YCLA: About the York County Lacrosse AssociationWhen the 11 charter members of the York County Lacrosse Association formally adopted a set of Bylaws in the fall of 2005, it marked another milestone in the rapid development of youth lacrosse in York County. The organization that began with 25 participants in 1996, is quickly approaching another mark of distinction as its participation has reached 1,959 student athletes in 2009. The YCLA is comprised of fifteen members. As of 2010, eleven school districts within the YCLA have officially adopted varsity boy's lacrosse as a PIAA sport to be played in the YAIAA league. Those school districts are represented by the following YCLA members: Central York, Lions, New Oxford, Nothern York, Red Lion, South Western, Spring Grove, Warrior, Wildcat, Shooting Irish, West York and York Suburban. The remaining members (Eastern York, South Eastern and Red Land) do not represent districts where boy's lacrosse has been adopted as a school sport. HistoryLacrosse was introduced to York County in 1996 when Larry Heim and Judy Shopp, two local attorneys, brought together 25 boys from five different high schools to form a travel team. The group, coached by Bill Middleton, did very well against teams from the Harrisburg and Lancaster areas. In 1998, Bob Rhein took over the coaching reins and, after his first season, spearheaded a campaign to promote the sport's growth, including shooting contests at church carnivals and free clinics throughout the fall. The results were dramatic as the participation numbers grew exponentially from 25-to-80-to-160-to-300 boys between 1998 and 2001. In the fall, 2001, the decision was made to dissolve the original York Lacrosse Club into individual clubs that would be run within the local communities. Thus, eight clubs, including Biglerville in Adams County, were in operation and began a round-robin scheduling format under the auspices of the York County Lacrosse League. In the fall of 2005, the York County Lacrosse Association was formed to replace the York County Lacrosse League. Growth By Year
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