EDISON — The township’s Wardlaw- Hartridge (W-H) School has expanded its athletic program with the addition of lacrosse for boys and girls.
Athletes in the middle and high schools have spent this inaugural spring season with daily practice sessions that emphasize drills and skills. By 2014, the school aims to play its first game as a junior varsity team.
“Lacrosse is a growing sport in this part of the country, and we want to be a part of it,” W-H Athletic Director Karl Miran said. “It’s a sport that attracts young people because of the speed, action and athleticism.”
The school took a big step forward in the growth of its lacrosse program by hiring Andrew Farman as its new boys’ head coach. Farman played long stick midfielder and goalkeeper for Newton South High School in Massachusetts and at Colorado College. He has coached at Rumson Country Day School, Regis College, Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, and Colorado Springs School.
“I am extremely honored and excited to have the opportunity to build a new program at W-H,” Farman said. “The level of support I have been given already by the administration has been tremendous, and having the boys on the field this spring starting to learn the game is a huge advantage.”
The W-H program will continue its growth on a new turf field. The school’s board of trustees recently approved the construction of two new athletic turf fields, which are being installed this summer.
“Turf gives us the chance to play nearly year-round,” Farman said. “We don’t have to worry about tearing it up on rainy days or wait for snow to melt off naturally. We also always have a good smooth surface to play on, allowing us to think about the game and not the terrain.”
The W-H boys and girls have spent the spring developing skills and participating in small-sided games. While Miran is excited about the progress made in the program’s first year, he recognizes that athletes want to compete in real games.
Both the boys and girls need to boost their numbers before fielding a full squad.
School officials also are seeking to hire a girls head coach.
“The biggest challenge in building a program like this from scratch is bringing new players to the game in such a small environment,” Farman said. “We have to not only teach the physical side of the game, which in many places has been developed in middle school or a youth program, but also help the players to build their lacrosse IQ.”