Boys High School Team -- FAQs & Policies

Updated 10/10/2024

Head Coach: Marc Kemp
Contact Boys High School Team: [email protected]

Key Dates:

Sept. 1st: Registration for Fall Ball opens.

Oct. 1st: Registration for Spring (main season) opens.

November 4th: 2024 Fall Ball practices begin.

February 1st: Players should begin individual conditioning and stick work. 

March 3rd: 2024 Spring season begins.

April 1st: Registration for Summer practices opens.

2nd week of May: League playoffs begin. 

Last Saturday of May: League Championship & All Star games

NOTE Regarding Spring Break: Our league is not a “school” league. There is no Spring Break in our league, and our team does not take a break. Players are expected to participate during their school’s Spring Break (we have students attending a few different schools). Absent players are subject to the team’s attendance policy.

League Affiliation:

Our governing league is the Washington Boys High School Lacrosse Association (WHSBLA):  http://www.whsbla.org/. This is not a “rec” league. It is a competitive, interscholastic sports organization, comparable to the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA), which governs most other scholastic sports in the WA. We compete in the “Puget-Pierce 3A” conference against other 3A classified schools (based on size of enrollment). In 2024, those schools will be Auburn Riverside, Bonney Lake, Peninsula, Stadium. We will play each of those schools Home & Away. The team with the best in-conference record will qualify for the league playoffs. We also schedule a limited number of additional games with other teams outside of our conference (designated as “NL” on the schedule by the league).

Player Eligibility:

League rules dictate that to participate on the Gig Harbor Boys High School Lacrosse Team, players must meet one of these criteria:

·       Attend Gig Harbor High School,

·       Reside within the Gig Harbor High School District boundaries & attend a private or alternative school that does not have its own lacrosse program,

·       Reside within the Gig Harbor High School District boundaries and school at home.

League rules further dictate that “to be eligible to participate, student-athletes must be enrolled in and attending school, and making progress toward graduation in meeting same academic eligibility requirements for all other student-athletes in their school. Each [team] must have a process in place to monitor student attendance and academic progress. When questioned, program must be able to provide proof that student athlete is eligible to participate.”

The league additionally prohibits players from participating in concurrent sports/teams during the regular high school Spring season. Per league rules, starting with the first allowable practice date, through the league state championships, team members may not practice or play lacrosse with any outside team or program other than our program. This includes but is not limited to any showcase, tryout or clinic event. During the regular high school Spring season, starting with the first allowable practice date, through the league state championships, team members may not practice or play in any WIAA sport through their school. An exception is made for a student-athlete who competes in an alternate sports season (Fall/Winter) and qualifies for the state tournament. In this case, the athlete may participate during the scheduled overlap of seasons to participate in practices and/or games associated with the state tournament.

In order to participate in any field activity, players must be registered for the current season with GHLA. Players can register through our website GigHarborLacrosse.com

In order to participate in any on-field activity, players must have a valid USA Lacrosse membership. For participation in the Spring season, membership must be valid through the end of May. Membership can be obtained and renewed through USALacrosse.com. 

In order to participate in any field activity, players must be fully equipped: white lacrosse helmet, mouth guard (not white or clear), lacrosse shoulder pads, lacrosse arm pads, lacrosse gloves (predominantly white), protective cup, lacrosse stick. Helmets, shoulder pads, and goalie's chest protector must be NOCSAE approved as required by USA Lacrosse and WHSBLA rules.

Coaching Staff:

Marc Kemp & Kelly Bland have been the core of the coaching staff since its inception in 2010. Coach Kemp is the acting Program Director and Head Coach. Marc played high school lacrosse at The Branson School in Ross, CA; collegiately at The University of California, Santa Barbara; and post-collegiately with the Marin Lacrosse Club in Marin County, CA. Serving as the Offensive Coordinator, Coach Bland played on men’s club teams at Gonzaga University; in Boulder, CO; and in Seattle, WA. Garrett Ness will join us in 2024 to assist with the defense and JV team. Garrett is an alumnus of our high school team and played collegiately at Central Washington University. After graduation, he began his coaching career at Central.

Seasons:

• Summer Ball (optional). We offer optional summer practices, 2 days a week in the evenings, June & July. All returning players, rising 9^th graders, and those eligible high school students new to the sport are encouraged to attend. Emphasis is on developing the player and basic team concepts. 2024 Fee is TBD.
• Fall Ball (optional). There are 12 optional practices in November, usually weekdays at Gig Harbor High School turf fields, from 7:00 – 8:30 PM. Players are strongly encouraged to attend. New players are welcome. Emphasis is on developing the player and basic team concepts. 2024 Fee is $100. 
• Spring (Main Season). Our official, league season runs from the last Monday of February through the first week of May. (Playoffs run through the last Saturday of May.) Practices are typically Monday through Friday at Gig Harbor High School turf fields, from 7:00 – 9:00 PM. Games are played during the week with start times typically between 7:00-8:00 PM. Home games are either at GHHS or PHS. Players are responsible for their own transportation. Registration fee for Spring 2025 will $475. Uniform costs are extra.

Teams (Varsity & JV):

For the 2024 season, we will have both Varsity and Junior Varsity teams, each with its own schedule of games. Practices will be organized to include individual instruction & drills, position-specific instruction & drills, as well as game-level instruction & drills. There will be times when the entire team is practicing together, and there will be times when the varsity and JV squads are working separately at opposite ends of the field. Varsity players will not be obligated to attend JV games; JV players will not be obligated to attend Varsity games. Some players may be “swing players,” participating in both Varsity and JV games.

The Varsity team will endeavor to be as competitive as possible within the league. That being said, playing time in conference varsity games is not guaranteed. The line-up and playing time will be based on players’ demonstrated skill level and game IQ. While we will also endeavor to be as competitive as possible in JV games as well, the emphasis will definitely be on providing all players with game experience.  

Tryouts/Selection Process:

TBD

Game Schedules, Team Rosters, Player Stats:

Our club website, GigHarborLacrosse.com, is a great resource for team information, including the game schedules. The official league source for game schedules, team rosters, and player stats is Sportability:  https://secure.sportability.com/spx/Leagues/Client.asp?ClientID=278

Transportation:  Players are responsible for their own transportation.

Required Equipment & Apparel:

• Players are responsible for purchasing their own equipment and uniforms, including:
• Lacrosse Stick: Shafts & heads must meet current NFHS standards. Players may use any brand, model, or color (we encourage head colors to be consistent with our team colors (White, Navy Blue, Carolina/Columbia Blue).
• Lacrosse Helmet: Helmet must be NOCSAE approved. Color needs to be White, preferably with a White face mask and White chin strap. 
• Lacrosse Gloves: Players may choose any brand/model of lacrosse glove. The main body of the glove should be White. If there are additional accent colors, they should be Navy Blue and/or Carolina/Columbia Blue.
• Lacrosse Arm pads: Players may choose any brand/model lacrosse arm pad they want. For colors, we prefer White, Navy Blue, or Carolina/Columbia Blue.
• Lacrosse Shoulder pads: Players are required to wear shoulder pads that meet the NOCSAE ND200 standard. There is no official team shoulder pad, so players may choose any brand, model, color.
• Mouth guards & protective cups. Players must wear mouth guards and protective cups. Mouth guards may NOT be white or clear.
• Team Uniform: The uniform consists of a White Home jersey & a Navy Blue Away jersey, White shorts & Navy Blue shorts, a custom reversible practice pinny.

• Returning high school players who need to replace or add pieces of their uniform will be able to do so.
• Rising 9th graders who played on the GHLA 8th grade team may have already purchased some of the required pieces of the high school uniform, and may only have to purchase supplemental piece(s).
• Players new to the high school team and who did not participate in our youth program will need to purchase the uniform kit through our club.

Optional Apparel:

There is usually an opportunity for players, parents, and fans to purchase GHL apparel, such as hats, T shirts, hoodies, etc. Information will be disseminated prior to the Spring season.

Attendance Policy: 

A great deal of time, energy, resources, and sacrifice are contributed to this program by the Board members, the coaches, and volunteers. We expect a similar commitment from the families and players who participate in our program. Being a member of a team requires putting the best interests of the team ahead of the individual. We expect all players to be devoted teammates.

1) Communication: Players are expected to alert the Head Coach in the event that the player will be late or will miss a team event. Players with extenuating circumstances (e.g., illness, family emergency) should bring those to the attention of the head coach as soon as reasonably possible.

2) Tardiness & Absences: Players are expected to attend ALL Spring practices and games on time. This includes those scheduled during the player's school's Spring Break.  

2.1) For practices, if practice starts at 7:00 pm, for example, players are expected to be at the field no later than 6:50 pm, and then dressed and in the huddle by 7:05 pm.  A player is considered “late” if he does not meet this standard. If a player is late twice, that counts as a “missed practice.” Players may miss up to 3 practices, for any reason, without repercussion. If a player misses a 4th practice, they will be ineligible to play in the subsequent game. Additional absences will result in additional game suspensions.

2.2) For games, players are expected to arrive on the sideline 60 minutes before Game Time and be dressed and ready to start warm-ups 45 minutes before Game Time. If a player is late to a game, their playing time may be affected. If a player misses a game, they may be ineligible to participate in the subsequent game. 

2.3) Specific to Spring Break: If a player is absent during their Spring Break, they will have used their 3 allowable absences from practice. If they have had other absences prior to SB, or if they have subsequent absences, then rule 2.1 comes into effect. If a player misses one or more games as a result of taking a Spring Break, then they will be ineligible for the first game upon their return to the team. 

Conduct Policy:

Players are expected to “Honor the Game” and all that entails on and off the field, showing respect for the game, our teammates, our coaches, our officials, our opponents our fans, our families, our schools, our community.

Grades: Players are expected to adhere to the standards set by their parents and school. The Coaches and Board will support the parents in enforcing those grade standards. The league requires that players adhere to the same academic standards as the other student-athletes at their school.

Use of tobacco, drugs and/or alcohol is prohibited.

Social Media: Players are expected to make good judgments when it comes to posting on social media. See “Honor the Game” above.

Consequences: Depending on the infraction, consequences may include:

• Suspension from practice.
• Reduced playing time in a game.
• Suspension from 1 or more games.
• Change of squad (i.e., from varsity to JV).
• Loss of leadership position.
• Expulsion from the team.

Communication:

• Head Coach: The head coach can be reached at [email protected] or (253) 225-1223.
• Website: Our primary source for sharing information and communicating to our parents and players is our website:  GigHarborLacrosse.com. 
• Email: Email is used to disseminate all important team information. When you register, please make sure to include emails and phone numbers for all players and parents.
• Text: We also use a text system to communicate (Remind.com), so its beneficial to make sure all parents' and players' contact information is included in the player’s profile. https://www.remind.com/join/ghlax
• Calendar: The Home Page of the club website and the specific webpage for the Boys High School Team provide a calendar for all team events (meetings, practices, games, etc.). If you have a question about when or where an event is, it should be on our team calendar, but feel free to reach out to the Head Coach.
• Official game schedules, rosters, and statistics are available on Sportability:  https://secure.sportability.com/spx/Leagues/Client.asp?ClientID=278
• Social Media: We “sometimes” use these social media platforms:

• Facebook.com/GigHarborLacrosse
• @GigHarborLax
• Instagram: gigharborlax