag

 

Parent Volunteers:
The Club is completely run by parent volunteers.  We have a Board, as well as parents who coordinate various activities.  We are always looking for parents to assist throughout the season, including match-time activities such as scorekeeping, shagging balls and taking photos and video. 

 

Fundraising:
We receive no funding from Portland Public Schools.  Therefore, each year we participate in fundraising activities, such as staffing the Wilson Booster Club Christmas Tree Sale, participating in the Wilson High School PTA Auction, and others.  Fundraising supplements our registration fees to help cover our yearly costs, which include coaches’ stipends, OHSLA dues/referees, club insurance, field permits, equipment and maintenance, trainer and medical supplies, shorts for new players, occasional bus transportation, website, etc.