Anyone who has followed Western Slope lacrosse over the past decade can easily name the perennial powerhouses.

Year after year, teams like Aspen, Battle Mountain, Steamboat Springs and Roaring Fork not only secure postseason berths, but also routinely make deep runs in the playoffs.

While these programs have highly knowledgeable coaching staffs, one of the main reasons for the continual success is because of long-established lacrosse clubs and programs. 

These programs teach kids the game of lacrosse, preparing them for the next level of play. By the time they reach high school, athletes have up to seven to nine years of experience, fostering a high school roster chock-full of seasoned lacrosse athletes.

For years, Summit County has not had the same type of programs in place for kids to develop their lacrosse skills prior to entering high school. As a result, Summit has fallen slightly behind when it comes to competing at the level of other mountain communities. 

“The reason I stepped down from the high school program last year was because we saw that the youth program needed a lot more help,” Summit Lacrosse Club director and former Summit High School boys lacrosse head coach Matty Marks said. “Without a strong youth program, we are kind of spitting in the wind.”

The Summit Lacrosse Club has been working to bridge the gap that exists between it and other mountain-area lacrosse programs. After several years of developing a strong coaching staff and working to bolster participation, Summit Lacrosse Club just had one of its best springs yet.

“We are crushing it when it comes to getting more kids on the field,” Marks said. “We are trying to provide more opportunities for kids to learn how to play.”

The Summit Lacrosse Club is also trying to provide ways for kids to have better access to the sport. From a “try three for free” program to offering camps, the youth club strives to provide a place for kids to learn, meet new people and explore new interests. 

Summit Lacrosse Club — which features athletes from kindergarten through eighth grade — capped its spring season by hosting its first-ever youth event in Breckenridge on Sunday, June 1. 

“It was a round-robin, jamboree-style tournament,” Marks said. “It was a lot of fun. We are looking for more players to join next season.”

Throughout the spring, Marks and the Summit Lacrosse Club saw several positive growth metrics. Most notably, the program was able to play all its boys teams as “boys only” teams for the first time in a few years.

“We are getting to the point where we have 15 to 20 kids at every team level which is pretty sweet,” Marks said. “We are trying to keep that thing rolling. We are probably halfway to where we want the program to be.”

With lacrosse being such a technical sport, Marks is hoping that the club continues to be a place where players can develop and master the sport. 

Marks believes that in order to rival other mountain communities, athletes need to spend more time learning and practicing lacrosse. Over time, the continual reps and practice will lead to Summit becoming loaded with wise and talented lacrosse players. 

“We have really high numbers of time on task when it comes to skiing, biking or other mountain sport activities,” Marks said. “The lacrosse community is equally as specific. It takes time for kids to develop and have decent instincts.”

The increase in participation over the last few years has allowed the Summit Lacrosse Club to split players into proper age groups. The formation of groups has allowed team members to not only develop chemistry together, but to also be introduced to new concepts based on their collective skill level. 

“I think that is going to be paying dividends in the long run when our kids are getting started at the same time as all the other mountain towns,” Marks said. “I think we are going to be able to organically compete with those teams because we will be on the same level of time on task. … We are trying to close that gap between Summit County and the other mountain communities.”

With the spring season now wrapped up, Summit Lacrosse Club will now turn its focus to summer programming. The program will host two summer camps throughout the summer. The first took place this week in Breckenridge, while the second is slated for July 14-18 in Silverthorne. 

Once the summer season wraps up, Summit Lacrosse Club will transition to its fall season in September.

Marks and the rest of the Summit Lacrosse Club is constantly looking for ways to expand the program’s reach and hopes to branch out to school gym classes throughout the next academic year.

“We are looking for ways to get sticks in kids’ hands, play some catch and then see if they love the sport,” Marks said. 

For more information on the Summit Lacrosse Club, visit SummitCountyLax.com or email summitcountylax@gmail.com.