"Improving individual & team performance through hard work & commitment."
Who are we?
PRL was founded in the spring of 2013 as the off-season development program for Haven Youth Lacrosse and Strath Haven High School Lacrosse. Our focus is on our guys - those that have already reached the SH high school program as well as those that are soon to be SHHS lacrosse players. We recognize, as do many HS programs, that developing together outside of the traditional spring lacrosse season results in a stronger, more cohesive high school team and program. While we do not discourage participation in other club lacrosse programs during the offseason, we strongly encourage participation in PRL as the Strath Haven HS student athlete's primary club affiliation.
What are the program's goals?
Our goals are two-fold:
1. To help each player who makes the commitment to our program reach his lacrosse potential with and around his HS teammates;
2. To build a championship level high school program.
We applaud those players who have made a commitment to develop their game in the off season and hope that they also realize how valuable it is to develop the chemistry and cohesiveness that results in a winning tradition in the spring.
The cost of playing PRL
Unlike most private club programs, PRL is not designed to "make money." The legal entity is set up as a for-profit venture (LLC), but our nominal annual player registration fee ($55 in 2019) is used solely to help cover the operating costs of the program. The coaches are not paid for their efforts (we do hope that we can offer our coaches some reimbursement of their out-of-pocket and travel expenses), and in general, the only additional costs (after the annual registration fee) are the "per player" costs for participation in a PRL scheduled event.
What's the difference between PRL and other private club programs?
A few of the most glaring differences are:
1. Our program is set up to develop players that are entering our SHHS high school program; we aim to spend our time and effort developing our own players;
2. Our teams are not all-star teams; they are simply a compilation of our own players whose goal is to develop as a unit in the offseason;
3. We do not have "make money" as a goal of our program; we hope to recover the costs of program operation only while developing players whose commitment to our SHHS program is a priority.
Our off-season schedule
Our off-season begins shortly after our last spring HS game is played and lasts until the official first practice date in March each year. Our typical off season includes:
1. A weekly summer practice session dedicated to individual instruction and technique development (by position);
2. A summer event schedule for high school age players (our typical schedule will include 2-3 summer tournaments);
3. A weekly fall practice day (Saturday) that brings together all participants (grades 7-12) and focuses on both individual skill development and team concepts (this practice offering starts in September and ends in November);
4. o A fall tournament schedule that will include 2-3 tournaments (including our annual SHHS Fall Fest in November each year; this is the major fundraising event for the HS booster group);
5. An indoor, weekly winter practice session that focuses heavily on team concepts that we expect to implement fully in the spring (this session will be a weeknight, from early January through February, and is subject to availability of indoor space).
The college recruiting season
College coaches use their own off-seasons to recruit student athletes for commitment to their respective schools. The most active recruiting seasons are often June/July and October/November, as these tend to be the times when events are plentiful and college coaches are most available to travel and see youth and HS players on the field. PRL has access to the same tournament schedules as all other private clubs and will continue to make decisions about which tournaments its teams enter based on our perceived level of play, tournament location, cost, and other organizational factors.
For questions about PRL, including its intentions, goals, costs, or other information not included in this document, please contact Head Coach Jef Hewlings at 610-737-3268 or via email at providenceroadlax@gmail.com.
