What is lacrosse?
Lacrosse is a competitive sport in which two teams throw a small rubber ball into the opposing team's goal with the use of stick-like equipment called a crosse. A crosse is a stick made up of two components, the shaft or stick and the head. The stick is usually made of wood, metal or plastic and has a plastic head strung with mesh attached to the end of it. Together they form the crosse and are used to carry, catch, pass and shoot the ball.
Who is Richland Lacrosse Club (RLC)?
Richland Lacrosse Club is a non-profit recreation club providing opportunities for girls and boys grades K - 8th to learn and play the game of lacrosse.
When is the lacrosse season?
Spring is the main season, usually starting in March and going through May. There are year-round opportunities to play more lacrosse with a local elite league that offers Summer and Fall tournament play.
How many practices and games are in a regular season?
For grades 1st - 2nd, there will be 2 practices a week with an average of 14 games. For grades 3rd - 6th, practices will increase to 3 practices per week with an average of 16 games per season. For grades 7th - 8th, there will be 3-4 practices a week with an average of 18 games per season. Games will take place on weeknights or Saturdays.
What does my registration fee cover?
Registration fees covers the cost for uniform rental, coach training expenses, field usage expenses, and equipment. In addition, registration fees are used to help pay the club’s administrative expenses throughout the year for items such as coach training, certifications, website fees, new player outreach and development, uniform expenses, league fees, etc. 50% of the season expenses are already paid prior to the first day of practice in getting our club and teams prepared for the season. Having goals, balls, cones, uniforms, etc before the season starts allows us to be ready to practice and play from day one.
What about fundraising?
We strive to make lacrosse as accessible and affordable as possible. We want any and every child who wants to play lacrosse have the opportunity to participate. Our club is fiscally frugal, and keeps very tight margins in order to make that happen. In addition to our community sponsors, we would love to have fundraising opportunities that could help lower costs even more, and potentially have a “rainy day/snowy day/pandemic day” fund in the bank as a cushion when the unexpected happens. In our first 3 years as a youth club, we have not yet had the man/woman power to make that happen on a regular basis. Is that person you? Please sign up!
Are there scholarships available?
Yes. Thanks to our generous sponsors we are able to provide financial-need based scholarships. Full and partial scholarships are also available. Go to richlandlacrosse.com and click on CLUB > SCHOLARSHIPS to learn more. The link for the scholarship application is located there.
Requests for scholarships will be reviewed by the board and you will be notified on award status. Please note, verification of financial need may be requested (Tax forms and/or free school lunch application through Richland School District).
What about Sunday play commitments?
For regular season teams, players are not required to play on Sunday.
Is there a lot of travel required to play lacrosse?
Generally speaking, younger players travel much less than older players.
Boys lacrosse: For the regular season teams, travel will include Tri-Cities, Yakima, Hermiston and potentially Spokane. If your player decides to participate in a tournament team, there will be additional travel based on the tournaments chosen to attend (potential locations include, but are not limited to: Seattle, Spokane, Boise.)
Girls lacrosse: With fewer players and teams in our area, girls lacrosse requires more travel. There will likely be travel to Spokane 2 times in the season, as well as potential travel to the Seattle area for a game or two.
Are there opportunities for upper level competition through RLC?
Girls lacrosse: There are currently no girls’ tournament teams in our area. As the girls’ numbers grow, we hope for this to change in the future.
Boys lacrosse: In a normal season - If there is enough demand, RLC offers players the opportunity to play in
“tournament teams” that will have 2-3 additional weekends of upper level play during the regular season. This would require an additional registration fee to cover the cost of team tournament fees. That fee does not cover personal travel expenses (food, hotel, gas). Players participating on the “tournament team” will need to be able to commit to additional travel and Sunday play.
Who is eligible to play for RLC?
All Richland area boys and girls, 1st through 8th grades. Players must attend a Richland School District school or attend a Richland based homeschool or private school. Our youth club is part of Central Washington Youth Lacrosse League. Under league “play for” rules, youth play for the clubs that “feed” the high school programs for which those youth will eventually play. RLC currently feeds the following high school teams: Richland High School Boys Lacrosse, Hanford High School Boys Lacrosse and Girls Richland/Hanford combined high school team.
What other youth clubs are in the Tri-Cities?
There are three youth clubs currently in the Tri-Cities.
- Richland Youth Lacrosse (for Richland youth - currently feed Richland and Hanford high school teams)
- Three Rivers Youth lacrosse (for Kennewick youth - currently feeds Southridge High School team)
- Pasco Youth Lacrosse (for Pasco youth - currently feeds Chiawana High School team)
What is happening with Girls Lacrosse in our area?
Girls lacrosse is growing!!! Richland Lacrosse Club started a full girls’ program in 2020 (cut short by COVID…Boo!). Currently, there are two clubs in the Tri-Cities that offer dedicated girls’ programs: Three Rivers Youth Lacrosse and Richland Lacrosse Club. Currently, Pasco youth girls play for Three Rivers Youth Lacrosse while Pasco works to grow their program.
How is Boys Lacrosse different than Girls Lacrosse?
In Boys Lacrosse, body contact is allowed, which is the main difference between the boys and girls game. Boys wear padding on their forearms, chest, shoulders, back, and also helmets with masks. Due to less contact, girls are only required to wear goggles, mouth guards and gloves.
What equipment is required to play lacrosse?
Click on the following link for information on lacrosse equipment from USA Lacrosse.
https://www.usalacrosse.com/equipment
Where is the best place to purchase lacrosse equipment?
We have two local stores that sell lacrosse equipment, Dick's Sporting Goods and Big 5 Sporting Goods. Additionally, RLC partners with Lacrosse Wolf who periodically do pop up stores and they offer discounted deals on helmets, bags, and other equipment.
Online there are some great deals to be had as well at places like:
https://www.lacrossemonkey.com/
How are the high school programs associated with the youth programs?
Up until 2019, the boys high school players were part of RLC. Following Richland School District’s exciting adoption of lacrosse as an official ASB Club Sport, the high school teams are now overseen by their respective high schools. We continue a close collaboration and as a “feeder model”, Richland strives to develop and promote consistent culture, values, and training. High school coaches and players work closely with program directors and youth coaches to help with this development. When possible, high school players donate time to help with practices and youth clinics.
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