Lax-4-Life Victoria… What is it all about!

On Saturday, April 11th there will be a 12 hour lacrosse game played at the Q Center to raise funds for the BC Cancer Foundation. This non-contact game will include players of all ages and skill levels on mixed teams playing in half hour shifts. This is a great opportunity for friends, families and multiple generations to come out together and play the game we all love. You can register as a single or as part of a group.

Registration
Registration is available online (https://www.teampages.com/forms/8402-Lax-4-Life-Victoria-Registration-Form) and the spots will be filled on a first come basis. We will try to get everyone a minimum of two shifts and some players, who are available, may get an additional shift.

The registration fee is $20 per player prior to March 15th and $40 per player after March 15th, if any spots remain. In addition to your registration fee you are requested to raise a minimum of $100 for the BC Cancer Foundation. You will be able to create your own page on their website to start collecting donations or you can bring cash/cheques to the event. The advantage of the online option is that tax receipts are immediately available to the person making the donation. There will be prizes for those players who raise the most donations.

Event Day:
Ball will drop at 9am with the first two groups on the floor.
Players and coaches will be swapped out at a stoppage of play each half hour, but the game will continue
Score will be cumulative for the entire 12 hours and realistically many players will play for both teams.
Jerseys will be provided when you check-in.
Minor players MUST be registered for the 2015 season and be in full gear.
Intermediate and Junior players may not yet be carded for 2015, so we will have waivers for them as needed (if under 18 parent/guardian must sign).
Adults will also need to sign an insurance release and may play with helmet and mouth guard although we encourage proper gear for all participants.
If there are Mini Tyke aged players on the floor the soft pink lacrosse balls will be used… otherwise a standard white ball will be used.
This is a non-contact game and absolutely no unsportsmanlike play or fighting will be tolerated… anyone involved in this type of behavior will be asked to leave (without refund).
Goalies will be in full gear, but again we expect players to take into consideration the age of the goalie before firing off a shot.

We encourage players to hang out between their shifts and support the players on the floor. All registered players will receive a Lax-4-Life t-shirt and there will be some snacks available, but you should bring a water bottle to stay hydrated. Bantam and younger age players must have a parent/guardian/adult with them as there will be nobody from the event team available to keep an eye on them.

Volunteers:
Volunteers are the key to any successful event and we will be looking for people to fill various roles to help make this event a success. We will need coaches (Level 1 is fine), officials, volunteers to sign-in players, scorekeepers, timekeepers and other tasks – like keeping the snacks stocked, and circulating around the arena to ensure everything is running smoothly.

The four Victoria associations are jointly hosting this event, but any and all volunteers are welcome and encouraged. We will also be looking for donations to assist with the food and prizes, so if you have any leads on these types of items please let us know as all assistance is appreciated. The hope is this can become an annual event to kick off our season.

Schedule:
Schedules will be posted online by April 1st so that we can juggle if there are any issues. Please be sure to indicate any times that you are not available on your registration form

History
Kelly and Brian Robinson, Delta Lacrosse (DLA) volunteers and their family, are one of the driving forces behind this event after their own family’s battle with cancer. Their daughter Ashley, who played her first season of lacrosse in 2011, is a cancer survivor. The family moved out here from Northern Ontario in 2009, and Kelly and Brian’s son Mitch joined Field lacrosse through a friend at school. The Delta Lacrosse community became part of their extended family, and when members of Delta Lacrosse (Coach “Wally” and the Schwan/Larsen family) joined Ashley’s 12-Hour Relay For Life team in 2010 and the idea of a 12 hour lacrosse game was born. It grew from there.

Delta has put a challenge out to other lacrosse communities to also host an event…and the four Victoria associations are stepping up to give it a try! The Lax-4-Life event has been an annual event in Delta and they have raised significant funds over the years…. their highest year was close to $20,000 … so of course our goal is to beat this and, more importantly, help in the battle to beat cancer!