Lacrosse Hosts Clinic for Special Needs Children Before Apr. 5 Game
Patchogue, N.Y. - On Friday, the St. Joseph's College women's lacrosse team hosted an inaugural clinic for ten children from the Land and Sea Sports Club, whose mission it is to provide children on the Autism spectrum, and with other developmental disabilities, a unique opportunity to participate in land and sea sports programs in an inclusive setting. The clinic was set up before the NCAA Division III intercollegiate Skyline Conference game between the Golden Eagles and Sage College.
St. Joseph's head coach Bob Vlahakis is anticipating that this will be the starting point to create a weekly lacrosse program hosted by the women's team during the 2014 spring season.
The youngsters were divided into three different groups based on age. The boys and the girls played together as their lacrosse skills are at the same level. Each of the three groups were paired with a trio of St. Joseph's student-athletes that are experienced with special needs students as part of their training and study in college, so the clinic went very smoothly.
The clinic was met with enthusiasm by all involved. The kids learned how to scoop ground balls and shoot on goal. One-on-one teaching showed the youngsters how to take a face-off and take a draw. Smiles were in abundance as the children, many of whom had never seen a lacrosse ball, slowly accepted and soon fell in love with their sticks and goggles.
It was a fun time for all and the success level of the clinic has given St. Joseph's the energy to create a regular program in the near future so these youngsters can add to their sports experiences. At the end of the session, it was hard to tell who had more fun, the special needs students or the college lacrosse players. One thing is for sure - they each found a common bond together.
During this current season St. Joseph's has hosted local high school teams playing on campus, and each of those schools contributed gently used equipment, such as, sticks, goggles, and helmets. This will now allow St. Joseph's to have enough equipment to host over fifty children in the future. In addition, the balls used were the soft lacrosse balls that have the look and feel of a real lacrosse ball without the danger of injury.
The women's lacrosse team is prepared to set up future free lacrosse clinics with any interested special needs groups in Suffolk County. They will supply all the equipment necessary for participation. Please contact Coach Vlahakis rvlahakis@mac.com if you are interested.
