Lacrosse lovers, get your sticks ready. A new youth team is starting in the East Hamilton area.
East Brainerd resident Chris Richardson is beginning a team for third-, fourth- and fifth-graders in the area. The team is open to girls and boys and Richardson hopes to have at least 15 players on his team.
The sport is like a mix between soccer, field hockey, with fast passing and catching, he explained.
"There's 10 players on the field at a time, but it's a very athletic sport and we'll need plenty of players," Richardson said. "And this is a good way for kids to get out, be active and have fun."
The team will begin practice soon and start playing games by the end of March. The team will play eight games in total, most of them being double headers for more playing time.
"My goal is to grow it where we can extend the program through middle school and into high school," he said.
Lacrosse as a sport is growing in the Chattanooga area, said Richardson, but there's not an at-large league in East Brainerd.
"My son and I just started playing around in the yard and he wanted to play, so we got some sticks and started," he said. "We sent him to a lacrosse camp, but we don't have anything in this part of Chattanooga for him, so I decided to try to start a team."
Richardson is working with Chattanooga Lacrosse to join the local teams for the gaming schedule.
For more information and to sign up, contact him at cglennrichardson@gmail.com or register at chattlax.org.