By Adanya Moyer, James Madison University ’25, @jmulacrosse
Opportunity is a game-changer. As a Division I student-athlete, I want to share how the opportunity to participate in a free youth lacrosse clinic changed my life. I want to leverage my experience to expose youth from all backgrounds, demographics, socioeconomics, cultures, and races to sports on a college campus. I want to be a leader in the game of lacrosse and challenge all colleges and universities to be game-changers by hosting a free youth clinic on your campus before the end of the 2025 academic year.
Outside of the tight-knit community of lacrosse, there are few opportunities to introduce the game to those with diverse backgrounds, from lower socioeconomic classes, and in non-traditional geographic areas. As statistics show, lacrosse is a predominantly white and expensive sport. Growing up as a young person who did not fit the norm in my sport, I am now in a position to advocate and grow the game of lacrosse along with my teammates and coaches. Together, we can create opportunities and experiences to make lacrosse diverse, affordable, and open to all people.
I hope that in sharing my story, it continues to inspire others to create opportunities to connect with sport and colleges, and more specifically, lacrosse and higher education. The sport of lacrosse was introduced to me when I was eleven years old. My parents heard of a free lacrosse clinic hosted by a recreation team in Prince George’s County, Maryland. When we arrived at the clinic, there was a beautiful mix of people from all cultures and backgrounds. It was a comforting and welcoming experience for someone who knew nothing about the sport. This experience opened my eyes to a fast, competitive, challenging, and fun sport that I’ve grown to love and now play collegiately.
When I was in the early stages of playing the sport, my recreation team coach gave me donated lacrosse gear to help jumpstart my journey. This was a very touching experience because goalie gear for lacrosse costs a lot of money. His generosity allowed my family and me to find the spark lacrosse added to our lives without being concerned about its financial burden. I sometimes think if that clinic wasn’t free; if the atmosphere wasn’t welcoming; and, if the cost of the equipment had not been absorbed, would I be playing for a nationally-ranked JMU team today?
Throughout my middle and high school years, playing lacrosse was fun, but my self-image was constantly tested. As I got older, there was less diversity and representation for young black girls like me. It made me question my abilities and compare myself to my white counterparts. When I joined club lacrosse, I was one of two black girls on the team and sometimes the only black girl on the team. I often felt alone and misunderstood. There were even some instances where I experienced racial remarks and microaggressions, and I felt too uncomfortable to correct them.
Now as a strong woman and collegiate athlete on scholarship, I have a desire to grow the game. I want little girls like me to not only have the opportunity to connect with the sport but also to have the opportunity to have a more representative community grow up with them in the game. I want them to enjoy the amazing sport of lacrosse without worrying about how they look, act, or where they come from. I want there to be a sense of unity and belonging among the whole lacrosse community. I believe that can be achieved with more coaches, players, and programs promoting diversity and growth within the sport and educating each other on the importance and impact diversity can have on those like me.
As an emerging leader in the JMU lacrosse team, I participated in the IWLCA Multiracial Students Leadership Academy twice. I connected with coaches and players from D1 to D3 lacrosse programs. Hearing all of their experiences and perspectives was really comforting. It was eye-opening to know I am not alone. The academy sparked a passion to grow the game further than just sharing my experience. I want to create spaces and opportunities that carry on past my collegiate playing career. I hope that the free youth lacrosse clinic hosted by JMU and Top Threat Tournaments this past weekend inspires other schools to take the same initiative.
With the support of my family, teammates, coaches, and the IWLCA leadership, I am asking all NCAA and NAIA lacrosse programs to run a free clinic by the end of the 2025 school year. If you need help, JMU, Top Threat Tournaments, and the IWLCA will share the template we created. The template is designed to introduce lacrosse to kids in non-traditional areas. A key and critical next step is to market and connect with people who might not have email, cell phones, or families that typically go to sporting events. We are happy to share how we hosted our event this past weekend including our outreach, job descriptions, and operations. It includes how to reach out across your university and within your local community to hit different demographics. We encourage you to engage the IWLCA Racial Equity Task Force and your university/college to attract and run the best free clinic possible in your area. We really want to challenge you to go beyond “the tight-knit lacrosse community” to connect with youth that have not yet had the amazing opportunity to discover our sport. We want to thank the IWLCA as well as the Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at our school for helping us take action to grow the game in Harrisonburg this past weekend. We look forward to joining more programs in hosting free youth lacrosse clinics annually.
BEHIND THE WHISTLE 