A LOOK AT LACROSSE

 When Bret Smitley’s 15-year-old son, Matthew, mentioned to his dad that he’d like to try his hand at lacrosse after watching it on TV, Bret went to work contacting the people that could help him bring the sport to Corbin.

Smitley is the assistant scout master of the Corbin Eagle Scouts, troop 530, so he and his son decided that a lacrosse workshop would make for a great scout project.  Partnering with the Tri-County Sports Authority, and with the Kentucky Lacrosse Association leading the effort, they were able to reach out to John Peabody, the girls lacrosse coach from Pleasure Ridge Park in Louisville, and Dusty Wethington, the boys lacrosse coach from Woodford County, and everyone agreed that the workshop would be a great idea.

 “We just wanted to test interest in the sport in this area,” said Smitley.  “If it’s there, then our hope is to maybe start a club.  If we can just get enough players to have two teams, then we can let it grow from there.”

For those not familiar with the sport, lacrosse is played using a small rubber ball and a long-handled stick.  The objective is to score by shooting the ball into your opponent’s goal, using the stick to catch, carry, and pass the ball.

The workshop, which took place Saturday in one of the fields surrounding the Corbin Civic Center, saw about 15 eager learners come out.  There were male and female participants ranging in age from six-to-fifteen years old.

If these kids are truly interested in learning about the sport, then they will probably be very excited about the fact that the University of the Cumberlands will, in fact, be adding a men’s and a women’s lacrosse team to their athletic program in 2015.

A press release from this past summer can still be found on cumberlandspatriots.com that addresses the forthcoming additions.  In it, UC athletic director Randy Vernon commented, “I think lacrosse will be a very good addition to our athletic program.  It is the fastest growing sport in America, and will probably become a NAIA championship sport in the near future.”