Welcome to a new feature of our website. It will be used to post observations and information about the sport, our club and philosophy among other pertinent things and include responses to questions, etc.
This is not Shakespeare, so kindly ignore dangling participles, run-on sentences or other horrors visited upon the language.
Beach was founded 15 years ago to provide our children with the chance to enjoy a sport that the founders grew up with or had a love for. Our mission was, as it is today, to involve children in lacrosse in a sportsman-like environment. The mission statement on the home page under the banner is the one we started with. And, the mission is still that simple.
Beach included Worcester & Wicomico people. Prior to Beach, the only lacrosse programs existing on the Lower Shore were at Worcester Country School and Salisbury State-both now with slightly different names. Andy Jones, Salisbury State’s first lacrosse coach, started a short-lived youth program at the Salvation Army in the mid 70’s that folded upon his departure. Starting with 50+- boys, we fielded 3 teams and played 30 games total. Of the 30, we won one & tied one. The others were losses, many pretty ugly. Toward the end of that season, we got better and it was fun. (Kylor Berkman, 2008 preseason pick for D-III player of the Year, started with us) The next season, we added the U9 boys and the Salisbury group got funding and formed what is now the Salisbury Lacrosse Club with a couple of younger boys’ teams. Beach continued to have the older boys from Salisbury until they grew their program to accommodate the older players. In the third year, with pressure from the Gilbert Girls to do something for them and their friends, the girls’ program was started. Until Salisbury got their girls’ side running, Wicomico players came to Beach. Today, we have more girls than boys and the sport continues to grow around the Shore with smaller outgrowths of the entrenched programs like Beach. Beach is now and always has always strived to be inclusive. We believe in fair play. No one is turned away due to lack of experience or means. We have supplied many players with sticks & equipment and waived fees when necessary, all in confidence. New players join Beach at every age level. This is typically where they start and is the highest level that most will ever play on. Our(coaches) challenge is to include those players & hopefully bring them up to the level of the experienced players. The players’ challenge is to help them, which is a positive team building cooperative effort. Many players will develop other interests during the course of their maturation & will move on. That is the reason that the Beach administration is adamant that we, as coaches and administrators, not be the reason that a child leaves the program. This is meant to be fun When their Beach years are over some players will try out for high school programs where the number of spots is limited. The local High School programs at Stephen Decatur & in Wicomico County rose out of the early Beach graduates and their parents’ efforts. Of the players who have gone on to play in college from Worcester County, Beach Lacrosse in the common denominator for practically all. While playing for Beach is not a guarantee for High School or College success, we are trying to make it a rewarding & memorable experience for those involved.
Of the original founders, three are still active in the operation of Beach, Bill Duquette, Joe Dougherty & Tim Gilbert
More later!
