BOZEMAN — Bozeman Lacrosse won its fourth state championship this past month and celebrated in true Hawks fashion Wednesday evening by hosting its fifth annual Youth Day to inspire the next generation of lacrosse players.
“I was just excited to come play with younger kids and show them what it’s like to play high school lacrosse," Bozeman junior Sully Luckay said.
After posting a 17-1 season, the Bozeman Hawks got back to their roots working with 140 athletes from Headwaters Lacrosse, the program that started their young careers.
“We talk a lot about with our boys that the program is bigger than you," Bozeman head lacrosse coach Dan Springer explained. "Whenever we can we need to give back to the program. The only reason why this program has won four state titles is because of what you see out here.”
“I’ve been playing lacrosse for one year, and it’s been really fun for me because I just like it," Headwaters kindergartener Aunders Gaasch said. "You get a lot of talent, and it’s the most popular sport.”
Ages ranged from middle school all the way down to the youngsters in kindergarten, but the goal remained the same: to get them excited for high school lacrosse.
“Tried to run some drills that the kids haven’t seen before, things that maybe we do at the high school level that they’re not doing at this level," Springer added. "The high school kids will always bring a little bit of skill sets that maybe other kids don’t have, whether it’s how they carry their stick or how they make a move, and anytime you’re a kid and you’re watching something like that it kind of goes like, 'Oh, maybe I can learn how to do that.'”
To cap off Wednesday’s Youth Day, the state champions held a trophy presentation to galvanize Bozeman’s future lacrosse players.
“Our program wouldn’t be what it is without the youth program, and so coming here to celebrate our accomplishments is important because it lets them know that they’re a part of those accomplishments," Springer said. "They may not know any of the players. They might not know anything about the high school division, but we know what we all came from, and it’s important to always know where you came from.”
