Not just a boy's sport

Dear Editor:Downey High School has long been known for its dedication to athletics, but their spring sport schedule appears to bring that dedication to a whole new extreme. Since bringing boys lacrosse to Allan Layne Stadium in 2004, the 2008-09 school year has brought on a set of aggressive and intense girls ready to compete in the sport. Principal Tom Houts and boys' lacrosse coach Scott Witkin were approached by a large number of enthusiastic girls ready to form their own team. After a lot of work and searching for faculty, the girls had their team, but the journey didn't stop there. Because lacrosse isn't a widely played sport on the West Coast, the greater majority of girls had the heart and desire but needed to be taught the game. After months of long, hard practices and training, Head Coach David Thompkins along with assistant coaches Sybil Shetler, Kelly Stratford, and Anthony Matas took their new team to kick off their first season and played their first tournament March 7 at the Rose Bowl. The first home game will be against Mira Costa on Monday, March 16 at Downey High School - junior varsity at 5:30 p.m., and varsity at 7 p.m - Kelly Statford, Assistant Coach, Downey High School girls' lacrosse ********** Published: March 6, 2009 - Volume 7 - Issue 46