Now that Timmins Rock captain Derek Seguin’s 2018-19 NOJHL season has come to an end he has turned his attention to preparing for the 2019 Timmins Lacrosse League campaign.
Seguin, whose passion for the sport runs almost as deep as his love of hockey, is the president of the Timmins Lacrosse League — set to enter its fourth season in the City with the Heart of Gold.
The 2019 campaign will mark some changes in the age categories, designed to focus on the groups that have embraced the sport over the past three years.
“We will have a U10 Division for players who are six, seven, eight and nine years old,” he said.
“We will also have a U14 Division for players who are 10, 11 and 13 years old and a U18 Division for players who are 14, 15, 16 and 17 years old.”
Unlike last season, however, there will be no adult leagues in 2019.
“The interest has kind of died down within the adults,” Seguin said.
“It is kind of tough to get commitments because a lot of them work. One day you have six guys show up then the next day you have 40, so it is kind of tough to run.”
If last year is any indication, the largest increase in registration will likely come among the youngest age group.
“We had three full teams at that age level last year, so we did a rotation,” Seguin said.
“There has been a lot of interest in the U10 age group, probably based on them following the Rock.”
The Timmins Lacrosse League will once again be operating out of the Mountjoy Arena this season.
“We are hoping to get things started the second week of May,” Seguin said.
Players will be on the concrete twice a week — Mondays and Wednesdays.
“It will be a 12-game season, with practices incorporated,” Seguin said.
“I have had a lot of feedback from the kids stating they want to do a lot more skill development, so we will incorporate practices and mix them with games.”
As with many sports, word of mouth is one of the greatest recruitment tools for the Timmins Lacrosse League.
“The majority of kids who sign up are hockey players,” Seguin said.
“You get one kid signing up and then they talk to their friends and their teammates. You wind up with some teams coming out together.”
At first glance, lacrosse might appear to be a sport geared towards boys but Seguin notes you will find just as many girls playing the sport as you would playing hockey with boys.
“We have had a few girls from ringette come out, as well,” he said.
“One team asked me to do their end-of-year banquet, so a lot of girls we have had come out are ringette players.
“They loved it and they have come back.”
The equipment worn by lacrosse players, for the most part, is similar to that worn by hockey or ringette players.
“They wear elbow pads, shoulder pads, helmets, gloves and I recommend some sort of knee pads, like volleyball pads, but they are not mandatory,” Seguin said.
“The only other thing they really need to buy is their sticks.”
Lacrosse sticks, like hockey sticks, have evolved over the years and are — for the most part — no longer made out of wood.
During the first three years the league has operated, it has focuses on house league lacrosse but that might change this season.
“We might look at a rep team this year, going out and playing in tournaments,” Seguin said.
“We will see who is interested in that and work from there.”
The majority of the coaches in the league will come from parents, but Seguin noted they will likely be looking for some volunteer officials.
Players can register in person at the Archie Dillon Sportsplex, from 6-8 p.m., on Wednesday, April 24, or Friday, April 26, and they can also email timminslacrosse@gmail.com.
As an added bonus, anyone who likes or shares the league’s post on Facebook will have a chance to win a pair of season tickets for the Rock’s 2019-20 NOJHL campaign.
And there is a pretty good chance Seguin will be back wearing the maroon, gold and white next season.
“Obviously, nothing is written in stone yet, but I will more than likely be back,” he said.