2009 Lacrosse Registrations Are Now Being Accepted!        

Mt. Olive Junior Lacrosse Club

HONOR THE GAME!

MOJLC

PO BOX 743                                                                                         

FLANDERS NJ 07836                                                                                                                                                                                                                                JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2005

SPRINGING INTO 2005!

Welcome to another promising season for the Mt. Olive Jr. Lacrosse Club.  This is a periodic newsletter, offered to parents and players, in an effort to keep our members abreast of what is happening with the Club and other news regarding the lacrosse community.

It was a most exciting off-season in 2004.  Our Club expanded to 6 teams, introducing a 3^rd/4^th Clinic team for the first time in its history.  Members of our Club attended the US Lacrosse National Convention in Philadelphia in January (see related article on page 3). We held several successful summer clinics and an introductory clinic in conjunction with the high school.  Most importantly, we saw the creation of both a girls and boys lacrosse program come to fruition at the high school.  Congratulations to both Brigitte Geiger and David Gallucci for their appointments as the respective girls and boys head lacrosse coaches at Mt. Olive High School.  We look forward to building a strong relationship with both of them and wish them the best of luck in their inaugural season.  We fully support the high school programs and hope to work together in the coming years to build a successful lacrosse program for all of Mt. Olive Township.

 MARCH INTO SPRING

Our spring registration campaign is still underway.  The fee has increased since January 15^th, 2005.  However, the 8^th grade boys team roster is full and the Club will no longer accept registrations at that level.  Registrations are still being accepted at all other levels.  The Club will continue to accept registrations until March 1^st 2005.  Thereinafter, a waiting list will be created depending upon roster availability.  If you know somebody interested in registering please forward our contact information to them. 

Here are the fees as of January 15th:  3^rd/4^th grade Clinic @ $75 – 5^th-8^th grade girls @ $125 – 5^th-7^th grade boys @ $135.  Family discount packages are available.  Families with 2 or more can register at $220 and 3 or more at $280.  This now includes the $10 late fee per player.  You can download a registration/medical release form off of the website: www.mojlc.org (medical release forms need to be notarized).  Mail forms with payment to: MOJLC; PO Box 743, Flanders, NJ 07836.    For registration questions, contact Registration Coordinator Peggy Harper at (973) 426-0603 or email to lacrosse@mojlc.org.  We are no longer accepting 8^th grade boys as of January 19^th.  The boys Varsity roster is now full.

ALL A BOARD

On Wednesday, June 23^rd, 2004 the Mt. Olive Jr. Lacrosse Club held its annual Board of Director elections.  Several key positions were filled with new faces, as some of the familiar faces shuffled into other board positions.  Chris Killian stepped down as President to take over as Administrative Vice President.  He ran unopposed for the position.  Heather Merkle stepped into the role of President, as she also ran unopposed.  Garry Merkle and Brigitte Geiger also retained their positions as Vice Presidents of their respective programs.  Russ Tepper was voted in as Treasurer and Peggy Harper was elected Club Secretary.  We welcome them to the board, as its newest members.  The most competitive race was for General Trustee, as seven members ran for three vacant positions.  Those elected were Chrissy Priest, Jack Isler, and Mike Pizzirusso.  Together, the nine-member board met on Wednesday, July 21^st 2004 to complete the transition for the coming season. 

WINTER WONDER-LAX

Several of our players are currently involved in winter/indoor lacrosse activities.  Members of our 8^th grade boys team are participating in a lacrosse league at the Indoor Sports Pavilion in Randolph.  Members of our two graduating boys classes have also formed teams to continue their lacrosse experience through the winter months.  Some players also attended the Ath-Ed outdoor lacrosse league in Chester this past fall.  The girls program has put together an indoor lacrosse clinic this winter as well.  It’s a testament to the appeal of lacrosse.  As a Club, we are hoping to continue this tradition next fall/winter.  We will have more details regarding the creation of fall and winter indoor and outdoor leagues and camps toward the end of this upcoming season.  Information will be forwarded in general Club emails within the next couple of months.

 2.

MERRY IN MARYLAND

On Saturday, July 17^th, the Mt. Olive Jr. Lacrosse Club took their show on the road, as they traveled across two states into Maryland.  The team filled a roster of 18 boys, combined players from the 7^th and 8^th grade boys teams.  It was an exciting time for all of the players and parents to be a part of an 8 team tournament, consisting of teams from Washington D.C., Baltimore, Maryland, Virginia, and England.

The team participated in three games (each with two 25 minute running halves).  They competed against the Stockport, England team, the Manassas team from Northern Virginia, and the Maryland Beach squad.  Some of the players even had the opportunity to play on the Baltimore team, which was shorthanded most of the day.

Four members of the board that attended the event spent Friday afternoon attending the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame and headquarters.  Chris Killian, Mike Pizzirusso, Garry and Heather Merkle all took a trip to visit the US Lacrosse Hall of Fame and headquarters building of US Lacrosse.  “It was very educational,” said Mike Pizzirusso, ‘There was a lot of historical perspective regarding the evolution of the game and its current growth in popularity.”

“The whole weekend was a lot of fun,” exclaimed Chris Killian. “Of course the hotel stay is probably the best part for the players.  But, from the lacrosse aspect, it was a great chance to play other teams from out of state, including one from another country.  I think the players really enjoyed the whole experience.”

Members of the team included: Dan Alexander, Tim Bahnsen, Martin Cacnio, Erik Capporino, Mike Diefes, Matt Merkle, Tim Schwab, Nick Togno, Eric Nakonechny, Rusty Tepper, Zach Newberg, Brendan Petty, Brent Wagner, Cody Wagner, Steven LeBlanc, Connor Lloyd, Miles Koenig, and Jackson Isler.

The trip was deemed a huge success.  Our Club is hopeful that we can participate in similar tournaments sometime in the near future.

PHILLY PHANATICS

Several members of the Mt. Olive Jr. Lacrosse Club attended this year’s National US Lacrosse Convention in Philadelphia.  The convention ran from January 13^th-16^th at the Philadelphia Convention Center and adjacent Marriott Hotel.  Lacrosse coaching clinics, seminars, and demonstrations, vendors, and sports celebrities were on-hand to accommodate the thousands of lacrosse enthusiasts that made the annual trek to live, learn, and experience the world of lacrosse.   All facets surrounding the sport of lacrosse were represented, from boys and girl’s youth to high school, through men’s and woman’s college and pro levels.  Noted coaches and guest speakers shared their skills, drills, and experiences, as well as provided demonstrations and educational materials.   Members of the women’s USA lacrosse team and players from the men’s MLL were present to assist in demonstrations and discussion.  Legendary men’s lacrosse player Gary Gait provided a shooting seminar and demonstration.  A “vendor village” was constructed to showcase various lacrosse vendors and businesses.   Over 100 vendors displayed items and information regarding the latest in lacrosse equipment and products.  Hundreds of colleges were represented, offering recruitment and educational information. 

The convention was an overwhelming success.  This year US Lacrosse rented out both the Philadelphia Convention Center as well as the Philadelphia Marriott, doubling its size from last year.  There was also an indoor turf field for demonstration purposes.   It was quite an experience, as the growth of the sport was apparent by the thousands that attended.

Attending on behalf of the Mt. Olive Jr. Lacrosse Club were Chris Killian (Administrative VP), Garry Merkle (Boys VP), and Brigitte Geiger (Girls VP). 

CHAPTER & VERSE

The sport of lacrosse continues to grow, especially right here in the Garden State.  Recently, the sport has become so big in New Jersey, with over 95 towns offering youth lacrosse programs, that US Lacrosse, the governing body of lacrosse in the United States, has split the state into two chapters.  For years, New Jersey fell under one chapter of US Lacrosse.  With the sport’s overall explosion of popularity, it has become too big to contain and now the state has been officially split in two.  The Northern Chapter and the Southern Chapter have been created as of January 1^st, 2005 to better oversee and assist the state with their lacrosse operations. 

                Of the 160 chapters of US Lacrosse throughout the United States, New Jersey currently holds the largest chapter with 18,000 members. The East Coast has always been known as the hub of lacrosse, with states like Massachusetts, Virginia, Maryland, and New York getting most of the recognition.  However, New Jersey now holds 12% of the entire US Lacrosse membership. 

                According to US Lacrosse Chapter President Pete O’Donnell, even the New Jersey high school lacrosse coaches have been discussing a possible split between the Northern and Southern regions of the state. 

                Eventually, the NJJLL will begin to look toward the realigning of conferences and divisions.  The sport has grown so big over the last few years that the current alignment within the league is “geographically challenged”.  With the new chapters now secure, the next step will be to align the league appropriately.  That will remain to be the toughest challenge, as new programs continue to pop up on an annual basis.

3.

CALLING CONFERENCE

                Congratulations goes out to our very own Administrative Vice-President Christopher Killian who was recently appointed by the NJJLL as the Western Conference Coordinator and member of the NJJLL Executive Board.   The coordinator is often referred to as the “commissioner” of the conference and will take on various responsibilities outlined by the NJJLL Board of Directors.  With seven teams in the conference and the possibility of additional teams in the near future, the task at hand will be a challenging one.  We wish Chris the best as he represents our conference this season.

SWINGING BACK (2004 RETROSPECTIVE)

The Mt. Olive Jr. Lacrosse Club successfully completed their second season of spring lacrosse in 2004.  Highlights of the season included the expansion of the Club from 55 players in their inaugural season to 85 players, not including those 15 players that graduated into the high school.  This year our Club graduated another 16 players, which gives the high school over 30 players with previous lacrosse experience, as they embark on lacrosse programs at Mt. Olive High School in 2005.

Two girls teams and three boys teams made up the Club last year.  The Club participated in four off-season tournaments.  The girl’s youth squad participated in a tournament in Long Valley.  The boys Varsity team entered a tournament in Winslow known as the Thor Julin Jr. Jamboree and the boy’s Jr. Varsity team traveled to partake in the annual Hunterdon Jr. Lacrosse tournament.  In July, a combined boys JV and Varsity team participated in a tournament in Lutherville, Maryland, facing teams from England, Baltimore, Maryland, and Virginia. 

Two players and a coach from the Club were selected to the NJJLL Youth All-Star team.  MOJLC JV coach Garry Merkle was chosen to assist as a coach on the team, as Martin Cacnio and Jackson Isler played in the game at Montclair State University on Saturday, June 12^th for the Mountain Conference All-Star team.  Cacnio had a shot on goal, as Isler scored a goal in the exciting 8-7 victory over the North Conference All-Stars. 

The boy’s 7^th grade JV team finished the season with a Club leading 4 victories.  6^th grade Youth team attack man Kenny Agostino led the Club with 21 goals scored.  The 4/5/6^th grade Youth team also led the Club on offense with 43 total goals scored for the season.   The girl’s Varsity team wrapped up their season having posted 2 victories.

Honorable mention goes out to both 4^th grade goalies Alex Tepper of the girl’s program and Brandyn Merkle of the boy’s program, who both stepped up for their respective Youth teams, as they faced all 6^th grade teams last season.

There are a lot of positives to build on in the coming season, as the Club enters its third season and continues to expand with an added 3^rd/4^th grade Clinic team in 2005.

PRIDE – POWER - PERFORMANCE

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Last modified: 07/27/08