Lacrosse Players Run for Sense of Community

With a goal of improving community among the student lacrosse players, the Bridgewater Youth Lacrosse and the  lacrosse teams held their third annual Bridgewater Lacrosse Fun Run March 5.

“The concept is to develop a sense of community and a bond between the high school players and the youth program,” said Jim Eckert, youth lacrosse program director. “This is the beginning of the relationship, and often the high school kids are role models.”

More than 100 participants participated in the run that kicked off the lacrosse season, as they ran from the Basilone Field House to the Bridgewater-Raritan High School and back again, where they were treated to bagels and donuts.

Eckert said this event is just a part of the development of the relationship between the youth program and the high school teams.

“It is for getting to know one another,” he said.

Aside from this run, Eckert said, the players in the youth program are aware of the high school schedule and encouraged to attend varsity games. They even, he said, allow a youth team to play a game during the half-time of a high school varsity game.

“We are creating a feeder program for the high school teams,” he said.

Plus, Eckert said, the organization hosts an alumni game every year, where past players come back for one game.

The youth program, Eckert said, features grades one through eight for the boys and about grades three through eight for the girls. And from there, they can feed into the high school teams.

But one of those big kick-off events is the fun run, which also featured a Bridgewater-Raritan varsity poster signing, where returning varsity lacrosse players sat and talked with younger players, before signing their 2011 poster.

Eckert said this is just a great way to foster a sense of community among the players. 

“We feel the successful programs have a sense of community, and we want to encourage that further,” he said. “This is a community within a community of lacrosse.”