Welcome to Brigade Lacrosse! 

We are one of the largest lacrosse clubs for boys & girls in the Northern Virginia area. We also offer field hockey programs.

Brigade serves families who reside within the following high school boundaries:

• Battlefield
• Brentsville District
• Gainesville
• Osbourn
• Osbourn Park
• Patriot
• Unity Reed

Please check out our website for information on our program. We look forward to seeing you on the fields!

“I've got a theory that if you give 100% all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end.” -Larry Bird
 

Good evening Brigade families,

Week one of the 2023 Season for most of our teams is in the books.  We hope everyone has thawed out/dried out from Saturday.  Those with games on Sunday may still be applying aloe from their sunburns.  

Brigade teams played in twenty-two games on opening weekend.  As we move into our second week of league play, please be sure to update TeamSnap and/or alert your coaches as to your participation in weekend’s games.  We realize there will be a number of families who will be heading out on Spring Break.  As a reminder, there will be no games on April 8-9. 

BRIGADE PHOTO NIGHT – SAVE THE DATE
Photo night will be held on Wednesday, April 12 at Gainesville Middle School.  The schedule and order form will be shared via email and on our website as soon as those details are finalized.  Thank you for your patience.  

SEASON SCHEDULE
The regular season for all teams except the 8U and K2 teams will be the weekend of May 13-14.  Playoffs will be held the weekend of May 20-21.  8U and K2 teams will have their regular season end the weekend of May 20-21.  

BY THE NUMBERS
We are excited to announce our registration numbers for the Spring 2023 season.  

• TOTAL PLAYER REGISTRATION:  336
  • Boys – 214 (7.5% increase over 2022)
  • Girls – 122 (20% increase over 2022)
• TOTAL NUMBER OF TEAMS:  
  • Boys – 12 
  • Girls – 7
• FIRST SEASON PLAYING BRIGADE LACROSSE:
  • Boys – 79 
  • Girls – 48

GAME DAY PICTURES
We would love to see the phots you take on game days or even practices.  Please send those photos to   We would be happy to post them on our social media pages.  Give us a follow on Facebook and Instagram.

Brigade Lacrosse is community-based organization and relies on volunteers who work hard behind the scenes and on the field.  We would also like to extend a big thank you to our sponsors. You will see sponsor information included in this email, on our website and on the game day banner at Gainesville Middle School.  Please support the business who are supporting this program.

GO BRIGADE!!

Stephanie Houck
Commissioner

Good afternoon Brigade families,

Welcome to the 2023 Season.  We are ready for the season to start, in earnest, tomorrow.  Gainesville Youth Lacrosse (Brigade Lacrosse) only exists for the betterment of our athletes. Our goal is to enable any child wishing to play lacrosse in our area to do so regardless of experience or resources. We believe in hard work, team camaraderie, sportsmanship, and having fun! If any of these beliefs do not come naturally to your athlete, that's OK, we will learn their value together. This is the beauty of using sport for not only fun and health reasons, but also to teach life lessons and social dynamics.  Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at .  

Brigade Lacrosse is on social media.  Give us a follow on Facebook and Instagram.  If you would like to share photos you take during games or practices, please email to . 

A few housekeeping items:

• Visit our Team Store - Order your apparel now to ensure you are ready to represent BRIGADE during the Spring season
• Volunteers are crucial to helping our organization run smoothly throughout the year. A vital element contributing to the success of BRIGADE is that we have always had dedicated parent volunteers that help drive the program each year. This is built on enthusiastic volunteers giving back to a program that benefits not only their children, but the greater community.  We will be holding Board elections in June at our General Membership Meeting.  If you are interested in finding out more information about open positions, please contact Jamie Delco, Board Member-At-Large at .
• For safety reasons, only players, coaches, and officials are allowed on the athletic fields. All spectators are to remain at least 15 feet from the boundary of the field.  At Gainesville Middle, spectators are not permitted to watch the game from behind the team areas.  Please sit on the opposite of the field.  
• Pets are not permitted on school grounds.  This includes but is not limited to Gainesville Middle School.  There are health notices on all PWCS school grounds asking pet owners to NOT bring their pets on school grounds. Please do not bring your pets to any school fields.  We anticipate this will be the policy on all fields Brigade teams will practice and/or play on this Spring.

There are a great many things which a lacrosse player can take away for their time being involved in team sports. Skills learned from lacrosse are not specific to the sport, they are skills which, over time, can be applied through different areas of life. It is unfortunate that most young athletes do not identify their athletic transferable skills. In some cases, kids simply do not connect the value of the skills they use in their sporting life. There are dozens of important life skills kids learn through sports that qualify as “athletic transferable skills.” Not only do these skills help with all aspects of life, but they also provide young athletes with an increased level of self-confidences.

Of all the athletic transferable skills that can be learned through sports, we would like to highlight the following:

1. Goal setting – athletes routinely set goals, and this same skill can be used in all areas of life. Goal setting can also help with preventing youth sports burnout, too.
2. Focus – athletes must learn self-discipline and “block out” distractions while sharpening their focus on the things that are important and relevant.
3. Team building – sports teams are not the only teams kids are on, as they are often included in groups in school, and will be on work teams later in life. Learning how to co-exist with teammates — even the ones you do not like — is an important life skill.
4. Motivation – athletes know the importance of motivation, especially during drills and conditioning. The same is true in life – some school and work projects are not “fun,” but they still need to be completed.
5. Leadership - Leadership is crucial to success in lacrosse and in life.  There’s an old saying that has always been somewhat prophetic: “On bad teams, no one leads. On good teams, the coaches lead. On great teams, the players lead.”  Creating a growth mindset environment where people aren't afraid to fail is something that ultimately helps with leadership development.
6. Resiliency – We like to call this GRIT. This is the most important athletic transferable skill in sports is resiliency – or “bouncing back.” Like sports, life throws us curve balls and assess our character all the time, and what we do with the stress and adversity we face in life defines our success or failure. If your child is handling not getting much playing time successfully, can he/she also deal with other life challenges and struggles.

Make it a point to speak with your child about the value of athletic transferable skills and provide them specific examples of how skills can work across different settings. While it is fun to win games, we all know, there is a lot more to be learned from participating in team sports than just getting a W.

“Grit is passion and perseverance for very long-term goals. Grit is having stamina. Grit is sticking with your future, day-in, day-out. Not just for the week, not just for the month, but for years. And working really hard to make that future a reality. Grit is living life like it’s a marathon, not a sprint.” - DR. ANGELA LEE DUCKWORTH

Coaches
The coaches are volunteers and the lifeblood of our organization.  They will teach the players the fundamentals, sportsmanship, and team building.  Every coach’s goal is to teach the children to enjoy the game of lacrosse.

Sportsmanship
Brigade Lacrosse encourages all players, coaches, officials, and spectators to honor the game by maintaining the integrity of the sport. It is our responsibility to honor the traditions of the game and be respectful all participating in an event. We each share in the responsibility to Compete with Class and Honor the Game.

Equipment and Safety
All players must always wear all of their required protective equipment.  Players are discouraged from over aggressive and dangerous play. Keep the game safe and fair.  

We have a section on our website with Concussion Resources for parents.  Please take the time to review this information. 

Commitment
We all know how families get busy, schedules fill up and at times you may encounter scheduling conflicts. Please make every effort to bring your son or daughter to every game and practice.  Practice is where the athletes get better games are where they showcase the skills they have learned.  

Remember it's only a game
Feel free to talk to the coaches if you have questions.  CHEER LOUDLY for your players as well as the opponents. 

Brigade Lacrosse is community-based organization and relies on volunteers who work hard behind the scenes and on the field.  Thank you to all to board members, coaches, and team parents for your help.  We would also like to extend a big thank you to our sponsors. You will see sponsor information included in this email, on our website and on the game day banner at Gainesville Middle School.  Please support the business who are supporting this program.

Parents, thank you for your time and dedication to your athlete(s.)  Thank you for your patience as we get this regular season underway.  We appreciate your understanding with the fluidity of practice and game schedules.

We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at the games supporting our players. Please remember the importance of honoring the game as we allow players to play, coaches to coach and referees to officiate the game.

GO BRIGADE!!

Stephanie Houck
Commissioner

Brigade families,

This post is a reminder about the pet policy on Prince William County Schools (PWCS) athletic fields.  Pets are not permitted on PWCS athletic fields.   This includes, but is not limited to, Gainesville Middle School.  There are notices on all PWCS school grounds alerting pet owners about this policy.

Please do not bring your pets to any schools fields.  We anticipate this will be the policy at all fields Brigade teams will practice and/or play on this Spring.  

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.  

Registration for the Spring 2023 Field Hockey program is now open. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.
 

• WHO:  Girls currently enrolled in Grades 3-8
   
• WHEN:  
  • Saturday, April 15:  5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, April 22:  5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, April 29:  5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 6:  5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m
  • Saturday, May 13:  5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 20:  5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
     
• WHERE:
  Grizzly Sports Complex
  10600 Determination Road
  Nokesville, VA
   
• COST: $100.00/registrant
   
• EQUIPMENT REQUIRED:
  • Pinnie (one will be provided in the first session if new to the program)
  • Field hockey stick
  • Shin guards 
  • Mouth guard
  • Turf shoes
  • Water bottle
     
• INCLEMENT WEATHER:
  Training sessions canceled due to inclement weather will not be rescheduled or made up.  

 
Questions? Please contact Rina Douglas, Field Hockey Commissioner, at