The new season of Sunshine Coast Rapids lacrosse has hit the floor with renewed optimism and focus for a successful campaign.
A combined midget/bantam squad is the only team the Rapids will field this season. The Rapids wrap up their third straight weekend of tiering round games this weekend with a home game Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Gibsons and Area Community Centre (GACC) and a road game Sunday in the Lower Mainland. So far, after two weekends of tiering round games, the Rapids have been struggling a bit to find their way with a lot of new players in their line-up and playing in the 'B' division, a much stronger level of competition.
"The tiering in 'B' has been a big challenge for us," said Rapids Lacrosse Association vice president Craig Singleton. "Basically the 'B' division is a very aggressive age and I'm not too sure if we're ready to compete at that level. We're comfortable at the 'C' level, so hopefully that's where we'll end up for the regular season."Singleton said after a few challenging years, the association has banded together with a committed group of parents and players to re-build the organization this year.
"The organization as a whole kind of went off track a bit, but we're hoping to change that," he said. "When the league started eight years ago, we came out with a bang. There was really good enthusiasm at the time. Lots of parents involved, lots of kids, but the last few years, as kids have gotten older and a few other issues, we kind of got off track. The goal is to get more kids involved, especially at the younger ages so we can stimulate the association and build it back up."
On May 10, in conjunction with the Sunshine Coast Regional District parks and recreation department, the association is hosting a Pro-D Day lacrosse event at the GACC for all elementary-aged school kids on the Coast. Running from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., there will be games, coaching and skills development. The day's activities are free of charge.
"It's a good way to get more kids introduced to the sport, play some games and have some fun," Singleton said.
Besides the regular season, set to start next week, the other big highlight for the association is their annual Junior B exhibition game, slated for June 12 in Gibsons. More details on that event will be available in the coming weeks.
"It's a quick season, but the enthusiasm and the commitment from the kids have been great," he said. "We're playing against some tough teams, but with some luck, we'll have a good season and get into the provincials. I'm confident we can have a good year."
