Aurora is growing into a hub for box lacrosse

The city of East Aurora, a suburb of Buffalo, has as its motto: “Where good neighbors come together.”

And from October through March, one of the city’s main gathering places is the Classic Rink, where ice hockey takes place almost non-stop for local players of all ages. Scott More oversees the venue and the Aurora Ice Association.

A few years ago, More, a former collegiate lacrosse player, realized that adding a second sport in the spring and summer would keep his facility an active gathering place during the months when hockey was inactive.

So More installed some turf, recruited coaches and launched BEAST Lacrosse, which has quickly become one of the largest box lacrosse leagues in New York. a US subsidy for lacrosse equipment in 2018, More helped get the business up and running.

“The grant we received has helped us become one of the leaders in this field of box lacrosse,” said More. “We started with 30 children and now we have more than 500 boys that we help. The original children all brought more friends the following year. We just kept growing.”

The BEAST program consists of four age categories, with nearly 30 teams participating in a house competition, and a travel program that facilitates competition with other townships. More also offers clinics for girls, with the hope of adding a full girls’ department in the near future.

“Box is so huge for skill development,” More said. “We initially started with a lot of hockey players wanting an off-season activity, but now we have a lot of field lacrosse players who understand the value of box lacrosse. Everyone wants to play.”

With professional athletes like Dhane Smith and Josh Byrne on the coaching staff, More’s program continues to grow and attract more kids every year. But that also brings some challenges.

“We really struggle to find goalie equipment these days,” says More, who tries to offset equipment costs for participants to keep costs affordable for families. “Goalkeeper equipment is almost impossible to obtain. And we always need more rib protectors and helmets.”

Despite these challenges, the future looks bright and More is optimistic that growth in Aurora will continue. His advice for others is quite simple.

“The key is to have a plan,” he said. “USA Lacrosse’s first equipment helped with word of mouth and spreading the word that we were starting something here. And now we just want to keep growing this dream.”

It starts with a stick

With a donation of just €28, you not only put a baton in the hands of a new player, but you also invest in the exciting future of the sport. Support USA Lacrosse through the ‘It starts with a stick‘ campaign. Learn more about the USA Lacrosse grant program by clicking here.