Windsor High School’s girls varsity lacrosse coaches are determined to introduce local high school and middle school girls to the sport of lacrosse.
From Monday, July 17 through Thursday, July 20, head coaches Kristin and Aaron Piotter will lead WHS’s first-ever summer camp for girls lacrosse.
Although the Piotters have previously run short, introductory off-season lacrosse programs through the town, this will be the first camp specifically geared at introducing the next generation of Windsor High lacrosse players to the sport.
While most other high school sports run off-season programs to fund raise, assess incoming talent or prepare for the season, the Piotters are still mainly focused on exposing newcomers to the sport. High school lacrosse, though well established and hugely popular on the east coast, has only been gaining traction in Sonoma County in the past decade.
“We need to introduce the sport to girls of younger ages, because it’s not part of an established regional sports program,” Aaron said. “We’re still on that fringe sport, so for us this camp is just a chance for exposure.”
Windsor High School’s lacrosse program debuted in the spring of 2015, with the Piotters piloting the first girls’ varsity team. Most of the athletes on the varsity roster were newcomers to the sport entirely.
After two rocky initial seasons, the WHS girls lacrosse program finally hit its stride this previous season, placing second in the league with a 7-3 record. Now that the program is established, the Piotters are looking to expose future high school athletes to the sport while they still have time to develop the skills.
“Now the deal is sustainability,” Aaron said. “The purpose of this camp is to deepen the mark we’ve made into the high school sports landscape.”
The camp welcomes players of all backgrounds, and encourages and accommodates for brand new players to come out and try their hand at the sport. Equipment is provided, and players will be entered in a raffle for a free lacrosse stick.
The camp promises to provide newcomers with “a great understanding of the game of lacrosse,” while offering returning players a chance to spend time with their teammates and maintain their skills in the off-season.
“Off-season opportunities to learn a new sport, and just learn something new, are very rare in this area,” Aaron said. “This is one of the very few off-season camps for new players to just come out and have fun.”
The enrollment cost is $20 per player, participants only need to bring athletic clothes and water bottles. Reach out to [email protected] or call 707-696-7369 for more information.
