WHO IS LAX PLUS
WHO ARE WE?
Lax Plus is one of the top premier girls' lacrosse clubs for grades K-12 in the Hartford, CT and Springfield, MA area. Lax Plus began in 2006 with the vision of individual player and team development for local youth and high school programs, as well as providing an avenue for players to compete at the collegiate level. The club is directed by former Springfield College Head Coach, Kristen Mullady and former UConn Defensive Stand-Out Melissa Nord.
LAX PLUS STAFF
We pride ourselves on our highly qualified veteran coaching staff, top-notch tournament schedule, program-wide curriculum. Our staff come from a variety of backgrounds coaching at both the high school and/or college level. We strongly feel that our players benefit from the many different coaching styles they are exposed to, and that they are better prepared for their next lacrosse experience having learned from a variety of coaches.
Find out more about our staff using the links below:
Directors
Recruiting Coordinators
Club Team Coaches
Goalie Training Specialist
LAX PLUS PLAYERS
Our Lax Plus players come from a number of towns in the Greater Hartford and Western Mass areas. Since the start of our program, we have represented players from the CT towns of Avon, Ashford, Branford, Coventry, Ellington, Enfield, Farmington, Glastonbury, Granby, Hebron, Ledyard, Simsbury, Somers, South Windsor, Stafford, Suffield, Tolland, Weatogue, West Hartford, and Windsor. We have also showcased players from the MA towns of Agawam, Belchertown, East Longmeadow, Easthampton, Florence, Hampden, Hatfield, Lanesboro, Leeds, Longmeadow, Pittsfield, Plainfield, Poquonock, South Hadley, Springfield, Westfield, and Wilbraham. We are looking forward to continuing to expand and add new towns to our growing list.
LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION!
All of our training is out of one central location conveniently located right off of I-91:
Sportworld, 226 Main Street, East Windsor, CT 06088
WHERE ARE LAX PLUS ALUMNI NOW?
With over 500 college programs at the D1 to D3 levels, and another 250+ club programs, there are countless opportunities to play at the college level. Over the course of the many years we have been in existance, we have built a strong club reputation, as well as have established long lasting relationship with 100's of college coaches. Our athletes have gone on to play at 50+ different college programs. With the continued growth of the sport, and so many schools having lacrosse programs, we are confident is our abilities to find a school that fits for each and every one of our athletes. We encourage you to visit our Alumni page to see where our former Lax Plus players are playing in college.
THE LAX PLUS CALENDAR YEAR
- Lax Plus Summer Tryouts (May-Youth / June - High School)
- Lax Plus Fall Tryouts (September - Youth and High School)
- Summer Tournament Season (June&July)
- Fall Tournament Season (Sept-November)
- SWAG Winter Conditioning and Skills Clinic - www.lpswag.com (November - March)
- SPORTSWORLD Winter Lacrosse Leagues - www.sportsworld.cc (November - March)
- Additional Recruiting Events Suggested for HS Players Over Course of Year
CLUB SEASONS
The Lax Plus Club year is divided into two distinct Summer and Fall tournament seasons. New players, or returning players who have not participated during the last calendar year, are required to attend one of our official tryout evaluations which are held before each season. In order to get a better idea of our fall and summer schedules please visit our Calendar page of the website.
**High School Tournament Focus: Maximum Exposure for Recruiting and Preparation for the College Level
**Youth Tournament Focus: Elite Competition in Order to Grow Each Player's Game and Prepare them for the Next Level of Play
CLUB TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
*The Summer season consists of three to four, one to two-day tournaments, 12 vs. 12 format, and may require hotel accommodations. The fall season on the other hand typically consists of three to four, one-day tournaments, within driving distance, that follow a variety of 3v3, 7v7, or 12v12 formats.
*The tournament schedule can vary slightly from year to year. In order to get an idea of which tournaments our teams attend, you can refer to the prior seasons schedule found on our Calendar page.
*We as the Lax Plus staff, feel confident that the tournaments we choose expose our players to top levels of competition, and provide our high school players with maximum recruiting exposure. Visit our alumni page to view our extensive list of alumnae and the schools they have attended.
How are teams chosen for the tournaments?
*The majority of tournaments arrange their schedule based on an athlete’s year of graduation. As a result, our teams are typically formed using this format. However, depending on the Lax Plus season, and each given tournament there may be times when there are more than one team per graduation year, and/or teams with a mix of graduation years.
*At Lax Plus we try to keep our teams and coaches as consistent as possible in a given season. However, players and staff are always subject to change. Lax Plus reserves the right to switch players from one team to another at any time. Just as players benefit from consistency, players also benefit from flexibility, and learning how to adjust to different playing and coaching situations.
*In addition, when and if an opportunity arises for a player to compete with an older or more advanced team, players will generally be chosen because they demonstrate a willingness to play any position, a positive attitude, a strong work ethic, and encompass a sense of team play. These are the same qualities that college coaches will be looking for as they are recruiting.
CLUB PRACTICE SCHEDULE
*Each season coincides with a practice schedule. The Summer season is more intensive with multiple practices per week, whereas the Fall practice schedule is limited to later Sunday afternoons as to not interfere with Fall Sports and other school activities.
Why don't we practice more often?
There are a number of reasons why do not practice more often. We feel it is important for our players to participate in a variety of recreational activities, and are very supportive of their schedules. As a result we try to keep each season's schedule reasonable in order to get as many players as possible to each practice.
Are practices mandatory?
*We encourage all of our players to attend the scheduled practices. It is challenging for our coaches to work on team concepts throughout the season when players do not show up on a regular basis. In addition, players who do not attend practices, face the challenge of having to familiarize themselves with their teammates and coaches at the tournaments. We truly feel that in order to get the most out of your experience with Lax Plus, it is imperative that you attend all practices.
HOW MANY PLAYERS FOR EACH GRADUATION YEAR ARE CHOSEN FOR EACH SEASON?
*Lax Plus does not have a set number of players for each year of graduation. Each season is different depending on the number of individuals in each class, and the skill set of the players. Each season all athletes both new and returning are evaluated and placed on teams based on their lacrosse skill level and athletic ability. We feel that with a variety of skill stations, small sided scrimmages, and full field game opportunities, we are able to accurately evaluate each player. We also continue to evaluate throughout the season and move players if we feel they are no longer appropriately placed.
WINTER TRAINING:
We offer a number of winter training opportunities as well. Our highly popular SWAG Winter Skills and Conditioning Clinic is open to both club and non-club players (www.lpswag.com), and runs two days a week for 12 weeks at Sportsworld in East Windsor, CT. Many of our players then compete on Sundays with their town teams in the Sportsworld winter lacrosse leagues (www.sportsworld.cc).
ADDITIONAL RECRUITING:
There are also a number of additional recruiting opportunities for our high school players over the course of the year. Recruiting events open to all players are posted directly on our Recruiting Opportunities Page of the website, whereas some opportunities are invite only, and individual players will be notified directly.