Granby Youth Lacrosse (GYL) planted its Granby roots 23 years ago for boys and girls. As GYL approaches a 25th anniversary milestone, the history and legacy of lacrosse shall not be lost. Lacrosse is one of the oldest sports in North America. It was originally played by Native Americans centuries ago when various tribes would compete against each other.
Once known for being played predominately on the East Coast (from Upstate NY to North Carolina), lacrosse has experienced remarkable growth from coast to coast. Youth programs continue to flourish providing incremental instruction and competition, becoming a natural feeder program for high schools.
Within the NCAA collegiate ranks, there are three divisions (DI, DII, and DIII) with Athletic Departments supporting men’s and women’s lacrosse. Post collegiate regional tournaments remain available for players to extend their playing days and renew camaraderie with former teammates.
Over the decades, thousands of Granby girls and boys have registered to play lacrosse. The magnet has been that lacrosse is exciting to watch, fast paced on the field, requires sustained team work and offers positions that can be matched to a participant’s athletic agility.
The youth lacrosse program in Granby has played a pivotal role in introducing the sport with focus on instilling a passion for the game at an early age. Structured practices, games, and tournament play are offered for youth athletes in kindergarten through 8th grade. Lightning is the developmental program for younger players and is focused on introducing the simple basics of lacrosse. At the Bantam level (generally third and fourth graders) players receive exposure to intermediate skill building; competitive play is introduced through games and tournaments. At the Junior (fifth and sixth graders) and Senior (seventh and eighth graders) levels, players continue to receive structured instruction growing their skill set with stepped up competition in games and tournaments.
At all age levels the focus is technical development of the game with a primary emphasis on the values of teamwork, sportsmanship and community engagement. These values of GYL serve to foster a positive reputation that Granby lacrosse has become known for both on and off the field. As a direct means of how GYL gives back to the Granby community, it has been a long-standing commitment of GYL to award two individual scholarships to Granby Memorial High School graduating seniors. Scholarships are now granted by Granby Youth Lacrosse through the Lindsay Bugbee Crosby Memorial Scholarship.
Since 2001, the ongoing success of GYL is a direct result of the players who have played the game, the parents who have dedicated their time to transport their children to practices, games/tournaments; and the numerous volunteers, coaches, equipment and field managers, game/tournament and referee schedulers, officers/directors all contributing countless hours each lacrosse season. Our hats are off to all GYL alumni who continue to encourage the next generation of youth to experience lacrosse.
GYL welcomes new players; we commit to ensure an enjoyable learning experience. Please visit granbylacrosse.org for more information, registration guidance, special events and how to contact representatives of GYL. We invite all to experience the exciting sport of lacrosse and recommend that you watch any online highlights from the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Division I, 2023 National Championship Games: lacrosse games to behold.