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Lacrosse Journey Lacrosse Journey

Journey of a Lacrosse Player

Pick up a stick for the first time and we know you’re going to fall in love with the sport. USA Lacrosse is here to help you every step of the way. Where can this sport take you? Let’s find out!

Begin Your Journey

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The Path to Excellence

You love lacrosse. We love lacrosse. We want you to love other things as well. The growth of lacrosse has created more opportunities to play the sport year-round, but USA Lacrosse strongly advocates that young players continue to pursue playing other sports as well. Research has shown that early specialization can lead to overuse injuries and burnout, and there are many lessons and skills to be learned from other sports.

A recent United States Olympic Committee survey of athletes that competed for the United States in the Olympics found that not only did they participate in multiple sports when they were younger, but they continued playing multiple sports through their teens.

U.S. Olympic Athletes

Age
Number of Sports Played
U10
3.11
10-14
2.99
15-18
2.2

Coaches Corner

Jeff Tambroni, Penn State
On recruiting multi-sport athletes

“I really believe multi-sport participation increases the athletic I.Q. of players. Players can work individually on developing skills, but being a member of different teams provides opportunities to develop game instincts that produce more athletic players. There are parallels between certain sports, and we’ll look at a player’s athleticism in another sport and project his potential as a lacrosse player.”

Janine Tucker, Johns Hopkins
On recruiting multi-sport athletes

“We prefer to recruit players who are multi-sport athletes for a variety of reasons, first among them the diversity of skill sets that they develop. It also allows opportunities to be leaders, to stay in good shape, to stretch themselves as athletes, communicators, teammates and leaders. Another benefit, maybe in one sport the kid shines and is a leader. In another sport, they may not be the superstar. So they learn to be humble, to be a good teammate and to support the go-to players. That’s a tremendous benefit.”

Athlete Development

Guided by six core values, USA Lacrosse uses an athlete development framework provides every athlete the opportunity to enter, enjoy and excel by learning and playing the sport in a way that’s best for each stage of growth and development.

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Lacrosse is For All

We’re committed to making everyone feel welcome in this sport. Come see what we’re doing to make that goal a reality.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Rules & Safety

USA Lacrosse is at the forefront of striving to make the sport as safe as possible for all participants while ensuring a fair and competitive playing experience.

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National Team Development Program

Do you dream of representing your country? Our National Team Development Program offers trainers from the best players and coaches in the sport, fueling the pipeline for our national teams. Regional tryouts lead to a national combine and ultimately, the USA Select teams.

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Donate and Help Athletes in Need

Our donors are growing the game. Discover how you can help new players discover the joy of lacrosse.

$1.3M

GROWTH INITIATIVES FUNDED IN 2022

$1.5M

SAFETY-RELATED RESEARCH AND INITIATIVES FUNDED

7,200

COACHES AND OFFICIALS TRAINED IN 2022

73K

COACH BACKGROUND SCREENINGS FUNDED BY USA LACROSSE SINCE 2018

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