New Houlton resident introducing lacrosse to Aroostook County

HOULTON, Maine — When Ken Ervin moved to Aroostook County about a year ago with his wife, Liz, they left behind lacrosse — a sport that both Ervin and his children had come to love.

Ervin is hoping to introduce that sport to the youth of The County.

An introductory clinic for boys and girls between the ages of 7-12, offered through the Houlton Recreation Department, will be held starting 9-11 a.m. Monday, July 11, in the outfield of the Bob Ruth Baseball field in Community Park. The clinic runs through Friday, July 15.

“Lacrosse has a lot of crossover elements,” Ervin said. “It uses the wrist motions from hockey, and football players tend to like the physicality of it. Plus it is a sport that a lot of athletes can play to get in or stay in shape.”

Ervin, a former professional basketball player and coach, said when he coached, he noticed many of his high school players were doing lacrosse in their spare time to stay in shape.

“The more I learned about it, I grew to love it,” he said. “We discovered lacrosse was not offered up here, and I tried to think of how I could introduce it.”

In Maine, there are 44 boys teams and 45 girls teams in high school lacrosse but no teams north of Lawrence High in Fairfield.

Ervin reached out to U.S. Lacrosse to see what opportunities for assistance were available to do a clinic in Houlton. He successfully obtained a grant for 30 sticks and balls to be used for the clinic.

“This provides a great opportunity for families to try the sport with little investment,” Ervin said. “Traditionally the equipment is very similar to hockey and football. You have helmets and shoulder pads and gloves.”

The clinic will not require such extensive gear to be worn as it will cover the introductory elements of the sport. Equipment will be provided.

The deadline to register through the Houlton Recreation Department is noon Friday, July 8. The phone number is 532-1310.

Ervin said if there is enough interest, he hopes to create a club sport for youths next spring, with additional opportunities for grants through U.S. Lacrosse.

Those seeking more information about the clinic may email Ervin at ken.m.ervin@gmail.com or visit www.uslacrosse.org.