League Information
Our teams play in the South Jersey Youth Lacrosse League. This league has 22+ local programs participating from across South Jersey.
In order to meet the requirements of South Jersey Youth Lacrosse League, all players are required to be current members of US Lacrosse, the national governing body of lacrosse. The US Lacrosse membership fee is included in registration costs, and the club will submit all players for membership. Parents do not need to individually register or renew their player’s US Lacrosse membership.
Age Guidelines
RV Youth Lacrosse (Girl's Program) and the South Jersey Youth Lacrosse League follow the US Lacrosse Age Guidelines that can be viewed here.
- For play occurring between September 1, 2017 - August 31, 2018
- For paired segments, the even year age group is the maximum: 7U/8U, 9U/10U, 11U/12U, 13U/14U.
- Age Group reflects the maximum age of a player during the playing year. (7U means that players are 7 years and under)
Team Guidelines
RV Youth Lacrosse (Girl's Program) follows US Lacrosse, Jersey Girls Lacrosse Association, and South Jersey Youth Lacrosse League guidelines.
- Team rosters will include a minimum of 16 players and a maximum of 22 players.
- Playing time is not guaranteed to be equal. Teams have different developmental needs and abilities. We strive to be fair, but managing playing time is not our focus. Providing quality playing opportunities and ample coaching takes priority.
- We will not hold "Try-Outs" for the purpose of including or excluding players. RV Youth Lacrosse is inclusive of all players and will form teams to best meet the number of registrants and ability levels of registrants within our operational constraints. We will hold player evaluations for the purpose of determining player ability for appropriate team roster placement.
- Teams are formed based on age guidelines and by player ability. It is important that players do not play at a level that is too far above or too far below their ability. Player ability will be evaluated by US Lacrosse Women's Game Certified coaches.
- Accommodations will not be made to keep friends of different ages or playing ability together. Friendships are clearly important, but playing at your ability is more important to a players enjoyment and success in lacrosse.
Team Descriptions
8U
This division is for players ages 7 to 8. This age group is designed to introduce the basics of our game and build a foundation for future years. In this program the girls will learn the rules of our game as well as how to scoop, cradle, throw, catch and shoot. For many players this is the first time they have played organized games against teams from other towns. At the U8 level, SJYLAX does not flight teams based on ability. Players continue to work on fundamental lacrosse skills while learning more about on field positioning and movement. Playing time should be equal for all players and players try all the different positions during the course of the season.
10U
This division is for players ages 9 and 10. This division is flighted as per SJYLAX rules. Basic lacrosse skills are still being reinforced at this level along with game strategy, and basic plays may be introduced. Playing time should be equal for all players and players are given an opportunity to play all the different positions during the course of the season.
12U
Ages 11 and 12. At this level the game will become more competitive and teams will be formed by skill level. Coaching reinforces foundational skills and strategy, and introduces structured plays and set positions. Playing time and positions will be influenced by attendance, ability of the player and player effort. No matter the skill level of players, coaches involve all players throughout the season, provide opportunities to play all the different positions, but there is no guarantee on equal playing time. However, no player should ever play an entire game unless the team doesn’t have substitutes.
14U
Ages 13 – 15, up to 8th grade. These ages are important years for players to fine-tune their skills and understand the intricacies of the game in order to prepare for high school competition. Players are expected to be committed to attending practices and games. Teams will be formed by ability and positions and playing time will be determined by attendance at practice, ability and effort. Coaches will involve all players throughout the season, however there is no guarantee on equal playing time on the most competitive teams.
Coaching Requirements
All coaches are required to complete the following:
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- US Lacrosse Level 1 Fundamentals of Coaching Online Course
- US Lacrosse Level 1 Instructional Clinic (Developing the Individual Athlete) (Required for 14U Head coach only)
- PCA "Double Goal Coach 1: Coaching for Winning and Life Lessons"
- CDC Heads Up Concussion Training
- US Lacrosse Membership
- Current "Green Light" NCSI background check
- SJYLL Rules Interpretation Aware
View more information on the US Lacrosse requirements here
RV Youth Lacrosse Girl's Coaches
14U(A) Coach Holly McMullen
US Lacrosse Level 2 Certified in the Girl's game
This is Coach Holly's 4th season coaching with the RV girl’s youth lacrosse program. Holly has also coached the youth program for several seasons in Wilton, Connecticut. Holly was a competitive two sport athlete at Rancocas Valley Regional High School and then onto Sacred Heart University, (Fairfield, CT) playing field hockey and lacrosse. Holly's goal in coaching is to provide the children with all the tools they need to master the fundamentals of the game. In short, her coaching philosophy can be summarized by the Arthur Ashe quote, "One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation."
14U(A) Coach Dave Demarco
US Lacrosse Level 1 Certified in the Girl's game
F License in soccer
Certification in CPR and first aide through the American Heart Association
This is Coach Dave DeMarco’s 7th season coaching RV girls youth LAX. He started at U10 through U14 and will again coach at the U14 age group. Coach Dave has also coached girls soccer for Medford Rec and the Lumberton Dynamite.
14U(B) Coach Dave Myers
US Lacrosse Level 1 Certified in the Girl's game
12U(AB) Coach Gregg Gravenstine
US Lacrosse Level 2 Certified in the Girl's game
Certified in First Aid and CPR by the American Heart Association
2018 is Coach Gregg’s 3rd season as a coach in our Girl’s Lacrosse program, having served as both head coach and assistant coach. Prior to that, Gregg was involved as a coach in the boys’ RV Youth Lacrosse program, beginning at its inception in 2004. With three multi-sport children, Gregg has been involved as a coach, volunteer and parent in a variety of sport organizations, including lacrosse, ice hockey, field hockey, baseball and gymnastics. Coach Gregg brings his background and experience from a chemical engineering education and 30+ years in the financial services industry to the lacrosse program. His coaching philosophy stresses team-building, detail, focus and effort.
12U(AB) Coach Paul Hascek
US Lacrosse Level 2 Certified in the Girl's game
Certified in First Aid and CPR by the American Heart Association
2018 is Coach Paul’s 3rd season leading our Girl’s Lacrosse program and his 8th year coaching boy’s and girl’s teams for RV Youth Lacrosse. Paul has corporate experience that includes team-building, mentoring, and motivation. This translates seamlessly into his coaching style to make practices “Fun with a purpose”.
10U Coach Kristen Thompsen
8U - We are looking for a coach for our U8 team. If you're interested please let us know.
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RV Youth Lacrosse contracts with coaching staff and trainers with high school and collegiate experience to work with our teams periodically throughout the season to strengthen skills and specific areas of the game, such as draws, defense and shooting.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are the Girl’s team sizes determined?
Every year we hear concerns about team size and questions about playing time. Teams are set to give the athletes in our program the best experience possible, to provide fantastic learning opportunities, and to allow ample opportunities for game-time coaching & feedback. The number of players on the field during a game changes by age. (RV Youth Lacrosse sets budgets and plans expenses assuming the following team sizes.)
U12 and U14 Play 12v12. At these levels we plan for a minimum of 16 and a maximum of 23 players. A “perfect” team looks like:
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- 1-2 goalkeepers
- 4-6 defense
- 4-6 offense
- 7-9 midfielders
U10 Plays 8v8 (with a goalie), U8 Plays 7v7 (without a goalie). At these levels we plan for a minimum of 15 and a Maximum of 20 players.
Team size may vary but we strive to avoid smaller teams whenever possible. Most years we have 1-2 athletes who drop (from each team) mid season due to non-lacrosse related injuries. Most teams rarely have full attendance at games. Playing with the minimum players will often lead to games without subs, or sometimes lead to forfeiture from playing with too few players. Most girls hate these games, and parents universally give us negative feedback about these situations. We’ve found that optimal team size is about 20 girls per team.
Coaches will regularly sub players in and out of the game to assure that all players get playing time in games. Midfielders will rotate in/out most frequently and should expect to rotate in/out of play with every goal or every 3-5 minutes. Other offense and defensive players will rotate less frequently, but will rotate several times per half approximately every 5-10 minutes. Goaltenders may play a half or an entire game depending on the coach, player, and availability of another goalie. (Playing time is not guaranteed to be equal at U12 and U14. At U8 and U10 coaches generally try to equalize playing time.) This rotation and rough schedule assures that our athletes get real time coaching and feedback to their performance as they enter/leave the game. It also assures that players are able to hydrate and quickly recover from short bursts of high energy playing activity thereby reducing he likelihood of injury.
How are girls assigned to teams?
Generally speaking, parents register players who are placed on an age appropriate team. When a team is “full” we will wait list players until another qualified coach/team can be assigned. We do not turn away players or cut players based on “try-outs”.
Often we have situations where we have too many girls for one team at an age, but not enough for two teams. This is one of the most difficult challenges that we face each year. While we have many logistical and financial constraints, our goal is to get as many girls playing lacrosse as possible. When feasible we’ve added additional teams to accommodate players. More often we invite the better payers of the large age group to be evaluated by the RV High School coaches. Players who are willing and capable of playing at a higher age level will be assigned to a team that includes girls from the next higher age bracket. Girls who should not play at the higher level are only assigned to the age appropriate team. While our coaches are well trained and experienced at evaluating young athletes, RV Youth Lacrosse relies on and follows the opinions and advice of the high school coaches when trying to assign players to teams. Some parents have been upset at team assignments, as have some coaches. We strive to give he girls the best opportunities to develop their athletic prowess and team leadership skills in a challenging but appropriate team environment.
