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Mission Statement
Stonington Bears Promise
Stonington Bears Youth Lacrosse (SBYL) is dedicated to promoting lacrosse at the youth level for families in Stonington/North Stonington, CT and surrounding area. We strive to develop strong fundamental skills and teamwork while adhering to the standards of sportsmanship, respect for all participants, and a sense of fair play. We are committed to growing the game of lacrosse and giving back to the community.
The goals of SBYL are as follows:
1) To create a positive, safe and fun culture for all club members and to give all kids in our community in K-8th grades a playing opportunity.
2) To develop grade-level programs that teach solid fundamental stick skills and foster a life-long love for the game in an environment that encourages teamwork.
3) To provide the best coaching available while developing each player's athleticism, stick skills, teamwork and lacrosse skills so they are most prepared for the advanced level of play in high school.
4) To assemble competitive teams that are taught team play and advanced game strategies rather than individual achievement.
5) To grow the game of lacrosse with every opportunity to give back to our players, families, and community.
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Stonington Bears Youth Lacrosse wants to give youth kids in our community an opportunity to learn and experience lacrosse. We recognize that there are a wide variety of interests and skill levels in every grade and we work to create plans that achieve a flexible programming and environment that allows each player to improve to their full ability. All kids in grades K – 8 are welcome, regardless of skill level. We strive to provide each player with the appropriate level of instruction in basic skills, teamwork, game concepts and rules through participation in our league, practices, box training, internal scrimmages and games with other clubs in our area.
The volunteer parents on the Board of SBYL are passionate about the sport and devote a lot of time and effort to insure your child will have a memorable and positive experience. The integrity and the character of our families, players, coaches and volunteers is shown at all levels. Our goal is to maintain a positive culture for all families while passing along the knowledge and traditions of our sport. Our coaches pledge to know each child, teach core fundamentals and instill the love of the game so that everyone has fun. Our goal is to teach every player to respect their teammates, opponents, game officials and fans. The players and their families that entrust us with this goal must understand the importance of patience, practice and teamwork as they learn to play this wonderful game. We hope to instill a sense of team first, good sportsmanship, a respect for personal effort and an improvement that transcends the game of lacrosse and enters the fabric of our children’s lives and our community.