Lacrosse summer camps hit Bonners Ferry

By KATHY NUSSBERGER

Managing Editor

For many in North Idaho, Lacrosse is a game they are just beginning to understand, but for several young men in Bonners Ferry, it offers an outlet for their energy while teaching a strong work ethic, teamwork and life skills they will apply throughout their lifetime.

Art Kline, a parent and passionate supporter of the local team, the Bonners Ferry Warriors, has stepped up to not only help the varsity team but also help promote a summer youth lacrosse camp, with enough gear to train 30 players each session.

"The excitement the boys on the varsity team feel is tangible," Art said. "My son Davis played lacrosse in Dallas where we live before he began attending school here. When his school here tried to develop a team, I sent 12 sets of gear, but it just never got off the ground. Then, I began hearing about the Lacrosse Coach John Niewieroski, and the team he started last year."

Art said that John worked very hard to get four boys (three from Boulder Creek Academy and one from Northwest Academy), including his son Davis, on the Bonners Ferry Warriors Lacrosse team.

"I sent John an email telling him how appreciative I was of his efforts, and when he replied, he shared with me the vision he has for this team," Art explained. "We began working together to build a solid team, and I helped out initially by purchasing and sending car decals, yard signs, T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, caps, snow caps and warm ups. We also have a new website that will be live in about a week for the Warriors, check it out at www.bonnersferrylacrosse.org."

He added that now, with the summer lacrosse youth camp sign-ups underway, they are doing a lot of newspaper advertising as well as placing signs in the windows of local merchants to encourage families to enroll their sixth through eighth grade girls and boys.

"We hope to continue these summer camps every summer and kick off a feeder program for the high school teams," Art explained. "Although the sign-ups initially began as a boys program, there are many girls interested in the sport. Bonners Ferry is the first community in North Idaho to embrace girls lacrosse, and although the girls may initially have to play in an intramural league, we believe that in the end, Bonners Ferry will be the trend setter in getting the rest of the Panhandle to start girls programs."

With the combined efforts of John and Art to increase the participation in this sport, the sign-ups for the feeder programs are growing by the day.

"We strongly encourage the girls to come out and join the camps, we need about 30 girls to create the intramural teams," John said. "For the girls, it is a non-contact sport, so it requires much less equipment to outfit them and is therefore cheaper to implement. The summer program is free to the kids of the area, and it is our goal to host these feeder programs throughout the entire summer."

Each participant will keep their lacrosse stick, and the first 30 kids to sign-up will receive a free Bonners Ferry Lacrosse jersey.

He added that the ultimate vision is to create a lacrosse infrastructure with the kids, coaches, referees and the surrounding community.

"Tad Arnt, the man who started lacrosse in Idaho, and the current President of the U.S. Lacrosse Idaho Chapter, promised to loan us 150 sets of youth gear, if we can get a bunch of kids involved in the summer programs," Art explained. "A few years ago, my son who had loved playing soccer his whole life, came home one day after attending one lacrosse practice and said, he would finish out the year in soccer, but he wanted to join the lacrosse team."

Art explained that lacrosse offers Davis a high energy, high impact game that plays 360 degrees at a time and is virtually non-stop with lots of contact and goals.

"I feel blessed that my son lives in Bonners Ferry because he has experienced and done things he never would have had the opportunity to do in Dallas," he said.

Art concluded by saying that, "This community, his school, the natural beauty of North Idaho as well as all of its attendant outdoor activities, plus John, have combined to create a positive experience for Davis. My family is forever grateful for the opportunities Davis has had here."