While Pablo  likes all of his school subjects, he enjoys PE class the most.

Pablo’s favorite things about lacrosse are the curriculum discussions before practices which range from sportsmanship, to what makes a team, and the importance of respect.  On the field, Pablo’s favorite thing is scoring goals.

When we asked Pablo what he has learned from lacrosse, he responded that participating in practices and the curriculum has taught him to take initiative and to communicate better with his friends and teammates. This is clear to see through the leadership role Pablo has taken on as an experienced player.

A little background: Pablo didn’t re-enroll in Club Hope at the beginning of last year and wasn’t coming to practice anymore. A couple months in, he started coming by the park around practices, and gradually playing in a few games. After a few weeks of this, we encouraged him to sign up and start officially coming to practice as a part of LtN again. During his first week back, the lesson was about importance of a team. In the team discussion we asked Pablo why he had rejoined LtN. He responded describing how much missed lacrosse, and had missed the team. He said that at LtN, whether someone made a great or bad play, their teammates always cheered for and supported them, unlike when he would just play unorganized soccer with friends. He has been attending practices ever since and has not only become one of our best players, but also is a role model for the other players.

Our staff in Nicaragua is working diligently with local community leaders to formalize the Nicaraguan Lacrosse Federation and submit an application to the Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) with one goal in mind; To send a group of players to the 2020 Under 19 World Lacrosse Championships in Ireland.

We are very much in the early stages, but the plan is to work with the Nicaraguan Lacrosse Federation to field a full 23-man roster comprised of 100% Nicaraguan players. Most of these players will be participants of LtN programs, but because we have partnered with local leaders to make this a reality, tryouts will include students from other schools and communities across Managua as well.

This announcement is years in the making and is a testament to the hard work of our local staff and volunteers. We would like to thank EVERYONE that has ever spent time with our kids and coaches in Nicaragua. Whether you spent a week, a month or a year here in Nica, your support, hard work and dedication to our children and coaches inspired them to dream up this goal. Now they are working diligently to make it a reality.

It’s crazy to think that LtN started out in tiny school inside Central America’s largest landfill in 2010 and now we are hoping to celebrate our 10th birthday by sending a group of players to represent their county at the highest level.

With that in mind, here are a few pictures of LtN throughout the years. From our early days in La Chureca to now.

First goals built in Nica 2009

First Field Day 2010

Seeing the game for the first time on video.

Coach Norman leads lacrosse practice at the School of Hope (July 2012)

Casey Powell & Jimmy Borrell host clinic at Chiquilistagua (Dec 2012)

Future U19 players practice 1v1 at Club Hope (2013)

First ever LtN Cup held in Nicaragua (Nov 2013)

LtN Cup 2014

LtN Cup 2015, players begin using gloves thanks to a donation from Warrior

LtN Cup 2016 – enough helmets are donated and players begin to use them at practice

Program Directors teach players how to put on a helmet (Jan 2017)

Helmets and gloves are now a regular part of practice in Nicaragua

This past fall, due to several generous donations and the rapid expansion of our programs, we were able to add helmets and gloves to all of our practices. With this addition, the game we play reaches a higher and more competitive level each day. Our players have the equipment to play harder while staying safe. While there are quite a few girls who enjoy this aspect, and continue to dominate the field, we are straying from the gender-neutral version of lacrosse we were once able play. Our practices are becoming more and more like the regulated boys’ games we know in the States. These recent changes combined with the presence of myself and local girls’ coach, Darian, have provided us with the opportunity to expand LtN Nicaragua to offer lacrosse instruction exclusively for girls.

We currently have 26 girls participating in co-ed practices. These girls will be able to continue to do so, with the additional option to attend girls-only sessions with women’s equipment. Princeton Women’s Lacrosse was generous enough to donate the first round of goggles and sticks to make these practices possible. The creation of a women’s program will take some time. Interest for the sport needs to grow organically – similarly to how we started our co-ed programs years back. Since mid February, I have been spending time at Chiquilistagua on Monday and Thursday afternoons, so that girls can join during recess or come outside of the co-ed practice time to receive girl-specific instruction. Right now, we have five girls who have been attending outside of co-ed participants, with new ones showing interest.

I think once more girls see these afternoon sessions, more interest will be generated. Lacrosse is still very much a foreign sport here. To a middle or high school aged girl, playing in full mens’ gear could be slightly intimidating. Being able to see girls throw around in a space dedicated solely to women’s lacrosse, women’s instruction, and the building of a women’s team environment will attract more girls to explore this new and exciting sport. Once numbers rise, we can begin holding a full practice using all girls’ equipment and rules. Considering our recent program growth and current staff, this is the perfect time to make this expansion. With the experience of our old players and excitement of our new ones, I believe the girls’ program is going to take off with record speed!

LtN was awarded the Bill Belichick Grant and it has allowed us to expand the scope of our LtN Scholars program to more of our deserving student-athletes. At the start of the 2017 school year in February we provided 22 LtN players of various ages in Nicaragua with school supplies for the entire year. Eleven players from Chiquilistagua and eleven players from Club Hope received all the required school supplies (notebooks, calculators, and graph paper, writing utensils), two full sets of school uniforms, and two sets of PE clothes. While public school in Nicaragua is free, students are required to wear uniforms, purchase their own supplies and pay for their own transportation. The cost of all of this can be overwhelming for families. The expansion of the LtN Scholars program allows these 22 players to receive an education by eliminating that barrier – allowing our student-athletes to remain in or return to school. Without the Bill Belichick Foundation grant, none of this would be possible.

However, the LtN Scholars program is NOT a hand out. All our student athletes are expected to perform well in-school and to personify the characteristics we teach on and off the field. Everyone receiving the scholarship is expected to maintain at least a 75% grade point average and attend study hall twice a week (prior to lacrosse practice). They are also expected to attend every lacrosse practice unless they provide a valid excused.

Parents of our student-athletes are integral to this and we have set high expectations for them as well. All parents have signed an agreement to support their children in pursuing their academic and athletic responsibilities. This ensures that our student-athletes are not only being encouraged by our Program Directors and coaches, but at home as well. In addition, parents stay informed by attending meetings with LtN staff. As liaisons, LtN Coaches and Program Directors are responsible for the positive encouragement of scholarship players on and off the field. Coaches are present for study hall sessions and provide tutoring to all LtN students who need it.

Receiving an education in Nicaragua is not always a priority. With the help of the Bill Belichick Foundation, we are reinforcing the importance of education to our student athletes and how much we value it. Our biggest priority is to ensure that our student athletes value their education and have access to it. Through their participation, our lacrosse players speak to and work with LtN coaches, volunteers, and staff to find the best avenues to improve their lives. Through the expansion of our scholarship program, we hope to encourage more kids to join LtN, making their own personal growth and development a part of their everyday lives.

Do you have any siblings?

Yes, I have two sisters.

How long have you been playing lacrosse?

I’ve been playing lacrosse since the Lacrosse the Nations programs started in Potrero! So I believe it’s been about four years now.

Do you like defense or offense more?

I love defense. I think it’s more fun for me because I get to run after the other players and try to steal the ball from them. It’s a little bit harder than offense, but that makes it more fun!

How did you spend your vacation?

My vacation was good, I spent most of it with my family here in Potrero and also spent some time in San Jose. We went to the beach a lot and just hung out together.

How is your day-to-day schedule going to change now that you are an LtN scholar?

My schedule is going to change a lot now that I am an LtN Scholar and going to start studying at the Colegio. I leave for school around 7am and usually don’t return home until 5pm, so my day will be a lot busier. Because of this, it will be harder for me to participate in lacrosse practices throughout the week, but I will now be responsible for helping Carolina coach on the weekends in Potrero and Brasilito. It will be different to be in the new role as a coach, but I am very excited to work with the younger players and help them.

What are you most excited for this year?

I’m really excited to start school at the Colegio, I’m going to meet a lot of new people there and be able to make more friends. And of course I’m excited for lacrosse.

What is your favorite subject in school?

My favorite subject is probably Español. I like English too, but I find it very hard.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

I want to be a chef! I have a very big family, and I always have a lot of fun cooking for them and helping in the kitchen.

Valentina takes her work seriously on and off the field. She is already a huge help in our practices and we are so excited to watch her grow into a leader for all of the other players!

Do you have any siblings?

“I have two sisters. Keyling is 5 years old and Rosa is 19. And I have my brother, Juan Carlos, who is 15.” (Juan Carlos plays lacrosse at Club Esperanza as well)

How long have you been playing lacrosse?

“Seven years.”

What is your favorite memory from playing lacrosse?

“This would have to be the second LtN Cup, when my team won the Cup for the Club.”

How will your day-to-day schedule change now that you are an LtN scholar?

“Everything is going to be different. My classmates now will see me like a coach not like a teammate – as a leader. I am going to start going to school, I am going to be a lot busier studying, prepping my uniform for school every day and teaching lacrosse. My routine is going to be totally different, but that is good for my future. I am going to school from 7:00 am – 12:00 pm, then I get back home and will study the LtN curriculum [for our team discussions] before practice.”

What do you plan on studying?

“Accounting – I like math a lot!”

What are you most looking forward to this upcoming year?

“To complete my scholar year, achieve my goals of being a good coach, and to teach to others what I have learned. I want to invite more kids and young people to come to lacrosse and increase attendance in our programs.”

What do you like to do in you free time?

“I like to hang out with my cousins, who I am very close with, and play video games with them.”

Luis is an unbelievable role model for our young players. We are so excited to have him as a part of our team and cannot wait to see all that he accomplishes this year both on the field and in the classroom!

On Wednesday February 15th, 2017, the Christopher Newport University and Washington & Lee University Men’s lacrosse teams will face off in the first ever Virginia LtN Cup.

Head Coaches Gene McCabe and Mikey Thompson will be using this game on an annual basis to raise awareness for LtN, encourage others across the country to join Team LtN, and highlight the power of sport to change the world. Bragging rights are also on the line as the Cup will be awarded to the winning team’s captains and will stay with the team until the 2018 season.

Both coaches are members of Lacrosse the Nations Board of Directors, and are dedicated to the mission of unifying the lacrosse community to sustainably improve education and health while creating opportunity and hope for children in need. This summer coach McCabe and Thompson will bring members of their respective teams to Nicaragua to volunteer with LtN programs.

Coach McCabe’s involvement started in 2015 when he agreed to partner his team with LtN. After a season-long fundraiser that raised over $20,000, McCabe, his assistant coach, and 10 players spent a week volunteering in Nicaragua. After day 1 in-country McCabe knew this was a cause that he wanted to be a part of indefinitely. Visit W&L’s fundraising page at http://bit.ly/WL20174agc

Coach Thompson first became involved in 2013 when he spent six months working with LtN’s student athletes and coaches in Nicaragua. Since then, he has been a staunch supporter of LtN working with lacrosse players and teams across Virginia to recruit volunteers, raise money and send much needed equipment. Visit CNU’s fundraising page at http://bit.ly/CNU20174agc

For more info visit eepurl.com/czgty9 or join Team LtN at http://bit.ly/TeamLtN20174agc

After raising money for Lacrosse the Nations in high school and going to Nicaragua in the summer of 2013, I started an official LtN chapter at the University of Virginia during Spring semester 2016. We have focused on raising funds for Lacrosse the Nations programs and expanding LtN’s footprint in Charlottesville. This semester we have seen tremendous support from the entire student body at UVa.

One of our main focuses this semester was expanding LtN programs in Charlottesville at the Boys and Girls Club. Twice a week, a group of four to six UVa students went to the Boys and Girls Club of Central Virginia on Cherry Ave. to teach lacrosse. We broke the kids into two separate groups. Kindergarten to 2nd graders met one day, 3rd through 6th graders met the second.

Progress was slow at first, as many of them had minimal exposure to lacrosse in the past, but the kids were all enthusiastic to learn. As the semester went on the kids improved and we were able to start running more complicated drills and games. We look forward to continuing our work with the Boy and Girls Club next semester and adding more of LtN’s life-skills curriculum into our practices. Our goal is to make LtN’s programs in Charlottesville as similar to the programs in Central America as possible.

Our other focus for the semester was fundraising. Throughout the semester we held several very successful restaurant nights where a portion of the proceeds were donated to LtN. In addition, we held our first annual Lacrosse the Nations at UVA Glow Run 5K on November 19th. Ashley Morris, a sophomore on the UVA Women’s lacrosse team, took charge of organizing the event. She mapped out a route that took participants throughout campus, ending at the Madison Bowl. Registration fees went towards providing participants glow sticks and t-shirts. We reached out to local businesses for sponsorship and donations. We raffled off gift cards, t-shirts and held a party to celebrate afterwards. In the end the event was a huge success and we look forward to running the 5k every year!

We raised nearly $1,000 for LtN this semester and are planning several more initiatives for 2017! What we are most looking forward to is taking a trip to Nicaragua during the summer to see how our efforts in Charlottesville impact the kids LtN serves.

After the success of this year’s LtN Cup, our players were given an opportunity to continue their work on the field before the close of 2016. Earlier this year, a small school in San Juan del Sur had reached out to LtN regarding the possibility of hosting a clinic for their students. On December 2nd LtN Cup finalists Team Carazo and Team Chinandega traveled to the beach with our coaching staff to help us grow the game.

The day started with a two and a half hour bus ride out to the coast. We arrived in San Juan in the morning, first touring the facilities of San Juan Day School and meeting the kids that would be attending the clinic in the afternoon.

From there, we continued on to the beach for a day of relaxation and celebration for the Cup finalists. Being able to treat our city kids to a day at the beach was a great experience. I was overjoyed to see the players from both Chiqui and the Club enjoy such a beautiful day together – from chicken fights in the waves to digging holes in the sand. Of course, we had to end our trip with a little beach lax before grabbing a traditional Nicaraguan lunch at San Juan del Sur Cervecería in town.

After lunch, we arrived back at San Juan Day School to start up our clinic. This was the first time any of these students had ever picked up a lacrosse stick. Our LtN players were definitely timid at first, not used to being in the role of coach. After getting warmed up however, they were helping out the San Juan beginners left and right and really stepping up into leadership roles. It was amazing to see Kevin, one of our most experienced players, breaking down passing and throwing basics; or Gina, our newest player, jump right into the exhibition game afterward to show the new kids what a fast game of lacrosse looked like. After the clinic, we got to share some of our LtN curriculum with the group of young new players – discussing what they enjoyed about the sport and the day’s activities over ice cream.

It was incredible to see our LtN student athletes have the opportunity to spread what they have learned and worked on over the past few years in our Managua programs. With their help, we were able to bring lacrosse to an entirely new community. We hope this relationship between LtN and San Juan Day School will continue. The rapid growth of our Managua programs is unbelievably exciting, and can allow us to have more clinics such as this one. Our LtN coaches, scholars, and players are building up a community that can grow the game to a level never before seen in Nicaragua.