Parents and Players I hope this message finds you well and that you are enjoying the fall season as much as the rest of the Homegrown staff and I have been. Not long ago I wrote to you all to announce the launch of our new HGL Premier Regional Development Team Training Program. I am happy to report that our inaugural season has been going phenomenally well. Over 400 athletes and 40 coaches from every corner of the metro have taken part. It has been incredibly rewarding watching the kids grow in character and confidence both on and off the field. Overall, this fall has been a really big step forward. I write to you today to announce our next big step, the formation of six new HGL Minnesota Chill All-State Travel Teams. The teams, which are separated by grad year and open to boys grades 6 through 12, will offer opportunities to compete and train at the highest level, see and connect with different parts of the country, form lasting friendships with teammates and coaches and most importantly, fuel love for the game and community. The Minnesota Chill was originally founded in 1996 by Minnesota lacrosse pioneers, Mark Hellenack and Art Ayers to offer travel opportunities to our state’s first generation of youth lacrosse players. It was on a Minnesota Chill bus trip to the 1998 World Games that I met some of my closest friends and teammates. Five years later in 2003 I helped found Homegrown Lacrosse with this same group of guys in large part to pass on the opportunities that were given to us. I write to you now fifteen years from that first fateful trip full of an almost unspeakable amount gratitude and hope for what this next generation of Minnesota Chill players can and will accomplish. Tryouts are coming up over the first two weekends in November (weekends vary by age). Trips are planned for this coming winter and summer as are an incredible series of winter team training opportunities. We have a phenomenal line-up of coaches and support staff that have dedicated the last six-months to planning out what I believe is going to be an experience of a lifetime. I am also excited to announce the formation of the Ayers / Hellenack Scholarship Fund which has been founded to ensure that players can participate on travel teams in-spite of financial hardship and to honor Mark and Art for doing the same for countless young athletes over the years, my brother and I included. All Minnesota Chill trips have been planned to work-around and supplement the other great off-season opportunities we have coming up for the Holiday Season as well as the forthcoming HGL Premier Summer Season (details coming soon!) More information on the teams including trip itineraries, training schedules, coaching staffs, cost break-downs and tryouts are available by clicking here. I would also be happy to answer and other questions you may have about the teams. Please feel free to email or call anytime. I hope to see you at tryouts or at another one of our regional training programs coming up this winter. Sincerely, Aron Lipkin Homegrown Lacrosse [Notification@LeagueAthletics]
Posted on: Wed, 09 Oct 2013 00:52:35 +0000