Updated Schedule: SALA Sting Player ID Camp

SALA Sting Player ID Camp kicked-off March 30 in Medicine Hat - thank you to all those who have signed up, we are excited to see many players for each of the clubs on the floor!

Reminder that the SALA Sting Player ID Camp is ideal for players looking to enhance their season by playing A-level lacrosse or for those players wishing to improve their lacrosse IQ.

The first concept of the SALA Sting is “Development over Winning.” Winning is never the primary focus for clubs with a player development philosophy. Development-oriented youth lacrosse programs start with the understanding that winning is the end result of good training, teamwork, and intensity. All too often, a misdirected focus on winning results, especially at the younger ages results in really ugly "playing at lacrosse" - a style of play that exploits the raw physical abilities of early bloomers and leaves weaker, late bloomers behind. This style of play may result in more wins at younger ages, but at the older ages when late bloomers catch up, the early bloomers of past seasons have never developed the skills necessary to play well at higher levels of competition. A development-oriented coach focuses on the controllable - training, teamwork, and intensity. In the end, you can’t control the outcome of a game. 

Lacrosse is a team sport, and at the highest levels of the game, team chemistry is a big part of the success of these teams. However, every player at the highest levels of the game got there because they had the requisite technical skills. The drive to win at younger ages encourages early specialization, locking players into roles on a team that could delay their development as a complete player. 

By playing on the lacrosse team, players learn many valuable aspects of teamwork such as cooperation and trust. At the youth level, the needs of the player need to come before the team. At this stage of development, the team and Sting program exist to serve the needs of the player. Simply put, the developmental needs of the player come first. Asking youth athletes to “sacrifice for the team” is not appropriate. 

Schedule Update:  

We look forward to seeing you on the floor!