Penfield Youth Lacrosse generally follows Youth
Lacrosse Rules as set forth and published by
US Lacrosse. The US
Lacrosse rules and guidelines may not follow the same age
groupings we use in Penfield or that are generally accepted and
used throughout Rochester youth lacrosse, however the groupings
are typically off by only one grade or one year. Rules differ
for the boys and girls game.
PYL plays games in the Rochester Area Lacrosse
League (RALL) and will also abide by the rules set forth by the
league. Please visit the RALL
League Rules page for specific rules followed during league
play. See our stance on the RALL rules
here.
Before playing in any non-RALL game, team coaches
and/or officials should check to see what rules are in force for
the contest(s). This includes tournament play, however the
Fairport Classic Tournament will abide by the RALL League Rules.
Boys Rules for the 3rd/4th
Grade Ages ............
Boys Rules for the 5th
thru 8th Grade Ages ......
Girls Rules for all
age groups
..................
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1.) General Rule
of Spring season PYL Participation:
Spring season PYL has a general
guideline/goal for all coaches that each player should be
given equal time on the practice and game fields.
Lacrosse is a
fast-moving sport and the ball can come at the goalie (or
other players) from any angle.
Therefore
each
child in the PYL program will be required to maintain a
"minimum level of interested participation" both during
practices and games.
Thus, unlike some
other youth sports, this means there is
very little room for "doodling around", "not paying
attention", "not caring" and other forms
of disregard on the lacrosse field.
If after repeated attempts your child cannot
maintain a sufficient level of interested participation,
they will be asked to sit.
Summer tournament
play, fall and winter programs may or may not follow the
above guidelines.
PYL coaches will ask
boys to make 2 of the 3 practices in a week in order to
play in that weeks game. Girls are currently scheduled
for two practices per week and the "requirement" would
be making 1 of 2 practices. This has always been the
guideline and should not be treated as a hard and fast
rule by PYL coaches. Each child should be viewed on his
or her own in terms of lacrosse effort vs. other things
going on in life.
If the
kids are making an effort during limited practices and
in games, playing time should not really come into
question. Those who put in effort will play. If a boy is
busting his hump at practice and can only make one
practice during the week, it should not affect playing
time in games. This would be the case for most
multi-sport athletes who need to juggle two sets of
practice and game schedules.
If
however we have players who are not making an effort on
or off the field, or if the coaches feel it is unsafe to
have a child out there, playing time in games will be at
the coach's discretion.
This becomes particularly critical at the boys 5/6
age group. If your child cannot put in a "best
effort" to actively participate on the field of play
they WILL be asked to sit and in some cases they
will NOT be allowed to play in a game.
2.)
What ages are covered and who is
eligible to play?
Residents of Penfield can participate in
the Penfield Youth Lacrosse programs. ALL PARTICIPANTS
must be signed up to play in the specific session - this
is required for insurance purposes.
Boys programs include 1st/2nd grade,
3rd/4th grade and 5th/6th grade. For certain
non-contact/non-competitive sessions, some age groupings may
be combined.
The girls programs include 3rd/4th grade
and 5th/6th grade. Parents of any interested girls in
1st/2nd grade should contact the
PYL Coordinator for
options.
Playing up (i.e., joining a group above a
players age/grade level) will be allowed via consensus of
the coaches, player and parent if the player shows they are
ready. Playing down (i.e., joining a group below a players
age/grade level) is not allowed.
Residents from outside of the Penfield
area may be accepted on a limited basis.
Assuming you have read
FAQ question #1 above, yes! Lacrosse is a wonderful
traditional sport which combines many elements of the major
sports. While lacrosse is a contact sport, much of the
physical contact is not allowed by youth programs until
players are mature enough physically and emotionally to
handle it. Thus your child will be ensured a relatively safe
environment in which to learn the basics of the game.
The action in lacrosse is constant, and
players on the field will get a wonderful workout. The
entire gamut of athleticism is used in lacrosse, from
coordination to strength to endurance and conditioning.
If your child is
new to the sport of lacrosse, don't worry. Typically about
half (or more) of our players every spring season are new to
lacrosse.
Which program should your child
participate in? This varies by child. The spring PYL
season consists of teams with both newcomers and "veterans".
All players will be taught skills appropriate to their own
learning curve and all players will experience game play.
Summer tournament teams may be formed by interested parents,
and these usually consist of those players ready for
intermediate to advanced game play. Fall and winter leagues
primarily consist of players experienced in game play -
since indoor time is so expensive, these seasons have little
to no "practice" time. Almost all play is game play.
One other aspect of lacrosse deserves
mention - players can practice with only a ball, stick and
solid wall. "Wall ball" is a
traditional way to work on stick skills and break in a
pocket in a new stick!
As with all contact sports, the possibility
of
getting hurt
exists. By rule, most of the body contact normally
encountered on a lacrosse field is eliminated at the youth
levels (please see the rules posted above).
Lacrosse does utilize a hard rubber ball, but
from an overall perspective as long as players stay in
age-appropriate groups the bumps and bruises from getting
hit with a ball are minimal.
All players must wear required protective
equipment.
For information on equipment, especially
the difference in equipment and rules for the boys versus
girls games, please see the links above.
Starting a first, second or third
grade child in any "technical" sport can lead to several questions.
Lacrosse, like golf, requires both fine and gross motor skills along
with lots and lots of repetition. In order to pick up basic skills
in either sport, it certainly seems like the child needs to perform
the same tasks over and over and over.
Naturally, this
leads parents to question whether the child will "burn out" on the
sport before High School.
The PYL program, particularly at the 4th grade and below levels,
is an extremely low pressure environment. Our #1 goal as coaches is
to make sure the kids are having fun. The #2 goal is also to have
fun. Beyond that, if they end up liking the sport then we encourage
the development of skills. During practices we organize all kinds of
"game play" which reinforce things such as stick skills and
footwork. In many cases our drills won't resemble lacrosse at all -
the idea is to allow repetition in different ways so boredom (and
burnout) do not set in.
PYL also highly encourages children to participate in
several sports and not to concentrate solely on lacrosse.
All PYL participants are encouraged to proceed at their own pace.
If they really enjoy lacrosse and want to develop skills quickly,
they will work at home on their own without being asked. If they
simply wish to participate in PYL, as long as they meet the
minimum standards of participation they are more than
welcome!
If you as a parent have concerns over "burn out" and don't wish
to sign your child up until a later age, at the least we would
encourage you to get your child a lacrosse stick and ball and let
them play naturally around the house and yard. If they join
organized lacrosse at a later date they will at least be familiar
with having a stick and ball in hand.
Strangely to some, men's lacrosse
and women's lacrosse differ quite a bit. And while they share many
similarities, it can be quite confusing to go from watching the boys
game to the girls game and back.
The
equipment is different, the rules and amount of contact are
different, the positions are different, even the fields are
different.
PYL strives to teach the basics of
the game to all players, with improvement in skills and
understanding as age and time increase.
The
basics of the game include:
Handling the
stick - catching, throwing,
cradling;
Positions - Attack, Midfield,
Defense, Goalie
Rules of the game
(Youth rules);
Physical conditioning and
coordination;
Understanding of team concept;
Respect for the game and all
participants;
Our practice plans are structured and follow a set
progression for players to pick up the above skill sets. A fair
amount of discipline will be required from each player before,
during and after practice.
With new players typically "spraying" balls over
the field, we will insist that players hustle and pay attention to
their surroundings at all times.
Please see the
equipment page for specific equipment lists.
In general,
PYL will strive to provide most protective equipment for
girls (goggles) and boys THAT ARE NEW TO THE GAME. See our
equipment page for details. If you are a returning boy
player at 3/4th grade, we highly encourage buying your own
equipment.
Boy players at 5/6th grade are REQUIRED to supply their own
NOCSAE approved lacrosse equipment (no hockey
equipment allowed).
If you have any questions on equipment,
including "breaking in" a new stick or re-stringing an old
stick, please see our
stick page or contact a member of the
coaching
staff.
Please see our coaching staff
list which is hopefully current. Many if not all of our coaches have
a lacrosse background (either playing, coaching or both) and
understand the sport.
If you are new to the sport of lacrosse you can check
out our Parent's Guide to Lacrosse
for some of the basics.
Combined with reading, your best bet is to watch the
sport. Rochester is blessed to be one of the "hotbeds" of youth,
high school, college and professional lacrosse.
So get to the games - we are
fortunate to have outstanding local college lacrosse action in our
area, and our
two local professional teams - the indoor box lacrosse
Rochester Knighthawks
and the outdoor field lacrosse
Rochester Ratters
- could use your support!
11.) How does PYL choose which players
will play on which team?
The PYL philosophy of filling team rosters is one of
"balanced teams",
meaning we do not deliberately set out to "stack" one team
with more talent or experience than another.
Within each age/gender group with multiple teams,
we will try to have the same levels of age and experience split
among the teams.
PYL will also try to keep players together
throughout their stay with PYL unless it causes problems with
balanced teams. This means a balanced team will look very similar
(roster-wise) every other year, as each year some portion of the
roster moves up an age bracket.
NEW PLAYERS: Sometime after the first practice, the coaches will
get together and "draft" any newcomers to PYL for
inclusion on team rosters. This
ensures each team has an equitable number of newcomers.
Thus by about mid-April each year the team
rosters will be published.
There is lacrosse activity for youth players from Penfield
year-round:
FORMAL PROGRAMS
Penfield Youth Lacrosse - SPRING SEASON
- A
formal field lacrosse program with team, league and tournament
play. Full equipment. Separate boys and girls programs. All
experience levels are welcome and all
receive individual and team instruction. First practices are
early April, last game is early June. Boys and girls teams,
typical total enrollment of about 175-200. All outdoors, most
activities held at Greenwood Park.
Penfield Recreation Instructional Lacrosse
- The Penfield Recreation Department typically sponsors an indoor (gym)
lacrosse program run in January and February. Full equipment.
Separate boys and girls programs. This program allows
individual instruction and practice time. No team play, no
lacrosse games. Local college lacrosse resources will typically
come and help instruct the kids. A great time to either learn
the game for the first time or to knock the cobwebs off before
the PYL spring season. Or just lose those winter blues.
Penfield Recreation also runs a
summer lacrosse camp, typically held in late July or early August.
INDEPENDENT PROGRAMS
These programs are NOT
sponsored by PYL or Penfield Recreation. They are run by
interested parents and other parties. Typically players *must*
be an active member of US Lacrosse.
Summer Youth Lacrosse
- Summer lacrosse entails tournament play only, which usually
translates into advanced play. Teams, invitations, rosters, positions,
playing time and costs are controlled by whoever wishes to
organize and coach the team(s). Tournaments attended are based
on player and parent interest and availability. We play both
local and out-of-town tournaments.
Fall Youth Lacrosse
- Usually entails very few (if any) outdoor practices and then
indoors for league play at one of the local indoor facilities.
This is typically game play only, no practices, and therefore is
best for experienced players. Teams, invitations, rosters, positions, playing
time and costs are controlled by whoever wishes to organize and
coach the team(s). Usually runs November through start of
January.
Winter Youth Lacrosse
- Play is indoors in a league at one of the local indoor
facilities. This is typically game play only, no practices, and
therefore is best for experienced players. Teams, invitations, rosters,
positions, playing time and costs are controlled by whoever
wishes to organize and coach the team(s). Usually runs January
into March.
Uniforms are handed out sometime before the first
RALL
game, which is usually the last weekend in April or the first
weekend in May. We do our best to get the right sizes to the
right kids. We do not take requests for certain numbers. The uniforms are yours to keep!
15. My son or daughter wants to quit PYL
- what do I do?
Please
contact your coach and discuss the issue. We understand that
issues arise and sometimes there are reasons to leave PYL.
If the decision is made to leave PYL, parent and coach
should notify the PYL President.
Parents who have paid the registration fee and wishing a refund, please
note the following:
No refunds will be made until all PYL
equipment is returned;
If a participant leaves PYL before
the first practice, a 75% refund of the early
registration fee will be given, less
the costs of US Lacrosse membership (typically $25);
If a participant leaves PYL after
the first practice but before the first game a 50% refund
of the early registration fee will be given,
less the costs of US Lacrosse membership (typically $25);
If a participant leaves PYL after
the first game, no refund will be given.
Refunds are processed electronically
and may take 2-4 weeks.
What does the #19 signify in the Penfield Lacrosse
logo? The #19 is used in the memory of Todd Bernhardt, a lacrosse player
from Penfield who lost his life at too young an age.
