Worthington Little Laxers is a program for pre-school age girls and boys 3-5 years old who want to play the exciting game of lacrosse! We teach the FUNdamental skills of the sport while developing introductory movement skills, eye-hand coordination, and basic concepts of teamwork. We weave sportsmanship and cooperative play throughout all of our sessions, and maximize each player’s touches on ball. Our goal is to provide Little Laxers with the skills and knowledge to build ability, confidence and interest in playing lacrosse!

We run a station-based “clinic” each week with drills that are age-appropriate and allow the kids to experiment with lacrosse in a fun way. Players will rotate through 4 skill-building stations focusing on the basics of lacrosse using small-sided competitions to practice those skills. Players are grouped by age, but we can place siblings together if requested. We also encourage parents to be on the field with the players for support and to see them close in action.

We provide each player with a stick and a ball to use during the sessions. At this level, we want players to experiment with the stick and ball and grow comfortable using them. Players aren’t required to wear protective eyewear or mouthguards since we are using soft balls.

The Director of Worthington Little Laxers is Ally McCarthy-Minister. She has been involved in Worthington Lacrosse and Central Ohio Lacrosse for 30 years. After coaching at Thomas Worthington High School for 18 years, she became a nationally certified Coach Development Trainer for US Lacrosse. Through this role, she has continued to help grow the sport beyond Ohio and bring her knowledge and experience back to Worthington. In addition to working with the youngest members of our lacrosse community, Coach Ally also serves as the WYB Girls Lacrosse Coaching Director.

The Worthington Little Laxers coaches include high school players, alumni, and parents. If you would like to help at one or more sessions, please let us know!

Girls in Kindergarten will be introduced to the core fundamentals of girls lacrosse in a FUN and interactive environment. They will develop agility, balance and coordination for success in learning fundamental technical lacrosse skills, such as cradeling, throwing, catching, scooping (ground balls) and an introduction to 3v3 small field games. Fun, constant, active engagement (kid+ball=fun) is the key to success at this level, along with being relaxed and inclusive, with an emphasis on learning new skills. Lots of enjoyable games will reinforce skill learning and getting as many touches with the ball will keep the girls engaged and ready to move to the next developmental level.

Practices/Games: Practices and small-sided 'games' begin in mid-March and the season runs through the end of May. Practices will be for 1 hour on Sunday afternoons.

Girls in grades 1 and 2 will be introduced to the core fundamentals of girls lacrosse in a FUN and interactive environment. They will develop agility, balance and coordination for success in learning fundamental technical lacrosse skills, such as cradeling, throwing, catching, scooping (ground balls) and an introduction to field positions. Fun, constant, active engagement (kid+ball=fun) is the key to success at this level, along with being relaxed and inclusive, with an emphasis on learning new skills. Lots of enjoyable games will reinforce skill learning and getting as many touches with the ball will keep the girls engaged and ready to move to the next developmental level.

Practices: Practices begin in mid-March and the season runs through the end of May. Practices days and times will be determined prior to the start of the season and usually include one weekday practices for 1 hour and one weekend game.

Games: Games will be played on Sunday afternoons at Kilbourne HS turf field. Schedules will be made available at the start of the season. Girls in grades 1 and 2 will play under the guidance of the Central Ohio Girls Youth Lacrosse Association and follow USLacrosse 8U rules.

Girls in grades 3 and 4 continue to develop a technically sound set of lacrosse skills and athletic movement skills necessary in lacrosse (agility, quickness, change of direction). Getting as many touches with the ball as possible is what we are trying to achieve. It is important to realize that even if your daughter has not played lacrosse before, this is still a great time to start.

Practices: Practices begin in mid-March and the season runs through the end of May. Practices days and times will be determined prior to the start of the season and usually include two weekday practices for 1.5 hours and one weekend game.

Games: Games will be played on Sunday afternoons or weekdays during the evenings at Worthington school fields. Schedules will be made available at the start of the season. Girls in grades 3 and 4 will play under the guidance of the Central Ohio Girls Youth Lacrosse Association and follow USLacrosse 10U rules.

Girls in grades 5 and 6 continue to master the core fundamentals and foundations while learning more advanced skills that increase their "Lacrosse IQ". At this level, players will reinforce techincal skills while learning and practicing tactical application in a progressive system. Getting as many touches with the ball as possible is what we are trying to achieve. It is important to realize that even if your daughter has not played lacrosse before, this is still a great time to start.

Practices: Practices begin in mid-March and the season runs through the end of May. Practices days and times will be determined prior to the start of the season and usually include two weekday practices for 1.5 hours and one weekend game.

Games: Games will be played on Sunday afternoons or weekdays during the evenings at Worthington school fields. Schedules will be made available at the start of the season. Girls in grades 5 and 6 will play under the guidance of the Central Ohio Girls Youth Lacrosse Association and follow USLacrosse 12U rules.

The Director of Worthington Little Laxers is Ally McCarthy-Minister. She has been involved in Worthington Lacrosse and Central Ohio Lacrosse for 30 years. After coaching at Thomas Worthington High School for 18 years, she became a nationally certified Coach Development Trainer for US Lacrosse. Through this role, she has continued to help grow the sport beyond Ohio and bring her knowledge and experience back to Worthington. In addition to working with the youngest members of our lacrosse community, Coach Ally also serves as the WYB Girls Lacrosse Coaching Director.

The Worthington Little Laxers coaches include high school players, alumni, and parents. If you would like to help at one or more sessions, please let us know!

Little Laxers & K: Players may use their own girls' lacrosse stick or borrow a WYB loaner stick each week. They will also need approved goggles (can be found at Play-It-Again sports) and athletic shoes.

Grades 1-6: Players must provide their own women’s regulation size lacrosse stick, approved goggles, cleats (no metal spikes), and a mouth guard.

EQUIPMENT GUIDE
Minimal equipment is required in girls’ and women’s lacrosse due to its non-contact nature. You can look for a stick, protective eyewear and a mouthguard online, or visit a local store such as The Lax Shop, Dicks Sporting Goods, or Play It Again Sports.

Stick: This must be womens/girls, and regulation sized. No fiddle sticks! The stick is likely going to be too long for some of our younger players. You can saw off a small part of the stick and then replace the plastic end cap to the new ending. To measure an appropriate length for your daughter, have her hold one hand toward the top of the stick just below the head. She should then extend that hand/arm forward (part of the stick will go under her armpit), and whatever amount of stick goes beyond her back is the amount to trim. I strongly encourage parents to be conservative when cutting a stick- you can always cut more, but can not grow it back. The rules state that the overall length of the crosse (stick and head) must be 90 cm minimum to 110 cm maximum. We don’t measure this in K-4th grade, but in 5th/6th grade we use officials from outside of WYB and they may check it more carefully if the stick appears super short.

Protective eyewear: Also known as “goggles”, these must be certified by SEI (Safety Equipment Institute) and have markings that state they conform to ASTM standard F3077.

Mouthguard: It can be any color other than clear or white and must not have graphics of white teeth.

Due to the growing popularity of girls' lacrosse in Worthington and Central Ohio, we are offering an additional component to advance the skills of players that are ready to take the next step in their development.

3RD/4TH GRADE LACROSSE ACADEMY
An Academy team will be formed for those girls interested in going a step further. An additional registration fee will be required.

5TH / 6TH GRADE LACROSSE ACADEMY
An Academy team will be formed using an evaluation system at the beginning of the spring season. An additional registration fee will be required if a player is selected to be on this team.