NEWS RELEASE
ORILLIA LADY KINGS
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Looking for something to look forward to? Beneath the magnitude of snow, there are lacrosse fields in Orillia waiting for the warmer weather to be put to action.
Believe it or not, it is time to start thinking about spring and summer and getting active outside. The Orillia Lady Kings field lacrosse program is preparing for its 29th season of developing athletes, teammates, and friendships.
Starting out in 1997 with one U19 team, the Orillia Lady Kings program now boasts over 200 athletes per season. Over the years, many players started their lacrosse careers as Lady Kings in Orillia and went on to play lacrosse for a range of university, college, provincial, and national competitive programs. Orillia Minor Lacrosse is one of the largest lacrosse organizations in the province and is entirely run by volunteers.
The foundation of the program is the house-league program. This program invites players of all skill levels from beginner to rep level to participate in a nine-week program of skills and games. This is a great opportunity for girls to come out and try the sport, meet new friends, learn to be a teammate, learn lacrosse skills and discover a love for the game. The program is run on Monday evenings from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. at the West Orillia Sports Complex in May and June. Girls born between 2012 and 2020 are invited to register now through our website. There is a reduced rate for early-bird registration before March 17, 2025.
The Orillia Lady Kings rep program offers athletes a more competitive level of field lacrosse with twice-weekly practices and weekend games representing Orillia around the province. The season culminates with a provincial championship tournament at the end of July. The rep program pushes athletes to a high level of competitive play, improving skills and challenging players in a strong and supportive environment. All rep players (U15 and below) also participate in the Monday house-league program. Players from U9 to U19 are eligible to try out for one of our rep teams. Tryouts will begin earlier in the spring. Players are encouraged to register early to be sure to receive all the information they need prior to tryouts.
One of the absolute best parts of the Orillia Lady Kings (OLK) program is the number of girls who have participated in the OLK program who return to coach and mentor younger players when they have aged out of the program. The vast majority of coaches are young women who have played or who are still playing lacrosse themselves, who return to give back to the sport and the organization. The younger players have built-in lacrosse role models to look up to.
When asked about what she loves most about playing lacrosse, U15 player Ellie Lynch can’t decide which part is best: “My amazing coaches, seeing my friends or maybe scoring.”
A recent graduate of the Orillia Lady Kings program, coach and current Wilfrid Laurier University lacrosse team member Emma Marwick states that “meeting new people, playing with friends and the lacrosse community” were the factors that make the sport so meaningful to her. It seems there are many things that draw girls to the field lacrosse program. Orillia Lady Kings invite you to register today. See our website for details: orillialadykingslacrosse.ca.
The OLK is always looking for additional volunteers to help run the programs along with local businesses to sponsor and support women in sport. If you are interested in volunteering or sponsoring a team, please contact [email protected]. For all other inquiries, please visit our website.
If your child is interested in playing box lacrosse or boys field lacrosse, the Orillia Minor Lacrosse Association is also open for registration at this time. Please see the website at OrilliaMinorLacrosse.com.
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