The season is set to begin June 22, and online registration can be completed starting Monday.
Apparently the coronavirus can only keep young athletes away from the action for so long. Following in the steps of the Portsmouth Little League and Middletown Babe Ruth, Island Youth Lacrosse recently announced it received official approval to begin play June 22.
“This was a successful collaboration between Island Youth Lacrosse, our parents, and Middletown Public Schools,” Island Youth Lacrosse President Neal Harrell said in an email sent to The Daily News.
Harrell asked parents to take a survey pertaining to getting back to play, and 93 percent of parents gave their OK. The league will use the time leading up to opening day to do what it needs to ensure the proper protocols are in place to safely begin play, confirm coaches and prepare the fields.
Boys and girls in grades 3 through 8 are eligible to participate. Harrell said in his email league board members met recently and decided to “not offer youth lacrosse this summer for kindergarten, first- and second-graders. This was a tough decision, but we suspect it will be too difficult to enforce social distancing protocol.”
Harrell noted teams will practice two days per week instead of three or four times a week as they have in the past.
The tentative schedule, which runs from June 22 through July 23 with 10 sessions, is as follows: third- and fourth-grade boys and girls will practice Tuesday and Thursday from 4 to 5:30 p.m.; fifth- and sixth-grade boys and girls will practice Monday and Wednesday from 5 to 6:30 p.m.; seventh- and eighth-grade boys and girls will practice Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
All practices will take place at the Middletown High School grass fields in front of the school. Boys will be on the upper field, girls on the lower field.
Online registration begins Monday at 8 a.m. at www.islandlax.org. The registration fee for summer lacrosse is $50. Players will be confirmed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Each boys and girls age group can only accept 13 players. Once that number is reached, any new registrations will be put on a wait list. If or when the wait list reaches nine players, a second team for that age group will form and the practice schedule will be adjusted accordingly.
The league will be emailing everyone a US Lacrosse/Island Youth Lacrosse waiver specific to COVID-19 that parents will be required to sign in order for their child to participate. All practice drills will require social distancing, which means no contact and coaches will enforce spacing of at least 6 feet between players.
For more information go to www.islandlax.org or email [email protected]. The Breakers online store at https://www.bsnteamsports.com/shop/ISLANDLAX3 is open until Sunday at 11:59 p.m.
