The college season season started weeks ago. Jen Parro at SNU and Kellen Millard at UNH have have already had 4 and 9 games respectively. In February Ipswich High School and Middle School players participated in six clinics led by some fantastic coaches, Lukas Cash, Leslie Frank, Lisa Clark, Ebony Preston and Bethany M (last name is too hard to spell). Over at the YMCA youth girls in first, second, third and fouth grades attended clinics led by Emmy Whooley, a favorite coach of our youngest players. At these clinics we Mike Ryan, Sarah Millard, Hailey Markos, Lydia Early and Grace Gardner pitched in to lend a hand. Wow....these kids got a lot of attention and learned tremendous skills in a short period of time.

Last week the 7th and 8th graders started their practices outside at the YMCA outside, while the new high school coaches Greg Churchill, Kevin Lombard and Sue Markos kicked off their season just before St. Patricks day.  And finally this week the youth girls teams hit their official practice locations at Mile Lane and Doyon School.

So this is just an update of how things have been progressing with Ipswich Girls Lacrosse in 2009. But the real headlines are in the numbers. By that I mean the number of new young girls and women in Ipswich that have chosen to take up the game.

I don't really have the statistics for u11 girls teams, but I am pretty sure there are a good number of new girls in this crowd. In the U13 (4th andd 5th graders) I know there is a whole slew of very good athletes that have decided to play the game of girls lacrosse. This age group already has some great athletes that have been playing for several years. The new blood will assure that in four years our high school lacrosse will continue to excel.

For the 7th and 8th graders there have also been an influx of accomplished soccer and basket ball players that have joined in the youth program. In this group we have 6 or 7 new players, all of whom have really taken to the game in short order and I have to say the older more experienced players have stepped up to welcome our new girls.

And now the high school. The freshman class has rallied to bring together some of our best new athletes on the lacrosse field, a good number of these girls have never played the sport before but have seen the excitement of Lacrosse and decided to run the field. This class has an impressive group of athletes and we are lucky and pleased that they have picked lacrosse.

Eight  or more girls (up from five last year) from Ipswich are playing on club teams this year in very competitive programs who will play in national tournaments this summer.  I have a pretty good feeling that North Shore Lacrosse this summer will have another Ipswich team that will compete. Last year they went undefeated and the talent from Ipswich is getting better.

So what does this mean? Girls Lacrosse in Ipswich has had a very exciting start to this year.