Tribe Lacrosse is Sticking It to the Competition

Sure, when the leaves begin to brown then fall in the crisp autumn air, the sport we think about most — and spend loads of TV time watching — is football.

There’s another sport starting to pick up steam, however, and this one is just as grueling. What’s more, it’s taken off in the FLOW area.

We’re talking lacrosse here and it’s about time to grab your sticks and string those pockets. Tryouts for the summer 2013 Tribe Lacrosse team are just around the corner and, while the program is still very new, they’ve already had a blossoming interest and even some on-field success.

“This is year two of our program, and we have over 60 kids participating, with about 3 to 4 teams,” said Pat O’Hagan, sports director at the Wyckoff YMCA.

The tryouts will be held Sunday, Oct. 21, at the Wyckoff Memorial Field, where some of the area’s football teams also play. 

According to YMCA Public Communications Director Kris Pepper, Tribe Lacrosse primarily draws players in grades 5 to 8, but is open to all serious lacrosse players who are looking to play on a higher level. 

“Tryouts for grades 5 and 6 will be from 3 to 4:30 p.m. and grades 7 and 8 run from 5 to 6:30 p.m.” said O’Hagan.

O’Hagan stressed that boys who are interested in trying out for lacrosse, should pre-register at the Y by Oct. 16.

“We really want to promote and get kids to pre-register, although we will still accept walkups,” said O’Hagan. “You can come to Y and fill out a form and leave it for me.”

The lacrosse program is a joint effort between Tribe and the YMCA. The two co-directors and founders, Jeff Eischen and Sal Sassano, also serve as coaches for the boys teams, and have been running the lacrosse program for several years.

O’Hagan said that Tribe and the Y really share the same vision of lacrosse by creating both a fun and competitive environment for kids.

With dedicated coaching from Eischen and Sassano, the boys in the program have done pretty well since it began. Last season, each grade level won a championship.

“We’ve had a lot of success,” said O’Hagan. “Each age group won at least one tournament, and we entered in the most competitive ones.”

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