Highland to host free USA Lacrosse clinic, hoping to reach local kids and grow the game
Ian Becker began playing lacrosse as a fifth-grader, influenced by the surroundings in his Long Island community. He first borrowed a stick from a neighbor, teaching himself how to cradle the ball, pass and shoot.
He soon was engrossed, working diligently to overcome each hurdle and improve. In time, that sport supplanted baseball and soccer as his passion, and he excelled. The Levittown native went on to star for his high school and eventually joined the Marist College men’s lacrosse team.
“I learned a lot about persistence,” Becker said.
Because he accomplished that much athletically despite being born without a right hand. Becker defied the odds to succeed and a refusal to relent, finding alternate routes to an end point, is what defined his playing career. It also guides his mindset now as a coach, aiming to bring the game to local kids.
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Becker will host a USA Lacrosse-sanctioned free youth clinic later this fall, offering an introduction to the sport and instruction to novices. The Pick Up & Play clinic is part of a nationwide USA Lacrosse initiative to help grow the game and promote inclusiveness.
Running for a second straight year locally, the 90-minute clinic will be held at Highland Town Field on Nov. 12, beginning at 10 a.m. The tutorial is for boys and girls ranging from kindergarten to the sixth grade. Registration is available at USALacrosse.com/CelebrateLacrosse and equipment will be provided.
“It’s a sport that I got a lot from as a kid,” said Becker, who coaches the Highland girls lacrosse team and teaches at Marist. “Lacrosse opened a lot of doors for me, and I want our kids here to have those opportunities, or at least have the option available to them.”
Becker will be joined by other USA Lacrosse-certified coaches and chaperones, operating stations at which children will be taught the basics of the sport, learning and practicing fundamental skills, and interacting with players from the Marist men’s and women’s teams. The aim, Becker said, is to make the experience entertaining and “as fun as possible” for the children.
About 50 kids participated last year and the event was a success, Becker said. USA Lacrosse contacted him about organizing another this fall, and he excitedly accepted.
“The looks on the kids’ faces when they’ve learned a new skill and they’re enjoying themselves,” he said, “it’s so rewarding.”
Becker led upstart Highland on an improbable run to the Section 9 Class D final last spring. As well, his daughter Caitlin represented the United States last summer, competing in Europe as part of the American International Sports Teams Laxfest Tour.
Nevertheless, lacrosse is in its relative infancy in the Mid Hudson Valley, and there is a wide chasm between its level of establishment here and in other regions like Long Island and Westchester County.
Contributing to that, Becker said, is the paucity of youth development programs. Because of it, he said, many interested kids aren’t introduced to the sport until seventh grade. The lack of familiarity with lacrosse and its early inaccessibility to some forces a years-long game of catch-up for those hoping to compete at the high school level or beyond. Bridging that gap, he said, begins with an early start.
“Kids play what they know and what their parents know, like baseball and softball,” Becker said. “Lacrosse has gained some popularity, but it’s not to that level and it's not usually on mainstream TV. So, these clinics are needed. You want to give kids the opportunity to try something new and see if they like it.”
Becker volunteered in September at a NubAbility camp in Pennsylvania, the event featuring young athletes who are amputees or were born without a portion of their limbs.
There, he said, he coached a kid whose left arm ended just below the bicep and whose right arm extended just four inches past the elbow. He hadn’t played lacrosse before, Becker said, but he soon learned how to lift and control the stick. Before long, he was able to contort his body to catch passes, scoop groundballs and shoot.
Finding alternate routes. That, Becker said, was an inspiration.
“It shows that if you put your mind to it, you can do incredible things,” he said. “Don’t let anything stop you.”
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal.com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Highland Town Field hosts free USA Lacrosse youth clinic in November
