By Michael J. Lewis

Just because lacrosse was popularized on Long Island and is one of our major participation sports among young people doesn’t mean everyone is born with a stick and gloves in their hands.

There are still plenty of people who aren’t familiar with the wonderful game, and others who are just starting out. To that end, the Town of Hempstead and Long Island’s pro lacrosse team, the New York Riptide, have teamed up to start holding lacrosse clinics at Nassau Coliseum.

The first one will be Saturday, April 16, at 2:45 p.m., and registration for the clinic includes tickets to that night’s 7:30 p.m. Riptides game against the Rochester Knighthawks.

The Riptide, members of the National Lacrosse League, have been playing at the Coliseum since 2019 and have done dozens of clinics across Long Island.

Team President Rich Lisk said doing demonstrations and clinics was definitely a way to keep connected with the community during COVID-19.

“This is our lifeline, getting to show people our sport and let them have a chance to see what our players can do,” Lisk said. “Our players love to teach the game and show kids the best that lacrosse can be, and just get them interested in learning more about our sport.”

Lisk said that while box lacrosse, which is the indoor version the Riptide play, is a little different from the field lacrosse that most youth programs play, most of the skills translate.

“There are a lot of differences, like the net in box lacrosse is 4×4, where outdoors in field it’s 6×6,” Lisk said. “So even a kid who’s been playing outdoor (lacrosse) for a while can learn some new skills from our guys.”

Both Lisk and Clavin expect to hold more clinics for Long Island residents in the future; this first clinic is limited to 50 players. Signups can be done at this link. (For the print version: https://gfsports.formstack.com/forms/tohclinic2022)

“This is exactly what we all should be doing for the community,” Lisk said. “My ultimate legacy here, is if I get a kid who comes into one of our clinics, picks up the sport, then gets into junior lacrosse and college and then one day gets drafted into the NLL and plays for the Riptide. That would be amazing.”