New Players
New players can join Dragons at any age level. There are no tryouts for players new to lacrosse and we always have a program or team for new players.
We also have a basic new player support program called LaunchPad that makes it as easy as possible for boys & girls of all ages to try out lacrosse and integrate into the Dragons experience. LaunchPad focuses on 3 things:
1. Teaching stick skills & the rules of the game
2. Providing access to free loaner gear
3. Integrating a new player into a team
LaunchPad works best if you are able to join in the Fall season (September to November). In the Fall we run a program called Fall Training that focuses on teaching the fundamentals, as well as the basic rules of the game. Players are welcome to try out a session at no charge and we provide free loaner gear, which reduces the barriers to entry to virtually zero.
After participating in Fall Training, players are typically ready to join a team for the Winter season. During this time we form teams and start practicing 1-2 times a week, and play games every Saturday from the first weekend in January through the end of February. The progression from Fall Training into the Winter season is the most natural way to develop as a lacrosse player. One of the benefits of the Winter season is that advanced players are in a separate travel program and do not play in the local league. This ensures that new players are almost always playing against teams that are also made up of other new players.
If you are looking to join Dragons outside of the Fall/Winter timeline LaunchPad is there to help as well, just in a different way. You simply register for a current program, contact us to get your loaner gear, and then we suggest that your player takes 3-4 lessons with a coach while starting to attend team practices. A team practice almost always focuses on teaching the group as a whole, so the lessons give players an extra level of confidence and make integration into a team much easier. Many of our coaches are available for private lessons.
Recreational Players
If lacrosse is a seasonal sport for you in either the winter or spring, then you are a recreational player. Recreational players can be any skill level, and in fact, a recreational player can be very advanced but choose not to go through the rigor and expense of playing on a travel team.
Recreational players play Dragons. The Winter season runs in January and February. It consists of 1-2 practices a week, as well as games every Saturday. There are no tryouts to be on Dragons teams. Practices are at either Santa Monica HS, John Adams Middle School or sometimes Airport Park. Games are played in Culver City or at Santa Monica HS. If you are new to Dragons, a uniform purchase is required.
The Spring season is very similar to the Winter. It goes from the first week of March to the middle of May. Teams practice twice a week and games are on Sunday. There are no tryouts. Practices are at either Santa Monica HS or the Annenberg Community Beach House. Games are played in Culver City, Campus El Segundo or at Santa Monica HS. If you are new to Dragons, a uniform purchase is required.
Advanced Players
We offer a wide range of programming for advanced players throughout most of the year so you can play as little or as much as you like. Programs for advanced players are built around rigorous training and high-level competition.
We offer limited Fire programming in the Fall, because it is a very busy time of the year with other sports.
In the Winter we continue our tournament season and girls are encouraged to play Dragons Winter League to keep their stick skills up. We also offer high level training for athlertes wanting to prepare for the rigors of playing on the East Coast in the upcoming summer season.
Spring is all about maintaining stick skills in the Dragons Spring League.
In the Summer we take Fire teams to regional tournaments that focus on the team experience, recruiting and high-level competition. We will also be adding an East Coast trip with Fire Select that combines showcase and tournament participation.