Warmest Wishes for the Holidays!!

Warmest Wishes for the Holidays from Skyline Lacrosse!!

Spartan Lax Gloves, Helmets and Gear Bags Available Now!

The Spartan Store is now taking pre-orders for Skyline Logo gear including the Warrior Blackhole Bag, Cascade CPX Helmet and custom Brine King II Gloves.

The deadline for holiday pick-up at Breakaway Lacrosse Bellevue store is 12/21/2009 so if you are thinking about a green Christmas then point Santa to the Spartan Store now!

The Spartans Store is Open!!!

The Skyline Spartans Store is open! Dress up your game with the latest in Lax styles! You can find the store under the Spartans tab on our website. Three great Spirit Gear items are currently offered – Logo Sweatshirts, Logo Sweatpants and a Logo t- shirt. There is a very short window to have Spirit Gear delivered by the Christmas holiday – all orders placed by 5:00 PM this Sunday
(12/13/09) should arrive before December 25th.

Coming soon we will be taking pre-orders on Spartans Logo gear bags, helmets and gloves offered in conjunction with our partner Breakaway Lacrosse and some great deals on Nike lax shoes offered in conjunction with Nike.

Reminder: Registration Deadline for 2010 Spring Season

Important Reminder: The deadline for 2010 Spring registration is December 15th, 2009.

Late registrations will be accepted up to the close date of January 15th, 2010; however, late registrations will be subject to a $30 Late Fee.

This week IYL Co-Presidents Matthew Balkman and Scott Wiley announced a transition in IYL leadership in a letter to friends of Issaquah Youth Lacrosse. Stepping into their new role as Co-Presidents Emeritus, Matthew and Scott set the stage for IYL's continued growth -

In their words [partial excerpt]:

"When we assembled a group of a dozen middle-school boys for their first Lacrosse clinic six years ago, we had no idea how or even if Lacrosse could take root and grow in Issaquah. It wasn't until the next clinic – a couple of months later -- when nearly 100 kids attended that we knew Lacrosse was destined to be the next great thing in youth sports.

Issaquah Youth Lacrosse was born in 2004 to foster the growth and development of our youth through the fun and fellowship of a great team sport. IYL as an organization has experienced steady and exponential growth, we have had many IYL players go on to compete in HS State Championships, some go on to play at the collegiate level, and the overall awareness and love of the game expand tremendously in our community. It has been very exciting!

Now, as we look forward to our sixth full season having served nearly a thousand boys and girls, and grown a program which now feeds four boys HS programs (Liberty and Mt Si in ’10) and one girls HS program, it's time to turn to the next chapter for IYL.

With our registrations on track to deliver the largest group of participants ever in our Spring 2010 season and with a strong transitional leadership team in place, IYL will surely continue to be the leading youth Lacrosse program in the state. And with the vision and energy that the new leadership is bringing to their work, we expect IYL to go places we could never have dreamed of back in 2004 with those dozen 8th graders awkwardly picking up Lacrosse sticks for the first time.

Thank you all for your support and encouragement over these six wonderful years!"

You can read the Full Letter on the IYL website. You can join in with our IYL Lacrosse family in thanking Matthew and Scott for everything they have done to make Issaquah Youth Lacrosse one of the most successful youth LAX programs in the western US.

Skyline Spartans Lacrosse 2010 Spring Registration is Live!

Registration is live on the Spartans Lacrosse website for our 2010 Spring season. You can preview the new system in this Introductory Walkthrough or click directly into the Registration Program and click yourself onto the 2010 season roster.

Ben Hunt & Jason Bloom take the Field vs Skyline @ Fall Ball

Washington Stealth Pro laxers Ben Hunt and Jason Bloom brought more than their clinics to Overlake this last weekend - they suited up and joined the Spartans game vs Lynnwood - on the Lynnwood team.

A lot of fun and more than a few lessons were delivered - and a few photos from the game will be up on our web site and facebook page shortly.

Skyline Lacrosse supports ISF Calling for Kids drive

The Skyline Spartans Lacrosse team helped Issaquah Schools Foundation net a record fundraising night on Tuesday (20th): $54,000 raised!

Here is the word from ISF Co-Chair Deborah Parsons:

"Amazing job last night! With fewer students than ever before, we raised more money than ever before: $54,000!!

I saw so much enthusiasm in the room, and the cowbells were ringing all the time. You all looked like you were having fun, and for a great cause!

Thank you all for spending the evening raising money for the Issaquah schools. Without you, this event would not be possible."

Rumor has it that Happs rang up the evenings record donation, SkylineLAX consumed a record number of Swedish Fish and Happs, Ryan & Charlie gave the Issy HS Drill Team frequent demonstrations on how to properly celebrate nailing a goal.

Stealth Clinic @ Overlake with Ben Hunt & Jason Bloom

The Washington Stealth will be holding two lacrosse clinics for Fall Ball players this Saturday, 24th at the Overlake School. Stealth stars Ben Hunt and Jason Bloom will be running the free clinics and they are open to anyone, not just the Fall Ball regulars - so invite your regular season teammates!!

The Stealth clinics will be an hour in length and take place from 1:00 - 2:00 PM and again at 3:00 - 4:00 PM to give all the Fall Ball players a chance to attend. The clinics will cover all aspects of lax play as well as drills for players & coaches to use during the off-season.

Ben Hunt will also be meeting players & signing autographs @ Breakaway's Bellevue store on Saturday between 10:00 - 11:00 AM so swing by on your way to Overlake...

Be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to work with the Stealth pros and improve your game! Skyline plays Lynwood @ 2:00 PM so you can check it out twice!

Stealth Laxers Kyle Hartzell and Chris O'Dougherty @ Breakaway Saturday

Washington Stealth pro players Kyle Hartzell and Chris O'Dougherty are at Breakaway Lacrosse all day Saturday, 17th signing autographs and talking lax. Swing in and meet your local pros - and take advantage of a huge IYL, Skyline, Issaquah, Mt Si & Liberty Lacrosse 25% discount on in-store stock & special orders - just mention your IYL relationship....

25% Discount Days @ Breakaway Sports!

This Friday, Saturday and Sunday (16th - 18th, October) are the big 25% IYL Discount Weekend Days at Breakaway Sports. If you need to upgrade or replace aging gear for the coming regular season this is the time to do it!! This special discount is for all IYL, Skyline, and Issaquah players. Mt. Si and Liberty players can also take advantage of this special offer - just make sure you mention your IYL affiliation.

Also - a reminder about the IYL Equipment Exchange - if you are retiring gear that is still playable be sure to list it on the IYL Exchange and help younger players get in the game!!

IYL Equipment Exchange Live for 2010 Season!

Gear bag overflowing? Now is the time to sort through all the LAX gear that has been piling up in the garage and start planning for the 2010 regular season. Chances are you have items that your player has outgrown or is planning to upgrade that are still in great condition. Here is a "recycling" solution that can benefit our local Lacrosse community and make it easier for more kids to get into the game: The IYL Exchange is now live!

You can now list all that great gear and get it back on the field with the next generation of local Laxers while collecting a few dollars to apply on your players new gear. Your listing is free on the IYL Exchange and the exchange is between you and the hopeful new owner. IYL does not take a fee of any kind. We all recognize the costs that are part of raising active multi-sport kids in today's challenging economic times and the Exchange is all about our helping each other and our sporting community.

Zackery Lystedt Law & Skyline Lacrosse

On July 26th, 2009 Washington State House Bill 1824 – also known as the Zackery Lystedt Law – went into effect. As a result youth sports organizations state-wide are focusing attention and educational resources on the risk of head injuries. This law directly affects Skyline Spartans Lacrosse, Spartans head injury policies and our 2010 player registration processes.

All Washington lacrosse clubs and associations must now follow all steps outlined below to ensure they are compliant with the law. The two requirements that directly affect registration processes include:

1. Annually require all players and the parent(s)/guardian(s) of those players to sign and return an informed consent form relating to the nature and risk of concussion or head injury. This information sheet shall include the signs and symptoms of concussion/brain injury and will be provided at the time of registration.

2. Ensuring that all coaches (paid or volunteer) are educated in the nature and risk of concussion or head injury prior to the first practice/competition. This education shall include signs and symptoms of concussion/brain injury. Resources for this education are available in both English and Spanish in the Documents section on this site.

As a Spartans parent or athlete, the information on head injuries we are providing on the Skyline Spartans web site [Spartans>Documents] is important to review and understand. The new registration procedures are in effect for our 2010 season and are an important part of this effort. The risks of concussion or other brain injury have not suddenly increased but youth sports organizations, medical professionals and government policy-makers are making brain injury awareness and education a top priority for good reason. As parents we invest a lot into our young athletes and as athletes we invest a lot into our sports - knowing the symptoms of sports and recreation related brain injury is an important part of that investment.So dedicate 10 minutes to reviewing the Parents and Athletes Concussion Fact-sheets, print them out and tape on the fridge....