Dear North Reading Youth Lacrosse Families,

As we transition into the upcoming April vacation week, it seems to be an appropriate time to reflect upon the opening weeks of the 2021 North Reading Youth Lacrosse season. Over the winter months, through various clinics and drop in sessions, we were fortunate to offer several opportunities for our players to voluntarily re-engage with the sport of lacrosse after our lost 2020 season. The attendance and enthusiasm of those within our town lacrosse community during those practices was tremendous, and it offered a sense of excitement for the spring. Through creative scheduling, fortuitous facility availability, and our partnership with the North Reading Parks and Rec Department, we began team practices in early March, many weeks before our surrounding communities were able to pull their respective teams together.

These efforts culminated in a successful first weekend of competition this past Sunday, when our 9 teams and nearly 150 registered participants returned to, or in many cases made their debut on, the lacrosse field. After all we have been through, it was a welcome sight and great to see our children play lacrosse again. These moments are precious, and we cannot understate your cooperation in bringing us to this point.

As excited as we all are for our progress as a league, we cannot let our guard down. We have all worked too hard to take things for granted. We must all remain vigilant in being champions of integrity in honoring both the spirit and letter of the various COVID-19 mitigation factors that we all know keep our community, friends, and families safe. We are grateful for your strong partnership in that.

We know that as vaccination opportunities increase, COVID-19 numbers trend in a favorable direction, and restrictions regarding travel and social gatherings become more relaxed, many within our lacrosse community may be spending more time with others, and more specifically, traveling for April vacation. If you are traveling, please note that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has a travel advisory in place, and during this time, we ask that you continue to implement the strategies and protocols that have been proven effective to keep us as safe as possible.

The first part of our season together has proven to be a success. That said, we all share in the intention to continue playing – uninterrupted – through the end of the season. For that to happen, we must all share in the responsibility of keeping our players and the wider community safe by containing the spread of COVID-19. We know you have done your part throughout this past year and we ask you to continue to do so by being socially responsible, using good judgement, and practicing preventative COVID-19 transmission measures, both during the April vacation week and beyond. Thank you for your patience with us as we do our unenviable part to reinforce an expectation none of us ever imagined.

For those who are travelling, don’t forget to pack your stick and practice, no matter where your destination may be! If you are staying local, we look forward to seeing you at games these next two weekends, or at whatever practices your respective team may be having.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation.

Sincerely,

The North Reading Youth Lacrosse League Board