If you want to attract a crowd of young lacrosse players, is there a bigger draw than Charlotte North?
Absolutely not, but Courtney Benevides didn’t want to draw crowds when she invited North to run a clinic for gamblers in New Hampshire. Benevides, the new president of Exeter (NH) Youth Lacrosse, took her daughter to a clinic in Massachusetts and decided she just wanted to offer the same kind of opportunity to the players in her community.
Pardon the baseball analogy, but if you build them with Charlotte North, they will come.
Interest in the event grew so quickly that it was split into two clinics, one for high school players and one for youth players. Benevides, a former captain of the Vermont women’s lacrosse team, helped North assemble a crew of local coaches to help run the clinics, including National Lacrosse Hall of Famer and former USA gold medalist Sarah Nelson. Local high school coaches Colleen Farias (a former US development team player), Taylor Landers and Missy Long joined, as did former Middlebury player Julia McPhee, a youth coach in the Exeter program.
More than 200 players from four states visited the clinics. Two full high school teams attended the first clinic and local Exeter youth were well represented.
North brings both knowledge and connectivity when she speaks.
“She draws a lot from men’s football and that was interesting for me,” said Benevides. “It was cool to see this approach. I learned a lot that day. She is very engaging, thorough and she is great with the children. They’re having fun – it’s not just about teaching and she understands that.”
The whole day encapsulated what is happening in the Exeter area – everyone coming together.
Exeter Youth Lacrosse thrives in part because of the quality of the coaching. Local club programs are fully integrated with community programs so everyone benefits.
“It’s important,” said Benevides. “Club is a wonderful option for families who can afford it, but not everyone can. Additionally, it’s okay to love lacrosse and not want to play five days a week. There are all sorts of ways to love the game. “
Benevides didn’t start playing until high school but fell in love with the sport immediately. Her own daughter shares that love and currently plays on three teams—her community team, her club team, and for her middle school team.
A love of the game, whatever the level, drives sport in Exeter. Exeter Youth Lacrosse also hosted a Pick Up & Play Clinic last November as part of USA Lacrosse’s National Celebrate Lacrosse Week, introducing more than 60 boys and girls to the sport.
“Everyone just wants to play,” said Benevides.
With inspiring heroes like North and the hard work of dedicated volunteers, this trend is only going to continue.
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