“Greeley Youth Lacrosse is a privately funded youth lacrosse organization whose mission is to provide girls and boys youth lacrosse programs that inspire participation while protecting the integrity of the game and to provide the New Castle community with the opportunity to participate in the game of lacrosse.  We strive to help players develop their skills in a safe and fun environment while placing higher value on sportsmanship and learning, rather than solely on winning.  Through positive and effective leadership, we hope to provide every child the opportunity to discover, learn, participate and develop a love and passion for the game of Lacrosse.”

Parents,

Greeley Youth Lacrosse (GYL) is pleased to announce the kickoff of our spring 2020 Lacrosse season. Each year, lacrosse continues to become more popular and our registration enrollment gets progressively larger. The GYL Board of Directors is excited to provide you with quality girls and boys youth programs that are specifically designed to assist player development regardless of their individual skill level. We feel this will benefit the larger group and help our players gain confidence across experience and ability levels.  

The first phase of the spring season is our player evaluations which will occur on Saturday and Sunday,7-8 December, at the Westchester Turf and Tennis Center, at 5 Browns Lane, Hawthorne, NY.  See the schedule at the end of this announcement for the specific dates/times for your child’s age group.  Girls and Boys in grades 3 -8 are required to attend the evaluations.  Girls and Boys in grades K thru 2 will not attend the evaluations.  The evaluations will allow for proper assessment of a player’s skill levels to determine our teams.  In grades 3-6, there is a spot made for any child who wants to play lacrosse.  For grades 7-8, if your child is not selected for a team, she/he will still have the opportunity to play lacrosse throughout the spring in the Modified program at Bell or Seven Bridges Middle School.  

In order to participate, you must:

• Register on the GYL website for the spring 2020 season;  
• Have a current U.S. Lacrosse membership; 
• Pay the registration fees. 

Registration for the Spring 2020 GYL season will open up on Monday, November 4^th, and run through Wednesday, December 4th.  If you have not registered by December 4th, your child will not be allowed to participate in the evaluations.      

The GYL website will walk you through the required steps to properly complete the registration process.  Additionally, playing time expectations and team structures can be found on the website.  

Guiding Principles for Evaluations

GYL continues to support the following governing principals which we expect our lacrosse players and community to embrace for the upcoming season:

• Every player in grades 3-6 interested in playing lacrosse must be evaluated prior to being placed on a roster.  All children in grades K-6 will be placed on a GYL team that fits their skill level.
• We ask that in the spring, lacrosse be your number one sport. If you expect to have reasonable playing time on the team, then you are expected to attend every practice and game scheduled, except for school reasons, illnesses, and/or family events.
• GYL will have a minimum of 1-2 professional evaluators along with parent volunteers to evaluate each player.  Parent volunteers will not evaluate their own teams or players. We ask that all parents respect the decisions of the selectors and not interfere with the evaluation process. 
• Stress Free Zone -- Parents and spectators are not allowed to observe the evaluation process.  Please drop your child off at the beginning of the evaluation, and return to pick her/him up at the prescribed completion time.  If you have an extenuating circumstance for remaining with your child, please talk to the evaluators when you drop off your child.
• Players, coaches and parents are required to sign and abide by the Code of Conduct. The Code of Conduct requires that parents and athletes be respectful toward one another, coaches, referees, and opponents, and that parents and athletes demonstrate teamwork and good sportsmanship throughout the conduct of lacrosse.  You will be required to affirm your understanding of and adherence to the Code of Conduct by signing and returning the Code of Conduct to your team Coach or Manager before your child will be allowed to participate as a member of her/his team in the spring.   
• Please arrive early as evaluations will start promptly at the below times. All players will be required to wear all required equipment: helmet, shoulder pads, elbow pads, protective cup, and gloves for boys; goggles/helmet and mouth guards for girls. Bring your GYL practice pinney or team jersey.  For those who are new to GYL, a pinney will be provided.  

Evaluation Schedule

Saturday, December 7^th 

   3:00 – 4:30        3/4 Girls    Note: Practice only; not an evaluation

   4:45 – 6:30        5/6 Girls

Sunday, December 8^th 

11:30 – 1:00         7/8 Girls

  1:15 – 2:45         7/8 Boys

  3:00 – 4:30         3/4 Boys

  4:45 – 6:15         5/6 Boys

We have worked diligently to address as many conflicts as possible relating to other town youth sports programs and religious activities on these dates. In the event your son/daughter cannot make his/her assigned scheduled time, please contact your Team Manager for an opportunity to participate in the evaluation for the next grade level.  For those who cannot make any of these times, the coaches will meet and place your child based upon his/her performance evaluation from the end of last year.   

We hope to announce team placements at the earliest opportunity thereafter and again appreciate you respecting the evaluation process.

During the evaluations, GYL will assess the players based on US Lacrosse Grade Level Expectations:

3/4 Grade Boys

• General athleticism, effort, and attitude. 
• Catching, Throwing & Shooting with dominant hand and is comfortable switching hands. 
• Ground Balls & Cradling - Able to scoop the ball cleanly, good at positioning, and understand Man / Ball concepts. 
• Dodging - Able to beat defender using a verity of dodges in appropriate situations. 
• Offensive Positioning & Awareness - Understands spacing and looks to get open, shoot, and/or clear through. 
• Defensive Positioning & Awareness - Understands positioning, help defense concepts and shows willingness to initiate contact. 
• Overall Aggressiveness – Works hard, is always engaged, shows eagerness and takes initiative. 
• Attitude / Sportsmanship – this is one of the most important components. We expect our players to hard and be engaged during practice and games. 
• Understanding the rules of the game and the responsibilities of various positions.

5/6 Grade Girls/Boys

• General athleticism, effort, and attitude. 
• Catching and throwing with dominant hand and is comfortable switching hands. 
• Scooping and Cradling  
• Dodging using a variety and in the appropriate situations. 
• Demonstrating field sense in live situations. 
• Receiving and applying feedback from coaches. 
• Working with various offensive schemes. 
• Working with various defensive schemes. 
• Playing under pressure. 
• Specific positioning determined on offense/defense basis, still teaching close defense, offensive movement. 
• Practicing on their own without encouragement. 
• Understanding the rules of the game and the responsibilities of various positions.

7/8 Grade Girls/Boys

• General athleticism, effort, field sense, attitude. 
• Catching and throwing with dominant hand and their off-hand. 
• Scooping and Cradling  
• Dodging at full speed using a variety of dodges and in the appropriate situations. 
• Demonstrating field sense in live situations. 
• Receiving and applying feedback from coaches. 
• Transitional situation tactics. 
• Working with various offensive schemes. 
• Working with various defensive schemes. 
• Playing under pressure. 
• Specific positions are used – select number of close defense, middies, close attack, and goalie. 
• Practicing on their own without encouragement. 
• Exhibiting off-ball skills and tactics in settled and unsettled play. 
• Understanding the rules of the game and the responsibilities of various positions.

Greeley Youth Lacrosse Association Board of Directors