Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 1/3/12
LEAPS and the Black Women in Sport Foundation are hosting their 2nd annual free lacrosse clinic for boys and girls in the city of Philadelphia.
The event will be held for all boys and girls of all abilities aged 8-to-18 on Saturday, Jan. 14 at St. Joseph’s Prep’s Kelly Fieldhouse from 1-3 p.m.The Fieldhouse is located at 1733 Girard Ave., Phila., 19130. Registration is at 12:30 and equipment will be supplied.
The goal for this year’s clinic is to not only introduce lacrosse but also stress the importance of movement and physical activity. Here is some information that illustrates the problem:
“In a recent report titled “Going, Going Gone: The Decline of Youth Sports”, Up2Us reported that an estimated $1.5 billion across the nation was cut from school sports budgets last year, which was in addition to the $2 billion cut during the prior year. Low income communities are doubly impacted by these cuts because there are fewer youth sports options from the outset.
The issues that affect our youth today are staggering:
*Thirty-three percent of the youth in the United States are overweight or obese by the 3rd grade.
*Juvenile crime spikes in the after school hours and during the summer when youth do not have access to high-quality programming with well-trained adult mentors.
With your support, LEAPS addresses these fundamental issues affecting our community:
*LEAPS participants engage in more than 10 hours of physical activity each week, which directly influences positive health outcomes.
*Participation in sports contributes to positive outcomes in school, including higher grades and better attendance, and high school students who play sports are less likely to drop out and more likely to attend college than their non-participating peers.
*Youth who have a relationship with a mentor – like a coach – are 49% less likely to start using drugs and 27% less likely to start drinking alcohol.”
Four senior students – Mike McKee, Mike Grunde, Ross Johnson, and Chip Murray – from Dickinson College created a short video promoting the event. Click here for a link to the video.
LEAPS and BWSF are in search of volunteers and sponsors for the day’s events. Any interested folks can email Eric Gregg directly at leapslax@gmail.com, or call (267-939-3742).
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