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Lacrosse growing in West Kootenay— come give it a try!

New players are welcome to try the game for free in April
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A lacrosse skills camp was held in Castlegar on the weekend. Photo submitted

As winter turns into spring, and ice starts coming off arena floors, lacrosse teams are beginning to gear up for the season ahead. The sport continues to grow in popularity across the region.

2018 was an incredibly successful year both on the floor and off for the West Kootenay Minor Lacrosse Association. The club set a new record for number of players, with 110 youths registered.

Teams travelled to a number of tournaments during the season with many wins and medals for all age groups, including two golds and a bronze at the Calgary Canada Day tournament, and a silver at the bantam provincials.

This season teams will travel for tournaments in High River, Cranbrook and the Okanagan

Many new players, try for free

Teams saw a huge increase in players from the Greater Trail area, and rec officials added a practice time for them to match. This year, with continued growth the WKMLA hopes to add a wider age range of practices in the Trail area. This will allow for even more local games and tournaments.

Winter programs launched in both Castlegar and Rossland, with more than 40 players registering — both returning players and new ones trying out the sport.

Box lacrosse is getting started in the West Kootenay, with a skills camp launching the season on March 9 in Castlegar.

The day was a lot of fun for the 50 youths who came out to try lacrosse for free. There will continue to be free camps on Tuesdays this March in Castlegar for players ages 11 and up. Players should contact the West Kootenay Minor Lacrosse Association for more information.

The association will be hosting a coaching clinic March 16 at Selkirk College in Castlegar. The focus will be adding new coaches to the game. Those with experience with lacrosse — or without — are welcome.

Curious about lacrosse? The Association is inviting people to come out and try the game for free for the first two weeks of the season.

Players need to pre-register with an email to wkmla.registar@hotmail.com. Players can practice for free from April 1 to 11.