Even in a city famous for the Knicks and Yankees, the next big sport in the Bronx could be lacrosse, thanks to the nonprofit CityLax.
Founded in 2005, the organization has worked with 20,000 students at 70 NYC public schools, including several KIPP charter schools in the Bronx. With support from USA Lacrosse, the sport’s governing body, CityLax is introducing thousands of kids to the sport each year.
Bronx Field Director Ryan Garling said he now regularly sees kids carrying lacrosse sticks on the train. “Fifteen years ago, when I was in the Bronx doing this, that did not happen,” he told the Bronx Times.
Garling played lacrosse through high school and college and was working as a headhunter when he started volunteering with CityLax. He later collaborated with the organization’s co-founder Mat Levine on the Discover Lacrosse program, which introduces kids to the sport in their regular physical education class.
Over the course of two to three weeks, CityLax brings in sticks, balls and goals and introduces the fundamentals of the sport — including its Native American roots, which make it the oldest team sport in North America with a tradition dating back 1,000 years, Garling said.
Although many in the Discover Lacrosse program are being exposed to the sport for the first time, it shares commonalities with many other sports, such as basketball, soccer and football, he said.
Garling added that working within the phy ed classes creates the advantage of “a captive audience.”
“Not every kid is gonna fall in love with lacrosse in gym class, but if you’ve got a good handful that are wide-eyed and excited to see you the next time they come into class, that’s what we’re looking for.”
If enough students want to stick with it after the unit is over, CityLax can help schools establish after-school programs. USA Lacrosse offers support with grant money and equipment, and other partners have been eager to join the effort to bring new players into the game, Garling said.
Over the past 10 years or so, Bronx lacrosse has taken off, he said. The boys’ team at Christopher Columbus High School has won two championships in the Public Schools Athletics League (PSAL), and the girls’ team secured one last year.
The school has hosted free winter clinics for the past 17 years, and Garling said CityLax has held other clinics outside of Yankee Stadium and wherever there is interest. In addition, teachers and administrators can reach out anytime to bring CityLax into their schools, he said. “Once a kid is exposed to it and see how fun it can be, they buy into it.”
Rob Pannell, 36, serves as president of CityLax and said he’s excited by the growth of lacrosse among New York City kids.
“We’re starting to get to the next level of impact that we’re gonna have across all five boroughs,” he said.
Pannell grew up on Long Island, where lacrosse is “probably the most popular sport.” He has now played for 13 years in the Premier Lacrosse League, traveling to a different city every weekend to play in games broadcast on the ESPN network. At that highly competitive level, about 200 people can call themselves professional lacrosse players, Pannell said.
One reason his sport is appealing is that there are roles for all types of athletes, he said. Some are tall, fast and strong, and others like him are five-foot-nine and “low to the ground” with a great IQ for the game, according to Pannell. “Lacrosse allows for people of all different athletic attributes to be successful.”
Pannell was drafted out of college, and as he nears the end of his professional career, he’s determined to expand access to the sport he loves.
CityLax supports all NYC schools that have lacrosse teams and is working to put together a middle school league to get kids started competing earlier. CityLax may even expand to elementary schools in the future, he said.
From USA Lacrosse on down, there is now an active effort to diversify the sport, which is commonly associated with white, wealthy, private-school kids in the Northeast.
But rather than gatekeeping, many lacrosse athletes who come from relatively privileged backgrounds are giving back to ensure more kids have the opportunity to try it, Pannell said. “It’s a very generous sport.”
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, subscribe to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
