High Sierra Lacrosse

Our mission is driven by these three core values:

Toughness

We cultivate courage, tenacity and resilience.

Lacrosse is a competitive, contact sport that creates many forms of adversity, among them pain, frustration and inequity. Such adversity cannot be overcome with capitulation, finger-pointing, or excuses. Success demands honesty, discipline, real work, and a focus on improving self rather than finding fault.

Players turn losses into lessons, see adversity as opportunity, and dig deep--physically and mentally--to master the fundamentals of the game.

Character

We shape not just standout lacrosse players, but standout human beings.

Lacrosse mirrors society in that big things worth doing are usually done by well-organized groups of people working together towards a common goal. The best lacrosse players play for team success and not personal glory. They win without expecting accolades and lose without excuses or assigning blame. These attributes translate directly to those of great leaders, who make decisions based on the greater good, criticize constructively, and approach conflict creatively.

Players learn that the qualities they call on to master skills and win games are, in fact, fundamental values that will serve them long into the future.

Community

We are part of something bigger than ourselves.

While our athletes work for individual improvement and our teams for victories, on-field rivalries never diminish the fact that we are a lacrosse family, and that we are building a better league to, in turn, be part of a better society. We are committed to providing free and low-cost lacrosse opportunities, as well as to contributing to the upkeep and development of general community recreation facilities.

Youth athletics throughout the region are supported with a spirit of cooperation and camaraderie, and with the recognition that all play is good play.

The High Sierra Lacrosse League (“HSLL”) is a non-profit organization established to promote, govern, and protect Girl’s and Boy’s Youth and High School lacrosse throughout Northern Nevada, Lake Tahoe, High Sierra and surrounding areas.

HSLL is first-and-foremost committed to the safety, personal growth, and success of each participant within a context of team-oriented play, sportsmanship and hard-earned lacrosse and athletic skill. Everyone who participates on an HSLL team should come away with a positive and productive life experience.

HSLL will honor the game of lacrosse by shepherding its development in the region in a manner respectful of its history, purpose, and principles. In pursuit of this goal, HSLL will do everything in its power to keep the game as accessible to as many players as possible by providing affordable and accessible opportunities for organized play. HSLL will maintain a nurturing atmosphere for youth and promote a culture of paying volunteerism forward. HSLL will promote in its youth programs an athletic style of the game, true to its roots, team-oriented, fast-paced and hearty, based on clean and honest play. Most of all, HSLL will regard sportsmanship, fairness, and character as its most important fundamental values. Participants in the HSLL should take pride in its purpose and their participation long after they have moved on to other life endeavors.

This region has a unique-and-important, one-time opportunity to rapidly create a premier youth and high school lacrosse environment. All participants should endeavor to work together and collaborate to create something we can all look back at with pride in 20 years.

In concert with the HSLL Mission Statement and Code of Conduct, the following principles form a model against which all actions, behavior and decisions shall be judged. These principles describe the expectations for all participants and member Programs in the HSLL which include, but are not limited to, players, coaches, team management, officials, parents, family members and spectators.

We exist to develop young athletes and the sport of lacrosse in Northern Nevada, Lake Tahoe, the High Sierra and surrounding regions in a way which is congruent with our core values of teamwork, hard work, dedication, respect, and honor.
We understand that youth sports in general and lacrosse in particular provide a vehicle by which youth are developed into leaders and role models in our communities. We will view all decisions through this prism.
Coaches are expected to adhere and commit to not only the letter of the rules, regulations, and guidelines governing High Sierra Lacrosse, but most importantly their intent.
Coaches are expected to refuse to teach or encourage players to bend, break or beat the rules or to take unfair advantage of an opponent.
All participants are expected to:
- Commit to a culture of supporting our opponents “on the field” through fair play and “off the field” through cooperation and mutual assistance.
- Maintain respect for officials and leaders/managers in our organizations and communities who have authority over our sporting activities.
- Support teammates and associates by fostering organizational goals in a positive, proactive and cooperative manner.
- Maintain high standards of personal integrity, conduct and interpersonal interaction.
We follow a model that focuses on developing individual and group excellence, which ultimately leads to winning teams; however, we subordinate this goal to sportsmanship, fair play, and the recognition that sports are an integral part of preparing our youth for their future role in our communities and society as a whole.
We follow the PCA (Positive Coaching Alliance) “Positive Coach Mental Model” and consider it a fundamental expectation for all coaches.
We actively engage parents and spectators in our Guiding Principles and expectations.
We actively engage our officials in our Guiding Principles and the development of our youth.
We understand that coaches, officials, and leaders in the lacrosse community are role models and should be held to a high standard of personal integrity and ethical behavior on and off the field and in our communities.
We value scholastic achievement, sportsmanship and individual life skill development for our youth above winning lacrosse games, and we recognize that good grades are just as important as athletic ability when it comes to college and career success.
The physical and emotional safety of our players and members is important above all other considerations; dangerous or demeaning behavior is unacceptable on or off the field.
We win with class and character and we lose with honor and dignity. Through this higher standard we become winners regardless of the score of a particular contest.