Lacrosse is becoming a reality for children in the Oyster Bay-East Norwich area. The Oyster Bay Rough Rider organization, working along with OB-EN PAL, is bringing lacrosse to town this spring. Rough Rider Lacrosse, Inc. is headed up by Chuck Greenspan. The program is for both boys and girls, kindergarten through sixth grade. Clinics will be held for kindergarten through second grade once a week, planned for Friday evenings. Mr. Greenspan said, "We are going to teach those who don't play and bring them up to speed. A lot of kids have played in neighboring towns such as Cold Spring Harbor, Huntington, Jericho, Bayville and Syosset. We are bringing them back to play in the town where they live." This group will be broken down into two sub-groups: kindergarten and first will play together and second graders will be separate.

The kindergarten to first grade clinic fee is $100. The second grade clinic fee is $125. The second graders will be traveling to scrimmage neighboring towns. The third through sixth grade fee is $150. These teams will travel to play other towns throughout Nassau and Suffolk counties.

Mr. Greenspan said one of the reasons he is involved in creating the lacrosse program is that he has two children in the OB-EN School District; a first grader and a fifth grader. When the older boy reaches seventh grade he will have no place to play. Hopefully this will spur support for a middle school and high school lacrosse program.

There is an impetus for lacrosse. He said according to a recent article in The New York Times, lacrosse is the number one scholarship sport in America. Sports Illustrated recently proclaimed that lacrosse is the fastest growing youth sport by as much as 300 percent in some areas. It is growing at an equal rate among colleges as well.

Registration for spring 2006 lacrosse will take place on Wednesday and Thursday, Dec. 14 and 15 from 7 to 9 p.m. and Saturday, Dec. 17 from 10 a.m. to noon at a location to be announced. (Please email them for the location.)

The K-2 clinics will begin April 7. The third through sixth grade travel teams will begin March 18.

If you want further information on registration or are interested in coaching, please contact the group by e-mail at roughriderlax@hotmail.com. All e-mails will be answered and registration forms can be sent as well.