Are you ready for the Olympics??? Probably not what you were expecting from an intro e-mail for Spring season, but lacrosse is undergoing changes and we are on the forefront of supporting them because they benefit your son! Lacrosse was invited to participate in the 2028 Olympics right here in Los Angeles, and the proposal put forth by the World Lacrosse Association is a format called Super Sixes. It features a smaller field, 5 field players plus a goalie, a 30-second shot clock and face offs only at the start of a period. The result is a fast and free-flowing game, similar to basketball. It is a ton of fun to watch and developmentally, it is the perfect platform for youth players, because it offers so many advantages over traditional lacrosse. Click HERE for a quick video

Don’t get us wrong, traditional lacrosse rocks, but our job is to make your players the best they can be by the time they get to high school (where traditional lacrosse dominates), and the way to do that, is to get them into Super Sixes (or other forms of small-sided play) now. Keep reading for more info.

Something else to point out is the quality of our coaching staff. You know how our coaches put smiles on your son’s faces, and we thought it would be fun to share with you why our coaches coach, rather than to just list accolades.

Coach Erik Krum: “Growing up I quickly realized how much the great coaches and role models impacted my life in a positive way. My passion and goal is to give our young athletes someone to relate to and trust in. My duties as a coach not only consist of teach them the sport of lacrosse but to ultimately teach them lessons they can use the rest of their lives. Plane and simple… I love to coach kids!” 

Coach Eli Lasda: “I coach because I love this sport, the places it has taken me, and the person it has made me. My education, my most meaningful friendships, the many opportunities I’ve had to travel, and my sense of passion, dedication, and work ethic – I owe to lacrosse. I want to share that with the next generation of athletes.”

Coach Cal Filson: “Coaching with Dragons has been extremely satisfying as an extension of my playing career. I couldn’t stay away from the game even if I tried. And above all, working with the kids has been the highlight of my time out here in the LA area.”

Coach Riley Lasda: “I coach because I love the game and want to help pass it on to the next generation. My coaches made a huge impact on me and I hope to share a similar experience with our players.”

Coach Kevin (KJ) Flahive: “I coach lacrosse, the medicine game, to pass along my love for this beautiful sport, and to help the future generations grow into better players on and off the field.”

Coach Gavin DiPaola: “I love being able to participate in the great tradition of lacrosse in any way that I can, as well as being able to pass my lacrosse knowledge and experience the next generation of lacrosse.”

THE DRAGONS ADVANTAGE

  • CONSISTENT & Experienced Coaching Staff: 12+ boys and girls coaches with decades of lacrosse coaching experience. Majority of staff has been with Dragons since the end of COVID.
  • Great Practice Times: We offer a consistent Monday/Wednesday practice schedule that runs from March to May, with most practices between 5:30 to 7pm and older ages ending by 8:30pm. We offer 2 practices a week for ALL AGES, not just older groups. Many programs do not do that.
  • Best Practice Field in LA: Belmar Park is a state of the art turf field (newest in Los Angeles) that sits right off the 10 Freeway in Santa Monica, with convenient parking next door. Marina Del Rey, Culver City, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica and Pacific Palisades are all within an easy 5 miles radius of the field.

BOYS Program Description – With a primary focus on player development, the boys program will offer all our teams 2 practices a week, a great curriculum, great coaching and participation in a league focused on player development. At the same time, we will be mindful of taking an appropriate length Spring Break to give everyone the necessary rest so we can focus on being the best we can at practices and games. Games will be on the same day, at the same time, at the same venue every week, making weekly planning infinitely easier than in the past. The new game formats will also improve the game experience. PLEASE BE SURE TO READ THE SECTION ON GAME FORMATS.

TEAMS – We will be running teams for the following grades:

  • Boys K/1 (Kindergarten & 1st Grade)
  • Boys 2/3 (2nd & 3rd Grade)
  • Boys 4/5 (4th & 5th Grade)
  • Boys 6/7/8 (6th, 7th & 8th Grade)

When you register, please sign up for the team that corresponds to your son’s current school grade.

Practice Schedule – During the SPRING Season we are offering a convenient and consistent practice schedule:

  • Dragons Boys K/1, 2/3 & 4/5 – M/W 5:30pm to 7:00pm
  • Dragons Boys 6/7/8 – M/W 7:00pm to 8:30pm
  • Spring Break: March 27 to April 9

Practice Venue – All practices take place at Historic Belmar Park, 1840 4th Street – https://www.santamonica.gov/historicbelmarpark

GAME SCHEDULE – We will be playing in the Southern California Independent Lacrosse League (SCILL), in part because it allows us to offer a the most consistent schedule possible:

  • Start of Season: Saturday, March 11
  • End of Season: Saturday, May 13
  • No Games: April 1 & April 8
  • K/1 Games: every Saturday 9am
  • 2/3 Games: every Saturday 10am
  • 4/5 Games: every Saturday 11am
  • 6/7/8 Games: every Saturday 12pm

GAME FORMATS & BENEFITS – In line with current trends in the sport of lacrosse (see the rise of Super Sixes and Box Lacrosse), games will be played in the Super Sixes format, which is the format for Olympic inclusion in 2028. That means modified fields with 5 field players per team, as well as a goalie for the older ages. Face-offs only take place at the beginning of each period so the flow is fast and players get to play all positions, all the time. 

PLEASE TAKE 5 MINUTES (literally) to watch the Super Sixes format being played IN THIS VIDEO.

Key Benefits:

  • The Super Sixes format means all players play all positions at all times. In a traditional full-field 10v10 game, everyone has a specialized role, which is not ideal for player development. In the traditional format, players can also get stuck in the boredom zone. If your team is winning all the face-offs, your defense gets little playing time. If your team is losing all the face-offs, your attack sees no action. In Super Sixes, that simply cannot happen because the ball continuously moves from one side of the field to the other. This is a MASSIVE benefit that cannot be overlooked. There is a reason Canadian players are so good. It is because they play like this all the time. (Watch the video)
  • Individual playing time will increase because game play never stops and substitutions happen more frequently and on the fly. We are also not wasting 90 seconds to 2 minutes on face off every time a goal is scored. (Watch the video)
  • Players will get in a lot more cardio and get a lot better at learning how to play transition and how to protect their stick. (Watch the video)
  • For parents, Super Sixes is way more fun to watch than traditional 10v10.

GAME VENUE – All games will be played at St. John Bosco High School: 13640 Bellflower Blvd, Bellflower, CA 90706. The drive from the Westside on a Saturday morning is between 35 and 40 minutes. While that may seem far, consider that with a Sunday game schedule, it takes the same amount of time to just get from the Westside to Campus El Segundo or Manhattan Beach, two very common game venues. 

COST – Cost for the season is $495 for K/1 and 2/3 (same as Winter), and $535 for 4/5 and 6/7/8 (Same as Spring 2022). This includes all practices, games, as well as all coaching fees, field space, league fees etc. Please keep in mind that Spring is a longer season than Winter, with more practices, but we are still holding the line on pricing.

UNIFORMS – We will be using our traditional blue Dragons uniform, so if you already have one, you do not need to purchase a new one. We will be offering uniforms for sale to new players in a couple weeks.

REGISTRATION – Please use this link to register: https://go.teamsnap.com/forms/360266

A few notes on payment:

  • We offer a payment plan option that is built into the registration
  • If you would like to mail a check, please use the “pay offline” option on the payment page
  • If you would like to use Venmo, that works too. Contact us for the Venmo account info.
  • If you would like to discuss alternate payment options or overall pricing, please do not hesitate to reach out.

For all admin questions, please contact: Randy Grube at randy@santamonicadragons.org

For all coaching questions, please contact: Erik Krum at krummy35@santamonicadragons.org

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