Granby Youth Lacrosse celebrates 10th

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Granby Youth Lacrosse celebrates 10th anniversary of Bantam Jamboree

Ten years ago two high school lacrosse scholar athletes, Patrick Gunn and Hannah Burnett, created the first Bantam Jamboree. Every year towns from the area compete against each other in an event where the focus is on fun and good sportsmanship. This year, boys and girls lacrosse teams representing 12 towns from Connecticut and Massachusetts arrived at Salmon Brook Park on April 26, eager and ready to compete in the Granby Lacrosse Bantam Jamboree. The bantam teams consisted of third and fourth graders who played four games, each lasting 25 minutes. The event required a community effort of volunteers including the Granby lacrosse board members and lacrosse coaches, as well as a large number of girl and boy high school lacrosse players and their families. In keeping with the origins of the event, this year the jamboree was co-chaired by two high school lacrosse players, Simone Huot and Abby Phillips, who both played for many years in the Granby youth lacrosse program. The event also included a variety of vendors selling lacrosse apparel, food and concessions with donations from the Granby bantam teams.

This year the event also welcomed the Granby High School Leo Club which sold coffee and hot chocolate to benefit a Relay For Life event that their volunteers participated in to benefit the American Cancer Society. Proceeds from the Bantam Jamboree are directed towards two scholarships for graduating seniors. The recipients this year are former youth lacrosse players, Olivia Johnson and Rebecca Rising.

Each year, the additional proceeds are also directed towards a charity in the community. This year, in keeping with the spirit of the originators of the event, the Granby Youth Lacrosse organization will donate proceeds from the event to the family of Jared Grier, a 2014 Granby Memorial High School graduate, who recently suffered a spinal cord injury (visit www.grierstrong.com). Additional donations for Jared Grier can be made on the You Caring website, www.youcaring.com.

Granby Youth Lacrosse registration for its 2016 spring season is in November. Anyone interested in volunteering can contact one of the board members. Further information can be found on the Granby Youth Lacrosse website, www.granbylacrosse.org