OK, Wolfpack Nation, this Saturday, March 7th officially kicks off the 2009 Season of Wolfpack Lacrosse! Thanks to all coaches (and players) who have braved the hazards of The Swamp for the past few weeks to get ready for this weekend’s faceoffs. Thanks also to all parents who have supported the program, both with their time and commitment. (And for getting that all that danged paperwork completed!)

First off, we are sad to announce that the 3/4’s game this weekend has been cancelled due to unspecified reasons. Plans are to try and combine this game with the one on March 28th, where we’d take part in a double-header of sorts. On the upside, our guys will have another couple of practices to prepare. Contact your coach with any questions.

Our 5/6 squad will open their Wolfpack season with a game against Lake Forest Park-Shoreline at 11am at North City Elementary.

The 7/8 White will host their season opener at our home-away-from-home, Cleveland High School. This field is a stone’s throw south of The Swamp, and is located behind the school building. They will be facing North Seattle starting at 10:00 am.

The 7/8 Purple squad has the late game, facing off against Lake Forest Park-Shoreline at Twin Ponds Park in a game under the lights starting at 7 pm.

As always, be prepared for any weather, bring a water bottle, and be sure to bring a mouthguard! It is a requirement this year, with players without one being subject to ejection, and a team technical penalty assessed.

Players should be at the field ready to warm up (gear on, game ready) 40 minutes before the scheduled start. Your individual coaches are free to, and most probably will, issue their own game day instructions and schedule.

Coaches will most likely have some direct communication with parents regarding volunteer opportunities. As a home team, we are required to keep the official scorebook and supply a timekeeper. Usually the home team will also supply a spotter or two to assist with scorekeeping. A visiting team, while not strictly required to keep score, will usually provide a scorekeeper anyway to help the coaching staff with performance stats as the season progresses. The League will furnish a scorer’s table, the “Book”, and a time clock or stopwatches, along with goals and field marking supplies. At the end of the home stand, these things will need to be collected and kept until the next set of home games.

It should also be noted for new families, that as a matter of etiquette, the sidelines are reserved for the players, coaches, scorekeepers and officials. All spectators should be on the opposite side of the field. This gives coaches the freedom they need to do their jobs (i.e. yell at our kids) and keeps player distractions to a minimum.

We have a lot of parents on all of our teams who have done these jobs in the past, so every team should be able to jump right in. New parents are strongly encouraged to step up and assist. If you are new to lacrosse, it is a great way to learn the game. Teams are encouraged to have several sets of parent volunteers, so the responsibility does not fall to only a few people.

As the season gets underway, there will be training clinics for both scorers and timekeepers. For those of you in much better shape than me, there are also Official’s training clinics as well. Contact Ryan Kelly for information on these.