REGISTRATION IS CLOSED

 For Spring 2020 we offer three Registration Categories:

League Play for Experienced Players

7th/8^th Grade Girls                                                14U Boys

5th/6 ^th Grade Girls                                               12U Boys

3rd/4 ^th Grade Girls                                               10U Boys

Open Play for

• All First Year Players (1st through 8th grade)
•      Begins in March
• Girls 1st/2^nd Grade
  • ​New and returning players
• Boys 8U
  • ​​New and returning players

Scoopers

• ​Must be at least five years old by 1 April

*Loaner Gear is available for boys (deposit only)

Questions: 

Girls Commissioner: Chris Lohmann

Boys Commissioner: Zach Gaumer

Scoopers: Hilary Adams

Overall and Director of Coaching: Michael Carucci

703-932-4657 (mobile)

GO FORT HUNT!!!

About Fort Hunt Youth Lacrosse (“forthuntlax”/FHYL)

At Fort Hunt Youth Lacrosse, we help kids reach their full potential through the great sport of lacrosse.

In today’s world, video games, “pay to play” sports programs, early sport specialization, and a “win at all costs” mentality can conspire against kids. We believe instead in the age appropriate, long-term athletic development of all of our kids, and are completely against the short term, win at all costs culture.

• We work hard to ensure all of our players have a consistently high positive experience
• We grow the sport by bringing lacrosse into new areas for boys and girls to try
• We study the science of sports and take guidance from our national governing body, U.S. Lacrosse; the U.S. Olympic Committee; and academic institutions like the Aspen Institute and George Washington University.
  • We follow the governing principles of the Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) and the Lacrosse Athlete Development Model (LADM)
  • We partner with other leadership organizations, like USA Hockey, to improve the condition of youth sports one kid at a time
• We have an aggressive and mandatory coach screening and training program to maximize the experience our kids have on the field
• We want our kids to get outside, move, sample many sports, compete, and HAVE FUN!

NVYLL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

Dear Commissioners and Families:

At the meeting of the NVYLL Executive Committee last night, we decided to cancel the remainder of the 2020 Spring Season.   Governor Northam ordered all schools and other community facilities closed for the remainder of the academic year, which means we will have no fields.   This is heartbreaking after so many of you spent months of volunteer work preparing for the season, and the boys and girls have been looking forward to it.   But we are left with no choice. 

We are taking immediate steps to limit NVYLL’s financial obligations so that we can return the maximum amount of member club payments that we can.   We expect to be able to make significant refunds to clubs based on the fact that we will not incur any variable expenses such as officiating fees, trophies, etc.   Please bear with us as we approach this in a responsible way and make sure that our fixed costs are met so that we can be secure for next season. 

Also note that, in order to get any refund, a club must have all rosters uploaded as well as submitted to in the format that was previously requested, along with both boys & girls player counts.  Even though it may seem pointless to do so, it will be necessary for us to have a current season team/player count for insurance and dues purposes in the Fall.  

We are also suspending NVYLL’s insurance, effective April 9.   We will resume it prior to tryouts for next season after a review of our policies, coverage, and member club needs.   In the meantime, this means there are NO NVYLL-SANCTIONED ACTIVITIES UNTIL NEXT SEASON.   If member clubs, coaches or players engage in lacrosse activity prior to tryouts for the 2021 NVYLL season, this will not be pursuant to any sanctioned NVYLL activity and therefore it will not be covered by NVYLL insurance.   Clubs, coaches and players always have the option of self-insuring through US Lacrosse membership or by procuring your own coverage separate from NVYLL, for summer and fall lacrosse.  Please plan accordingly if you expect to have lacrosse activity prior to the 2021 season.

Thanks again to the club commissioners, Executive Committee members, Executive Administrator, and Officials for all of the work that you put into this season.   It is tremendously disappointing to have to cancel the season but the safety of our lacrosse and broader community is more important.

Sincerely,

Jeff Grimson

Chair, NVYLL

Fort Hunt Lacrosse practices are effectively suspended until 12 April due to FCPS and NVYLL responses to COVID-19. 
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03/12/2020

Dear FCPS Families and Staff,

During the past several hours we continue to hear genuine concerns from parents about keeping our schools open while the coronavirus response escalates around the country. Schools are closing in Maryland and several other states and a state of emergency was declared in Virginia. As a result, and in an abundance of caution, I believe it is prudent for FCPS to cancel school tomorrow to help ease parent, staff, and student anxiety. 

Therefore, all FCPS schools will be closed Friday, March 13, 2020. 

School offices and central offices will open on time with an unscheduled leave policy in effect for 12-month employees. (Condition 2). The following activities in schools and on school grounds are canceled:
• extracurricular activities
• interscholastic contests
• team practices
• field trips
• middle school after-school programs
• professional learning and training courses
• adult and community education classes
• recreation programs and community use by outside groups not affiliated with FCPS

School age child care (SACC) centers are closed.

Monday, March 16, will remain a student holiday/staff development day to allow our classroom teachers to prepare for the possibility of distance learning. 

This remains a very fast moving narrative and the situation Monday is likely to be very different than today. We will determine Monday how we will proceed long term with FCPS operations. 
Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,
Scott Brabrand, Superintendent
Fairfax County Public Schools

NVYLL CORONAVIRUS UPDATE (Please forward to NVYLL families…)

Dear Commissioners and Families:

At a meeting of the NVYLL Executive Committee tonight, a decision was made to suspend all league lacrosse activities, including practices, effective immediately, and to cancel the first 3 games of the season. We will target April 18/19 to resume games, pending further information as this situation develops. This delay spans all school systems’ Spring Break which amounts to a 5-week delay. If we are able to resume games April 18/19, there would be 5 regular season games left, not including post-season play. If we are able to resume practices at an earlier date, we will inform you as soon as possible.

If individual teams or players engage in lacrosse activity prior to NVYLL resuming play, such activity will not be sanctioned by the league.

This is not a decision we made lightly. We consulted with US Lacrosse, Fairfax County and other school systems, as well as other youth sports organizations. Although our sport is an outdoor activity, typically played in wide open spaces for both players and spectators, whether there is an actual health risk to our players and adult volunteers is not the only factor we must consider. We have officials and immune-compromised coaches who are in higher risk age ranges who should not be placed at risk for an elective, recreational activity. Although it seems that our youth players themselves may be in a low risk group, they may go from gathering with other players at games to then interact with older relatives. In addition, a player who is injured during a game may face a challenging situation obtaining emergency or even primary medical care in the coming weeks. 

In the end, the decision is essentially made for us by a much more mundane and inescapable fact: many of our games are scheduled on school fields. As schools close, which is happening now, we will lose access to these fields and the domino effect even on clubs playing on Park Authority or other community fields is too difficult to manage and schedule in the fluid situation we are likely to face. In addition, some clubs have governing boards that have decided to follow the schools in terms of ceasing activity.  

There is plenty of health advice being distributed so we will not do that here. We will only say that our number one concern is the safety of our players and families. It is our sincere hope that the kids will be out on the lacrosse fields as soon as possible and that in the meantime, everybody in our community stays safe.

Sincerely,

Jeff Grimson

Chair, NVYLL

Boys Age Group Chart 2020

League Play for boys is 10U, 12U, and 14U. If their birthday aligns with 9U, 11U, or 13U, they play up with the older boys.

About Fort Hunt Youth Lacrosse

 Fort Hunt Youth Lacrosse (forthuntlax.org) is a recreational lacrosse club offering lacrosse to boys and girls from preK through 8th grade. Our constituency encompasses the Alexandria portion of Fairfax County, including Fort Belvoir. We operate all year round, but spring (March to early June) is our regular season and primary focus. Fort Hunt Youth Lacrosse (FHYL) is one of seven sports that make up the Fort Hunt Youth Athletic Association (FHYAA).

Our goal is “to help all our kids reach their full potential through the great sport of lacrosse.” We welcome kids without regard to race, creed, color, ethnic, or economic background. We offer needs-based scholarships.

We organize the kids by age or grade; boys use birth date and girls use school grade.

The boys age chart is published on our home page so you can look up his age group based on his birth month.

We follow the US Lacrosse Athlete Development Model (LADM), which is derived from the long-term athlete development model and conforms to the USOC American Development Model. We meet the kids where they are developmentally, and progressively challenge them as they get older.

Experienced players are normally assigned to teams organized under the Northern Virginia Youth Lacrosse League (NVYLL). The NVYLL season normally includes 8 regular season games (mid-March – late-May) and play-offs following Memorial Day. Most teams will get four of the eight games at home, which would almost always be CSMS or WPHS. Away games can be anywhere in Northern Virginia and may require travel of 60 minutes or more.

We welcome players of all experience and skill levels. We are especially interested in introducing lacrosse to new players and provide the necessary equipment to participate at no additional charge. (Shoes, garments - less game uniforms - and mouth guards excepted)

Players are rostered based on their age, years of experience and relative competitiveness. We evaluate the kids in the pre-season to be able to assign them the level of play that should give them their best experience for the season. NVYLL requires us to field teams at the A level, Upper B (UB) level, and Lower B (LB) level. Team assignments are typically made in late February or early March. Once team assignments are made, we may close registration for that age group.

Most of our practices are held at CSMS, WPHS and Whitman MS, a combination of turf and grass fields. We follow US Lacrosse “Dose and Duration” guidelines: kids practice more often and longer as they age up. Most teams will practice two or three times a week with Boys league games normally on Saturdays (starting at 8 or 9 am or later) and Girls normally on Sundays (starting at noon or later).

Rules

2020 Boys Youth Rules (8U – 14U)

https://www.uslacrosse.org/sites/default/files/public/documents/rules/YouthRulebook-Boys2020-spreads.pdf

2020 Boys Youth Rules (6U)

https://www.uslacrosse.org/sites/default/files/public/documents/rules/2019-6u-usl-boys-rules.pdf

2020 Girls Youth Rules

https://www.uslacrosse.org/sites/default/files/public/documents/rules/YouthRulebook-Girls2020_final-spreads.pdf

Equipment

Girls require only a stick, eye protection, athletic shoes and mouth guard for field players. Cleats designed for turf and cleats designed for grass are recommended. Goalies wear additional protection, including helmets, throat guard, gloves, chest protector.

No jewelry (including new ear piercings) is permitted during play.  Girls and boys are required to remove all jewelry, so we recommend leaving bracelets, necklaces, earrings, etc. at home or in the car.

Boys lacrosse is a full contact sport at 12U and above. 8U and 10U does not permit body checking, but there is still substantial contact (pushing, holding, boxing out). All boys 8U and above require a stick, helmet, mouth guard, shoulder pads, arm pads, gloves, protective cup, and athletic shoes. Protective pads must be designed specifically for lacrosse. Goalies wear a chest protector and throat protector. Boys helmets may be any color; they normally come in white and we offer opportunities to purchase discounted custom Fort Hunt Green and Gold helmets. The recommended stick for boys youth players is the Warrior Warp or String King Jr.

We offer loaner gear to new players of all ages and team discounts at several local and on-line retailers.  The youngest players are known as “ Scoopers,” just need a stick ,and one will be provided.

Coaching

We are staffed by both amateur and professional coaches. Just as you would not send your kid to a dentist or doctor who is not board certified, our coaches are required to train and certify under our National Governing Body, US Lacrosse. We offer subsidized live coaching clinics in the local area several times a year and no-cost on-line training. Our coaches understand the important role they play and the potential impact on a child’s life.

We expect our coaches to be 100% positive, and to nurture cognition, competence, and character; players capable of finding space, creating solutions, and executing good decisions in the face of an adversary.

New coaches should understand that 80% of the job is character development, fungible across most sports, and 20% sport specific. Basketball, soccer, and hockey coaches, especially, can make for great lacrosse coaches, as the sports are so similar.

Here are the current requirements to coach Fort Hunt Youth Lacrosse:

• Have a good attitude, focused on making the kids' experience as good as it can be
• Be a member of US Lacrosse valid through June 2020 (reimbursement available)
• Read, understand and agree to the FHYAA and NVYLL codes of conduct
• Receive a positive (Green Light) NCSI background screening (no charge)
• Complete the basic Positive Coaching Alliance (PCA) training, in person or on-line (no charge)
• Complete the CDC Concussion Training, on line (no charge)
• Complete the Level 1 US Lacrosse online course or live clinic (Assistant Coaches)
• Certify US Lacrosse Coach Development Program (CDP) Level 1 or higher (Head Coaches)
• Complete “How to make proper contact” US Lacrosse online course (boys’ game only)

For questions or further understanding, please go to our website forthuntlax.org or contact one of our commissioners: