Hope Lutheran students earn national support for lacrosse

| West Seattle news | West Seattle schools | WS & Sports

Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

Lacrosse, anyone?

Students from Hope Lutheran School have been enjoying the sport this fall, thanks to the efforts of students and parents.

Hope Lutheran received a 2012 US Lacrosse Physical Education Equipment Grant, providing 30 sets of lacrosse equipment for the school’s physical education program.

Cara Marion worked with her lacrosse-loving sons Luke and Ben (pictured at right, above) to apply for the grant earlier this year. They learned earlier this fall that their application had been chosen as one of 74 winners in the country — and the only school in Seattle — for 2012.

Since then, students at Hope have learned about the sport in a hands-on way in their PE classes, and several students are now playing for area club teams.

Marion said her family is thrilled that they get the opportunity to share their love for the sport with other Hope students, and she is looking forward to seeing more kids pick up the sport.

The grant comes from US Lacrosse, which is the “national governing body of lacrosse” located in Baltimore, Maryland. The press release announcing the 2012 winners says this about the goals of the program:

The objective of the PE Equipment Grant Program is to initiate, expand, or enhance participation in the sport by enabling teachers to introduce lacrosse in the PE classroom and other similar venues. Each equipment grant includes 30 soft lacrosse sticks, 30 soft lacrosse balls, and one (1) copy of the US Lacrosse PE Curriculum Guide and Reproducible packet.

US Lacrosse cites examples of success such as in urban Greensboro, N.C., where youth who would have never been exposed to the sport are now enjoying it competitively.

Hope Lutheran Principal Kristen Okabayashi said students at the school have had a lot of fun with the new lacrosse gear, and learning something that’s new to most of them. Although the school likely won’t field an official team (“we’re not sure who we’d play against”), Okabayashi said the sport will help students in the PE program and encourage some to join local lacrosse teams in the community.