Monster Mash

With his lacrosse stick in hand, 7-year-old Ryan Sforzo anxiously stands on the sideline waiting to take the field.

It is the first official day of the Manasota Lacrosse Club’s summer league; and The Out-of-Door Academy second-grader, who also plays lacrosse for the Manasota Monsters — a youth travel lacrosse organization with U9 and U11 teams — is eager to get the summer season under way.

Ryan began playing lacrosse last year after hearing countless stories of his father Chris Sforzo’s playing days at the University of Notre Dame.

Following in the footsteps of his father, Ryan joined the Lakewood Ranch Lightning and fell in love with the sport.

“I enjoy getting out there and having fun,” Ryan said. “I’m looking forward to playing for my dad, since he’s the coach, and having a great time.”

The Manasota Lacrosse Club summer league began about six years ago, after Jamie Carver, who played lacrosse at the University of Maryland and also coaches the Sarasota Fire, decided to further develop youth lacrosse in the East County.

The club spent the past five seasons playing at Adventure Park in Greenbrook, before opening its sixth season June 16 at its new home — the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch.

“They are absolutely committed to the growth of lacrosse as we are,” Carver said of Premier. “The potential is really endless to not only grow lacrosse, but also to get national recognition.

“There’s so much we can do to build local lacrosse and the Premier Sports Campus,” Carver said.

The Manasota Lacrosse Club’s summer league is home to nearly 150 players, ranging in age from Pee Wee to the high-school-plus division. The Pee Wee to middle-school divisions practice on Thursday nights, while the high-school-plus and girls divisions practice on Tuesday nights.

The league is open to players of all skill levels at a cost of $100 for 10 weeks; however, the league will prorate the cost for those individuals still wishing to sign up. During each practice, players learn the basic fundamentals of the sport, such as how to keep the stick in their hands, before hitting the field for a scrimmage.

The league also will loan equipment to those who may be new to the sport.

“We’re just looking to get them to love the sport first, and then make the investment if they want to,” Carver said.

In addition to the Manasota Lacrosse Club summer league, Lakewood Ranch Lightning Lacrosse also recently started a recreational league for children in kindergarten through fourth grade. The club program, which finished its first formal season in April, also provides younger players with additional opportunities to experience the sport and learn the basic skills of the game.

This past season, the Lakewood Ranch Lightning recreational league was home to almost 40 kids.

“Kids of all sizes can play, and it’s just a beautiful sport that lends itself to Florida,” Chris Sforzo said. “We wanted to keep the sport going, get involved and get our kids involved. It’s a fun action-packed sport; and, as long as you stay with it and practice you can really excel at it, especially if you’re an athletic kid.”

In addition to running the Lightning recreational league, Chris Sforzo and his assistant coaches also formed the Manasota Monsters youth travel lacrosse team last month.

The team held tryouts for its team, which combines players in both U9 and U11 age brackets, May 2.

Since then, the Manasota Monsters, which comprises nearly 30 children, including Ryan, have been practicing and competing in local tournaments, including the Sunshine State Series earlier this month in Wesley Chapel where the Monsters Orange team finished second in the U11 division.

During the travel season, which will run through December, players will participate in 40-50 practices, play in three or four games and an additional tournament or two as well as attend a summer lacrosse camp, among other activities.

“It’s definitely the fastest growing sport in the United States and definitely in Florida,” Chris Sforzo said. “We felt a travel team at this point would be (beneficial), so kids would be able to play a little bit all year round. The more you can play, the more you can practice and get better.”

For more information on the Manasota Lacrosse Club’s summer league visit www.manasotalacrosseclub.com or contact Jamie Carver at [email protected] or 228-6272.

For more information on the Lakewood Ranch Lightning recreational league or the Manasota Monsters visit www.lrlax.com or contact Chris Sforzo at [email protected].

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].