GOALS, PHILOSOPHY AND MISSION
OUR GOALS
The purpose of Raptors Youth Lacrosse is to provide a fun, and challenging development lacrosse program for boys and girls in grades K–6 that teaches the skills to compete and excel at the game, while furthering the advancement of lacrosse in Middle Tennessee. Raptors Youth Lacrosse is dedicated to the skill development of the game without emphasis on a team's winning record. Raptors Youth Lacrosse will endeavor to instill the values of sportsmanship, respect, teamwork, fair play and a love of the sport of lacrosse for players, coaches and officials.
OUR PHILOSOPHY
In addition to teaching the fundamental skills necessary to play the sport, we will work to teach the strategies and teamwork necessary to master the sport, and emphasize the 4-C’s of Character:
1) Class
2) Commitment
3) Courage
4) Compassion
We will strive to instill in our youth the challenge of competition, the joy of victory, the reality of defeat, the importance of commitment and the spirit of community. We believe these values and virtues are important to the growth of young athletes, and to their ability to become active and successful members of our community and society. These goals will be achieved through organizing our caring parents, dedicated volunteers and business associates who wish to partner with our great youth sport program. We use the Lacrosse Honor Code and the Sportsmanship Best Practices as our guiding policies.
Raptors Youth Lacrosse is a non-profit organization focused on educating, equipping and empowering young athletes of greater Williamson County to be leaders on and off the field through the sport of lacrosse.
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HISTORY, PLAYER DEVELOPMENT AND OUR COACHES
HISTORY
Raptors Youth Lacrosse was founded in 2014 to help introduce kids in Williamson County to the game of lacrosse. Lacrosse is a fast-paced, exciting sport that combines the best aspects of many other sports and have exploded in popularity over the past 10+ years. Raptors Youth Lacrosse players learn the fundamentals of the game as well as life-enhancing traits like sportsmanship and teamwork. Our players traditionally attend one of the schools that ultimately feeds Ravenwood High School, but all players are welcome.
PLAYER DEVELOPMENT
Our players often go on to join their middle school and high school programs and beyond. Over the years Raptors Youth Lacrosse has been open, hundreds of area youths have been positively impacted by our programs. Our program combines experienced coaches and parent volunteers to provide a first class experience for our players. We know that a lot of our Raptors play multiple sports and may experience conflicts throughout the season. This is a recreational league meant to help kids learn and love the sport of lacrosse. Therefore our players are not penalized for missing practices or games.
COACHES
Our head coaches this year are Heyward Rogers for the boys and Brooke Guy for the girls. Each has years of experience playing lacrosse. We will have parent coaches for each of our teams. Please let us know if you are interested in volunteering as a coach.
Heyward Rogers is a Nashville native and attended Montgomery Bell Academy, where he first fell in love with the game of lacrosse. Heyward played for the Big Red, J.T. Moore, and the Metro Outlaws. Heyward's enthusiasm for the game took him to Middle Tennessee State University where he played middy and attack. Heyward currently runs the Nashville branch for North Georgia Flooring Distributors. When he isn't coaching or promoting new products to flooring retailers and contractors; you are most likely to find Heyward at Geodis Park, supporting the Boys in Gold or at the bowling alley.
COACH HEYWARD ROGERS
COACH BROOKE GUY is originally from Pensacola, FL. Growing up she played soccer, but when women's Lacrosse started in her area, it quickly became the largest part of her life. In 2013, she helped develop the Women's Lacrosse team at her high school and was the captain of her team for the rest of her highschool years. She switched between playing defense and midfield. Her senior year she was awarded the Sports Standout at her high school, and began attending college showcases and events. Ultimately, she decided to attend the University of West Florida in her hometown, while coaching a U11 girls lacrosse team. She relocated to Nashville in 2021 to pursue her career as a geologist, and began coaching Raptors Youth Lacrosse. She has enjoyed every moment of coaching. Her favorite part of coaching is seeing how all the young girls grow in their skillset and within the game of lacrosse. She can't wait for the seasons to come!
OUR BOARD MEMBERS
Ashley Brunner - President
Sarah Gilmore - Vice President
Justin Gilbert - Secretary
READY TO PLAY?!? Join us this season - whether your child has years of lacrosse experience or has never tried the game - we promise they will have a fun and exciting experience. LOGIN now to register for our current offerings!! If this is your first time on our site, please REGISTER AN ACCOUNT first. See you on the field!