Just three years after a youth lacrosse grassroots movement began in Lake Nona, the Lake Nona Junior Lions are fielding competitive full-contact teams this spring for boys in grades 1-8. With a 10-year perspective to create a winning culture, John Chin, director of Lacrosse for Lake Nona Youth Sports, is dedicated to building a stronger lacrosse presence in the community.
Coach Chin, a Level 1 U.S. Lacrosse certified coach and former Air Force club player, and his passionate coaching staff are preparing 40 Junior Lions athletes for the competitive field game this spring season played with full pads and helmets, while offering them a fun and safe environment to develop their skills.
“Lacrosse has struggled to take hold in the community and at Lake Nona High School due to the lack of familiarity with the game,” he says. “Unlike more mainstream sports like baseball, football, soccer or basketball, not many parents grew up playing lacrosse, so it’s been difficult to find coaches with a lacrosse background to own the growth of the sport in our community.”
In 2015, Lake Nona Youth Sports, with the help of some parent enthusiasts, put in place elements of a lacrosse program, offering clinics and practices for new and experienced players. Now, with John’s leadership, Lake Nona Youth Sports has finally ignited a fire of interest in the sport, evidenced by an unprecedented 40-player roster for their inaugural field lacrosse season that’s now underway. The program also incorporates SPEED Lacrosse, a co-ed, fast-paced development game. “We think SPEED Lacrosse offers a broader opportunity for more kids – both boys and girls – to play the sport since they don’t need as much equipment and teams are much smaller” (3 vs. 3 instead of 10 vs. 10 for the boys’ field game), he says. “It also appeals to kids who’ve never played lacrosse since the rules are simpler, as well as more experienced players aiming to hone their passing and ball-handling skills. I personally love to play both versions of the game and take advantage of every chance to suit up and play with our kids.”
A Lake Nona resident, John grew up and played high school lacrosse in the Baltimore area and continued playing club ball while serving in the U.S. Air Force. After his military service, he served as the assistant coach for Decatur High School in Ocean City, Md., and began coaching the boys’ varsity lacrosse program at Lake Nona High School in 2016. He’s passionate about the game and building players in the Lake Nona area, emphasizing growth over achievement. “In just the two years we’ve been working with these kids, I’ve seen struggling players blossom into leaders and contributors on the field, and it’s obvious which kids put in more practice reps on their own because they come back every season so much better than they were the prior season,” John says. “The best part is seeing new levels of confidence in them that carries over off the field. That’s what makes it worthwhile to me and the other coaches.”
Coach Chin believes lacrosse is more than a sport – it’s a vehicle for kids to learn how to push themselves and to develop a standard of self-driven preparation that will delight and surprise their parents. “We have a 10-year plan to put Lake Nona on the map across the state and throughout the region as a hub that produces college-level lacrosse athletes,” John says. “If we keep the sport fun and continue to attract top-level coaches, we will make lacrosse enthusiasts wonder what we are doing in Lake Nona to produce so much talent. That’s what we’re all about.”
Valerie Sisco lives in Lake Nona, where she writes the blog Grace with Silk http://www.gracewithsilk.com/. Follow her journeys via Twitter @GraceWithSilk, Facebook https://www.facebook.com/gracewithsilk, and Instagram https://www.instagram.com/valeriesisco/.
