Long Beach, CA, May 2006- It takes a big man! A man with big dreams and a big passion to help inner city kids by introducing them to the great sport of lacrosse. The big city is Long Beach, California. The big man is Coach Glenn Styron of the Long Beach Lacrosse Club. His big dream is teaching kids from every social-economic background a great sport with life skills needed to become happy productive adults. Here is Coach Styrons odyssey from playing lacrosse as a small boy in Long Island to establishing a lacrosse beachhead in the big city.
A little background-
As the fifth largest city in California, Long Beach is a beautiful city overlooking San Pedro Bay. It is the home of the busiest port on the West Coast, the Queen Mary and the Long Beach Grand Prix. Ocean Blvd overlooking the bay is framed by glass skyscrapers housing the financial district, leading international trade law firms and ever expanding and expensive high rise condominiums. Inland from the boulevard, approx. 460,000 residents reside in shady lane old neighborhoods of historic Victorian and Craftsman Homes to the bare concrete sidewalks of the working poor neighborhoods. Long Beach also has a diversified ethnic makeup of white and non-white residents.
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The population breakdown is White 45%, Hispanics 35%, and about 15% each Black and Asian. However, it's this convergence of the old and new, rich and poor and diverse ethnic population that makes Long Beach such a dynamic place to live. It is a city with tremendous opportunities- a boom city with a bright future. But as with many big cities, it has its share of big city problems. To name just a few: gang violence (home of the infamous Cripps); too few playgrounds; poverty; school drop outs; crime, etc. etc. The challenge facing the city is how to overcome the legacy of ghetto generations and to integrate new immigrants into society. The city, to be truly great, needs to find a way to include everyone in its dynamic future.
As Coach Styron knows-
If kids have the opportunity to avail themselves to a sport they love, a sport based on sportsmanship and good character and develop a passion for this sport- then nothing is impossible. And there isn't a better sport out there than lacrosse to accomplish this.
Coach Styron Odyssey-
Coach Styron has a plan to bring lacrosse to the inner city of Long Beach. It started, unbeknown to him at the time, as a kid growing up on Long Island, New York. His fondest memories are from his days playing youth lacrosse. His initial introduction to lacrosse was through his dad at age seven. His dad, who played for the University of North Carolina made sure that his first year was spent learning the basics of catching and throwing. The next year he was ready for the Huntington Boys Club where he learned all the fundamentals. Coach Styron played every year with the boys club until is Junior High School team started a lacrosse team. This team was formed with the help of his dad and several other dads. At Northport High School he learned perseverance and team work. The lax program was new and other schools had established teams, so the first few years were difficult. His first year in high school the team lost fifteen games (somehow they won one). And then slowly the team began gel and by the time he was senior, the team had a 500 record. High School taught Coach Styron the rewards to working together and dedication. And this early team set the foundation of lacrosse tradition; Northport is now a Long Island lacrosse force to be reckoned with. In fact, in 2002 they won the New York State title and are currently ranked (2006) in 5th place.
Coach Styron didn't play much right out of High School. However he did help put together with several guys, a club team at Cal-State Long Beach. They played against UCLA, San Diego, Santa Barbara, etc. This was followed be several years play at Orange County Lacrosse Club.
From playing lacrosse as a kid at the boys club to an adult club player, lacrosse has been a part of Coach Styron life. He has learned a great deal from the sport. He has embraced all the character building habits that lacrosse teaches, such as sportsmanship, teamwork and perseverance. And it was his early years of being mentored by his dad and the recognition of the life skills he learned from the Boys Club to High School to Club that provided the strong desire to give back to the community.
With this in mind, Coach Styron has set out to bring lacrosse to Long Beach and maybe change a few kids' lives. He formed the Long Beach Lacrosse Club in 2005. Play started out with just a few kids practicing at Whaley Park, a middle class neighborhood park. With a little promotion and word of mouth, more kids joined the practice. In a few months, Coach Styron was able get a scholarship grant from US Lacrosse. They liked what they saw in Coach Styron's application and provided equipment sponsorship for a complete team. Nine months later, Long Beach Lacrosse fields two complete teams in scrimmages against rival teams from Seal Beach, CA.
Now that a lax club has been established, the challenge now is how to reach the inner city and minority kids. Coach Styron has reached out to some of the local Long Beach Schools and PE Departments. Growth will come with exposure and the more schools introduced to lacrosse the faster it will take off. Also, the local newspaper has been very supportive and published stories on lacrosse and the coach. Maybe most importantly, Lacrosse has just become a CIF Sport in the L.A. Unified School District. I'm sure Long Beach High School, a state sports powerhouse, will be compelled to lax compete against L.A. Unified High School. Hopefully, explosive lacrosse growth through-out the city is just a matter of time.
Lacrosse now has a foothold in Long Beach. Soon a few schools will be playing lacrosse. Not long after that all the schools will be playing lacrosse. Someday ghetto and minority kids will be playing lacrosse and getting scholarships to colleges and universities. Most will become better people because of the life skills they learn playing lacrosse. And a few of us will know that Coach Styron's big dream, determination and enthusiasm made a difference.
BTW, did I mention that not only is Coach Styron 'big in character' but he is also six foot six!
Long Beach Grand Prix Photos Courtesy of Larry Chen
