Fast-growing lacrosse finds home at Warren
Warren Township High School's girls will join the boys in donning helmets, gloves, chest protectors and other gear for a team sport experiencing rapid growth in the United States.
Lacrosse has been approved as a girls sport at Gurnee-based Warren District 121. Teacher Catherine Catanzaro will coach the inaugural girls team when they hit the field in March.
"It's easy to learn, so the kids will have some kind of immediate success," said Catanzaro, who formerly coached girls lacrosse at Highland Park High School.
Warren has become part of lacrosse's growth spurt, which is detailed in a survey conducted in 2007 by the sport's national governing body. Vernon Hills, Lake Zurich, Libertyville and Stevenson are among the Lake County high schools that have lacrosse programs.
The sport offers elements of hockey, soccer and basketball.
Active players grew by 89 percent to 480,627 in 2007, according to US Lacrosse's annual report. The sport has even broken out of its posh status, as evidenced by roughly 700 boys and girls participating in an inner-city league in Birmingham, Ala.
Youth lacrosse participation has grown more than 500 percent to 250,000 players. About 200,000 of that number are estimated to be playing in high school, according to US Lacrosse.
Warren parent Ray Weinstock helped with the effort to win approval for the boys and girls lacrosse teams at the school. He's also president of the nonprofit Warren Area Lacrosse Association, which is providing the money for the boys and girls squads.
It's not like Weinstock was a lacrosse player in college. He said he just stumbled upon watching the sport one day and that his son was interested in playing, so he and the other parents talked it over at a barbecue and pursued it with Warren officials.
Without needing to make a financial commitment, Warren board members approved the freshmen and junior varsity boys teams that debuted in the last academic year.
"Most of the kids never picked up a lacrosse stick until December (2007)," said Weinstock, who lives in unincorporated Lake County near Grayslake.
Enough girls showed interest in lacrosse that Weinstock said it made sense to seek teams for them as well.
Lacrosse is considered an emerging sport by the Illinois High School Association. Catanzaro said the sport is close to attaining official status, which means it'll have championships like basketball and football.
Weinstock complimented Warren officials for allowing the lacrosse players to use the school's Almond Road campus fields and Blue Devils nickname before the sport becomes sanctioned by the IHSA.
Catanzaro said she hopes at least 50 girls come out for the lacrosse squad. She said it's good to have another sports choice for Warren girls.
"There's not enough options," Catanzaro said. "We want to keep kids active."