Sixth Annual “Links for Lax” Golf Tourney Benefits East High Lacrosse on June 2
Cruise around Park Hill and you’ll see them: kids a-plenty dodging one another, twirling lacrosse sticks and playing catch – on lawns, in streets and at parks.
It’s spring. It’s lacrosse season. And it’s Denver, the place Inside Lacrosse magazine recently named the #1 lacrosse town in the world. Yes. Denver.
Suffice it to say, there’s lots of lacrosse being played around here – by professional, collegiate and club teams, by teens, tweens and toddlers. Has it always been this way? Or has lacrosse only recently boomed in our neighborhood? Well, both.
East High has fielded teams since 1968. In 1971, the East/Manual Lacrosse Club formed. In 1978, the team was led by Jon Barocas, who served as head coach for 33 years, recently passing the torch to Sean McCarthy in 2011. East‘s women’s team started in 1984 and is currently coached by Ellen Raih. East Men have won nine state titles. East Women finished third in the state in 2011, second in 2010, and are a Top 10 team again this season.
East teams tend to benefit from the many youth programs in our area. The Denver Lacrosse Club trains hundreds of boys and girls ages six to 13 in competitive play. The Stapleton Jets have more than 120 players enrolled. And City Lax, formed in 2007, creates opportunities for inner-city youth grades third through eighth. Kids who get their start with these organizations often go on to play at East, where today there are three boys teams and three girls teams – Varsity, JV and Freshman – with some 150 players total. Expanding numbers call for additional funds to pay for skills clinics, equipment and to support team travel.
In response to such rapidly growing interest, East lacrosse supporters have been organizing an annual golf tournament to raise money to help expand the reach of the sport since 2007. This year marks the first time the Men’s and Women’s programs will combine efforts on the annual fundraiser.
Links for Lax: It’s golf to support a good neighborhood cause, East High lacrosse, in a city that’s historically been crazy about the sport, and likely to get a lot crazier.
The 6th Annual “Links for Lax” golf fundraising event will be held Saturday, June 2, from 7:30a-1:30p, at Common Grounds Golf Course in Lowry. The outing is open to everyone, however registration is limited. To register and pay online, go to www.easthighlacrosse.com. Cost is $125 per individual, $460 per foursome. The price includes breakfast and lunch, greens fees and use of a cart. Sponsorship opportunities are also available. For more information or to sponsor a hole, game or contest at the tournament, contact: john@anvilchinook.com.