Rebuttal to concerns regarding VHS’s girls lacrosse team

This article was written by The Board of Directors of the VILC.

The Board of Directors of the Vashon Island Lacrosse Club has recently reviewed the article published in The Riptide concerning the cancellation of the High School Girls' Lacrosse season. We appreciate the opportunity to provide further context and address the concerns raised, particularly the assertion that a lack of support, potentially rooted in sexism, led to this cancellation.

We want to be unequivocally clear: the decision regarding the High School Girls' team was based on player safety and the viability of fielding a competitive team, guided by the recommendations of U.S. Lacrosse. U.S. Lacrosse suggests a minimum of 16 and up to 30 players for a high school girls' lacrosse team, recognizing that 12 players are required on the field during play. Last year, our High School team carried 15 players. Unfortunately, due to the normal challenges of teenagers balancing school, extracurriculars, and occasional injuries, we often found ourselves playing games with fewer than the required 12 players and often with no substitutes available. This situation placed our athletes at increased risk of overuse injuries. Our dedicated coach, Megan Minier, worked tirelessly to support the team's development, but the consistent shortage of players available for both practices and games presented significant challenges.

This year, the club made a significant financial deposit to the Washington State Girls Lacrosse League, which was to become non-refundable on January 18th. Coach Minier, whose commitment we deeply value, indicated that she was only willing to return as coach if a minimum of 16 players registered by that January 18th deadline. This decision was rooted in the safety concerns and logistical difficulties experienced in the previous season and was communicated clearly to the prospective players and the broader lacrosse community. Despite everyone's best efforts, only 13 girls had registered by the deadline, with no further registrations anticipated.

The article rightly points to a lack of adult support as a significant concern for the future of the Girls’ Lacrosse program. The Vashon Island Lacrosse Club is an entirely volunteer organization. Like many youth sports programs on the island, we rely heavily on the dedication of parents and community members to serve as coaches and board members. Over the past few years, despite active recruitment efforts, our volunteer numbers have been dwindling. Our current board is operating with limited capacity, though we remain committed to the program's success. Critically, we have had no new expressions of interest in coaching our girls' youth or high school teams in the last three years.

We want to emphasize to the adults in our community that prior lacrosse experience is not a prerequisite for becoming a coach. The club provides and funds all necessary training to equip individuals with the skills and knowledge to be successful coaches. We sincerely urge any adults who are interested in getting involved and supporting our young athletes to contact us to learn more about these vital roles.

Finally, we want to express our deep care and admiration for the girls in our program, including Mylie, Sloane, Jane, Kyla, and Sienna, as well as the returning juniors. These young women are exceptional athletes and leaders, many of whom have been part of our lacrosse family for many years. We share their disappointment regarding the cancellation of this season and their concerns about the future of not just the girls' program, but the entire Vashon Island Lacrosse program. We believe we are at a critical juncture. Without increased involvement from adult volunteers in coaching and leadership roles, Vashon Island risks losing a lacrosse program that has become a source of pride for our community.

We appreciate the opportunity to have this letter published in the Riptide to provide clarity and context to your readership.