Better than we had it
By Rodney Williams
Oh, to be in high school again.
A notice came across my desk a while back that made me do some reminiscing, not to mention some pondering and pining. It seems that parents and students are trying to organize a lacrosse team in McKinney. It would be a club team, much like the McKinney Ice Hockey Club, and students from both schools would be welcome and play under one team banner.
Lacrosse is obviously not indigenous to this area, being primarily a northern sport, but it is another example of the many new sports options that kids in this community now have. The aforementioned ice hockey club is indicative of the boom in the sport since the Dallas Stars came to town back in 1993, but several new sports have also popped up for MISD students to choose from, gymnastics and bowling to name just a couple.
Starting a new program is never easy, but for the lacrosse program there are other factors at work, the most obvious being that very few people in the area have played the game. Alex Heppner, one of the parents getting McKinney Lacrosse up and on its feet, stated that 43 kids showed up for an informational meeting in the fall, and out of those 43 only four had ever played lacrosse. These kids are going to have to be taught the rules, positions and even basics such as what equipment to buy.
Luckily for Heppner and the club, the MISD has stepped up and granted them use of a few practice fields for the spring. That should help out as most of the spring will be consumed with practices and scrimmage as the team will officially kick off its true season in the North Texas lacrosse league in the fall.
FULL EDITORIAL:
http://www.courier-gazette.com/articles/2005/01/24/sports/sports02.txt
