Huntley’s Got Lacrosse Fever

Lacrosse is a hot sport across the country, especially in Huntley where Huntley High School will host a lacrosse academy this weekend and the Huntley Lacrosse Club will begin taking applications for teams.

Huntley High School Varsity Lacrosse Coach Phil Ryan will offer academy-style lacrosse training to players of all ability levels on Sunday, January 13 in Huntley.

The academy will be held in the Union Special building, on Route 47 in Huntley (next to Powell’s Car Wash). The facility features a turf surface, which is ideal for indoor training. NO CLEATS are allowed on the turf. Participants should enter through the door underneath the large Union Special sign.

The fee for participation in the academy is $75, and a helmet, shoulder pads, arm pads, gloves, and stick are required for participation.

Ryan has coached lacrosse for more than 20 years with experience at the high school, college and professional levels. He has won two Illinois State High School Championships and was named Illinois High School Lacrosse Coach of the Year twice.

The Lacrosse Academy is available to players of all ability levels, from beginners, to highly experienced players. Training and drills will be scaled to each player’s ability level to ensure maximum skill growth during the session. The focus will be on the fundamentals of stick work and footwork, and training will progress to advanced skills for appropriate levels.

The January 13 academy will be broken down into the following age groups:

• Grades 2-5: 12 to 1 p.m. (limit of 20 players)
• Grades 6-8: 1 to 2 p.m. (limit of 15 players)
• Grades 9-11 (JV level): 2 to 3 p.m. (limit of 15 players)
• Grades 10-12 (Varsity level): 3 to 4 p.m. (limit of 15 players)

On Monday, Jan. 14, the Huntley Lacrosse Club will begin accepting registration for spring teams. All registrations must be completed on line at www.huntleylacrosse.com. Registration will close on Friday, February 22.

The 2013 registration fee is $179, and includes a jersey, player skill development sessions (twice a week) and approximately eight games in the McHenry and Lake County Area. Games will be played within the Northwest Chicago Lacrosse Youth Federation. Practices will begin the week of April 1 and the season concludes in the middle of June.

“(The) popularity of this sport continues to grow, and we are expecting a large turnout of players of all ability levels,” said Lacrosse Club President Tony Nigro.

Players will be divided into teams based on the following divisions:

•  U9: Players with a birth date between 9/1/03 and 8/31/05
• U11: Players with a birth date between 9/1/01 and 8/31/03
• U13: Players with a birth date between 9/1/99 and 8/31/01
• U15: Players with a birth date between 9/1/97 and 8/31/99