If you can’t throw and catch, you can’t run a drill. If you can’t run a drill, you can’t run an offense. If you can’t run an offense, you can’t win a game. If you can’t win a game, you’ll never become a champion.

Every player that wants to improve needs to work on their game every day.

Like I said last week, once you finish your chores and homework you can work on your game.  Find a wall (make a chalk mark or use a piece of tape)and make 5o passes (always start with your non dominant hand) to that spot then switch hands.  Make one handed passes, bounce passes etc etc.  There are tons of ways to improve but this is the quickest way to improve.

See ya on the field

Coach Lou

It is very important to drink a good amount of water at least 8 glasses or more today before you step on the field.

Bring  water to practice and every game and stay away from soft drinks and energy drinks.

Thanks Coach Lou

Before each game the officials will bring players and coaches together and the rules for that specific age group will be explained.

PreK – 4^th Grade

• Stick Checking
  • Any check making contact with an opponent (other than the gloved hand while holding the stick) will be considered a slash. Also, any one-handed check will be considered a slash.
• Body Checking
  • There is no intentional body checking at this level. Players will bump into one another during a game but body checking to dislodge the ball or knock another player down will not be allowed. An illegal body check penalty will be assessed for any intentional body checking at this level.
• Counts
  • There are no 10 or 20 second counts for this age group. Goalies will have a slow four (4) second count to get out of the crease when they have possession of the ball.
• Stalling
  • Teams in the lead are not required to keep the ball in the attack area during the last two minutes of the game.
• Penalties
  • Prek – 2^nd Grade
    • Players will not serve penalty time unless the foul was especially flagrant and/or violent. The ball will be awarded to the team that was fouled at Center X on their offensive half of the field.
  • 3^rd – 4^th Grade
    • Players will serve their penalty time and are required to take a knee in the penalty box until the penalty is released.
• Raking the Ball
  • Players are not permitted to rake the ball into their stick. If a player rakes the ball into their stick the officials will award the ball to the opposing team at the spot of the foul.

5^th – 12^th Grade

• Stick Checking
  • One-handed stick checks are allowed as long as the check hits the opponent’s stick or the gloved hands while holding the stick. One handed stick checks that are determined to be violent or unnecessary will be penalized as a slash.
• Body Checking
  • Body checking is allowed, however take-out checks are not permitted. The officials on the field have final judgment in determining if a body check was unnecessary, avoidable, or too violent.
• Counts
  • 10 and 20 second counts are in effect. Also the four (4) second count for the goalie when the goalie has possession in the crease is in effect.
• Stalling
  • The team in the lead must keep the ball in the attack area during the last two minutes of play. Officials may also tell players to “keep it in” at any point during the game if they feel a team is not making an effort to score.
• Penalties
  • Players will serve their penalty time and are required to take a knee in the penalty box until the penalty is released.
• Raking the Ball
  • Players are not permitted to rake the ball into their stick. If a player rakes the ball into their stick the officials will award the ball to the opposing team at the spot of the foul.
    • NOTE – High School Games will not use this rule, raking is permitted at this level of play.

All Levels of Play

• Unsportsmanlike Conduct
  • Personal fouls are to be taken seriously. In addition to the NFHS rules, any player or coach who uses derogatory or profane language (starting with “damn”) on the field or bench, whether addressing a player, coach or referee may receive: first offense, 1 to 3-minute non-releasable unsportsmanlike conduct penalty; second offense a 3-minute non-releasable expulsion foul.       

If you are interested in becoming certified to officiate youth lacrosse I highly suggest registering for the September training session. The following is provided by the GLOA website www.galaxref.com.

Thursday, September 23rd Classroom Session
Hembree Park Recreation Center (HPRC)
850 Hembree Road
Roswell, GA 30076
Time- TBD
(REGISTRATION CLOSES FRIDAY, AUGUST 27TH)

Field Training – Saturday, September 25th
Multiple Fields – All in the Roswell Area

To Register:

1) Go to the “Youth Officials Training” page on galaxref.com
2) Expand “Classes Available For Registration”
3) Review the class information and decide which session you want to participate in.
4) Expand the “Register For A Class” section and provide ALL of the requested information. (If you are not a US Lacrosse member, please go to www.uslacrosse.org to become a member and receive your membership number).
5) SUBMIT THE REGISTRATION FORM
6) Follow the PayPal Link and pay for your training materials.

You will get an email confirming your registration.

This is a great way to both contribute to the lacrosse community and improve your lacrosse IQ.

Atlanta Youth Lacrosse will also be training youth officials during the 2010 Fall Season. If you are a youth or adult interested in officiating for Atlanta Youth Lacrosse please email Gordon Corsetti at gordoncorsetti@gmail.com. While Atlanta Youth Lacrosse does not certify new officials to officiate in other leagues as GLOA does. Gordon shadows and teaches each youth official and provides a solid foundation that will serve these officials well if they decide to complete the Level 1 Officials Training with the GLOA.

Yours in Lacrosse,
AYL Staff

If you have questions please email ayllax@charter.net

Look forward to seeing everyone on the fields!

FALL LEAGUE OPENING DAY – AT WINDSOR PARKWAY

We will have a Player, Coach and Parent Meeting on this day to tell you the Rules of the Road.   Rosters are being finalized and will be posted this weekend.

Fall League will begin August 28th – see below for times:  Each team will have two practices prior to Games.

5 & 6 Graders – 10:00 to 12:00 – two hour practice (1 hour station drills with Coach Lou and 1 hour with your team

Pre K and 1 & 2 Graders – 12:15 to 2:15 – two hour practice (1 hour station drills with Coach Lou and 1 hour with your team

3 & 4 Graders – 2:30 to 4:30 – two hour practice (1 hour station drills with Coach Lou and 1 hour with your team

7 & * Graders – 4:45 to 6:45 – two hour practice (1 hour station drills with Coach Lou and 1 hour with your team

(September 4th Practice – same times)

All Teams will receive their game JERSEY on this day

Looking forward to seeing everyone on the field

MaryJo and Coach Lou

The good news is that the website is now residing happily in it’s new account and it is functioning the way it should. Mary Jo and Lou will be posting more information about the fast approaching Fall Ball season as the week progresses.

Once again I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Yours in Lacrosse,
Gordon

Check out the above video. The video itself is pretty long (about 90 minutes) but the section I’d want players, coaches, and parents to see is at the 8:16 mark on the video. If you don’t have the time to watch all 90 minutes I highly recommend checking out the one section when Mr. Pausch speaks about playing youth football. It is probably the single best explanation of why we want children to play youth sports in the first place.

To give you a little background on the lecture: Randy Pausch was a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and he gave what is known as The Last Lecture. It is a tradition at Carnegie Mellon for professors who are retiring from the university to do one big hurrah of a lecture. The truly moving part about this lecture was that Mr. Pausch was not retiring. He had about six cancerous tumors on his liver with a life expectancy of a couple of months. His lecture focused on one overarching topic: How to achieve your childhood dreams.

While Mr. Pausch is no longer with us this, his Last Lecture has been viewed nearly 12 million times on youtube. I cannot recommend viewing this enough as it is one of the best speeches I have ever heard. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I have.

Yours in Lacrosse,
Gordon Corsetti

In preparation for the Fall Season we will be having a shooting clinic – August 14th.

Learn how to Shoot the proper way.  Time and Room, Shooting on the Run, Inside Shooting, Making the Exchange, Shooting with a Dodge etc.

Fall Shooting Clinic for boys grades 4 -8
Beginners to intermediate

Full equipment needed – stick, helmet, gloves, shoulder pads, armpads, mouthguard, sneakers or cleats

Saturday August 14th 9:00 – 11:00
LIMITED SPACE

Cost $25.00

Location:
Riverwood International Charter School
Grass or turf field
(Riverwood High School)
5900 Heards Drive NW
Sandy Springs, Georgia 30328