SportsEvents Magazine

SEP 2015

SportsEvents is edited for those who plan tournaments or other sports events.

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September 2015 42 www.sportseventsmagazine.com t SPORT Report Another reason for the growth in US Lacrosse participation is its New Start Program, which in 2013 provided free resources to 755 applicants representing the 50 states and the District of Columbia, according to Krome. The program is designed to help new teams form and operate according to US Lacrosse rules. Krome also alluded to lacrosse's multi- sport "friendliness" as a factor in that the skill sets required of a number of other sports translate well to lacrosse. "Also, the kids like the fact that lacrosse is a fast- paced sport. And there's a kind of style element to the game. The kids like being able to dye their sticks and things of that nature." The growing social element of lacrosse competitions is yet another growth induc- er, according to US Lacrosse Director of Special Events Beth Porreca. "We see a lot more people getting involved in lacrosse events because there's a growing trend of providing a community environment. You'll see teams come to the competition site in the morning with tents and tailgat- ing gear and they'll stay all day. They're not just there for their game. They are there all day, they hang out, they interact with other teams. There's a community atmosphere at any lacrosse event that you don't traditionally see at a lot of other sporting events." So strong is this "Tent City" trend at lacrosse competitions that it's become something that US Lacrosse needs to address in consultations with bidding venues. US Lacrosse has more than 430,000 members nationwide in 67 chapters in 45 states—Louisiana, Nevada and North Florida being the newest chapters. Host City Considerations US Lacrosse's major competitions include one Champion Challenge in January, which is a showcase for the top two or three collegiate teams in the nation; four regional events (which are open to com- petitors outside of the region) in June; and three national championship events (Women's and WCLA in May and U15 in July). US Lacrosse was accepting bids through April 3 from athletic facilities and CVBs to host its 2015 Regional Championships and 2015 U15 National Championships. The US Lacrosse National Convention and FanFest is held each January and draws about 7,000 attendees. The 2015 event is set to take place at the Baltimore Convention Center. According to Porreca, the facilities a host city offers are the most crucial consideration for US Lacrosse's choice of playoff venues. "We require 10 to 15 contiguous, full-sized lacrosse felds. We want high-quality felds. Based on the timing of our major events, which is June and July for the majority of them, that's typically the end of felds' busy seasons Concussion Consciousness US Lacrosse is concerned about keeping their sport as safe as possible, directing eforts to deal with not only concussion concerns but also safety issues that arise. The organi- zation has invested more than $500,000 in safety research projects. Most recently, US Lacrosse changed its ball standard so that all lacrosse balls must now meet National Operating Committee of Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) standards and must be clearly marked "Meets NOCSAE Standard." That eliminates lacrosse balls that could otherwise be too heavy, too stif or have dangerous compression ratios. "Any type of injury is of concern to us," said US Lacrosse Director of Special Events Beth Porreca. "As the national governing body, we feel it's our responsibility to lead sports science and safety and education outreach to medical professionals so that they can deal with sport-specifc injuries that occur in lacrosse. We've worked with concus- sion awareness, and we feel it's our responsibility to ofer the safest possible event." In the service of safety, US Lacrosse also maintains diferent rules for females and males, particularly as relates to body contact. Males can aggressively "body check" their opponents and must wear a helmet, shoulder pads, eye protection and a mouth guard. Females aren't allowed to make purposeful body contact. n Scott McCall/US Lacrosse

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