The New Westminster school district is applauding a local partnership that has taught lacrosse to some 3,000 elementary school students over the last two years.
At a committee meeting on March 3, school board trustees heard from Paul Manville, the inspiration behind a district-wide kindergarten-to-Grade 5 lacrosse program.
The Qayqayt Elementary principal wanted to introduce an initiative that would expose kids to the sport.
"Lacrosse is huge in New West and I have deep ties to it. Both my kids play, so it seemed like a really good idea at the time," he told the Record.
Instructors come in every day for a week and teach the basics, like how to cradle or pass.
"It's an impressive partnership that provides a sporting experience to kids across the district. It's always really important to give them opportunities to try new things," said board chair Jonina Campbell.
Two years ago, Manville connected with Darren Flintoff, president of the New Westminster Minor Lacrosse Association, and asked him if the club would sponsor the endeavour. Flintoff jumped on board with a $10,000/year commitment. Three staff members from the city's parks and rec department were then hired for the job.
"The strength of this program is definitely the instructors. We're really proud of it because it would be extremely expensive for the schools to provide something like this," Manville added. "The kids love it. What's neat is that there are some who play the game and when they come, they're excited because they've had some experience, but despite the fact minor lacrosse has the most registrants per capita across Canada, there's still a lot of kids who have never picked up a stick."
This year, the association also gave every school a class set of 30 sticks - a gesture Manville hopes to capitalize on.
"It's great because it might allow us to extend (the program) to an after- school program, now that we have the equipment in place," he said.
Despite the success of his idea, Manville admitted he isn't certain about its future.
"The way it exists now, in terms of funding, that's a question I couldn't answer. Whether it's something we can sustain will be up to wait and see," he said.
As for a possible lacrosse academy, Manville said there's a lot of interest in setting one up, but plans are still in the "development stage."
