By Brennan Phillips

Special to the Penticton Western

Penticton Minor Lacrosse Association will be hosting a girls害羞草研究所� open drop-in event on April 10 and 12 at Memorial Arena in Penticton.

The association hopes to encourage girls to come out and give lacrosse a try. If enough show up, there are plans to try and go forward with establishing a girls team, or teams, in the Okanagan.

害羞草研究所淭here has always been a girls害羞草研究所� specific lacrosse league, but we害羞草研究所檙e trying to open a branch here in the Okanagan,害羞草研究所� said Penticton Minor Lacrosse Association vice-president Penni King. 害羞草研究所淲e害羞草研究所檙e going to invite girls from all over the Thompson-Okanagan, from Kamloops, Merritt, Shuswap, Kelowna, Vernon, all of them, to come (to Penticton). Then we害羞草研究所檒l see, and if the numbers are right, we may be able to start up a sort of north and south opportunity. That will be the first step.害羞草研究所�

The drop-in is open to all girls in the Okanagan and is free. The equipment for the days will be provided, but the girls will need to bring their own runners and water bottles. This is the first time the associations have worked in conjunction to push for girls from across the region to come together in hopes of establishing a separate girls害羞草研究所� team for box lacrosse.

Sue Kinna, a former executive of the B.C. Lacrosse Association for the women害羞草研究所檚 league, will be overseeing the drop in. Kinna害羞草研究所檚 daughter went through the league herself, playing on Team Canada for women害羞草研究所檚 field lacrosse, and currently plays for Northwestern University in the U.S.

The ultimate goal for the future, said Kinna, is to form enough teams in the Thompson-Okanagan region to create a league that can crown a champion and compete provincially.

害羞草研究所淩ight now we only have the numbers to support co-ed teams. We have around 15 to 20 girls in all the teams around the Okanagan right now, but a lot more have shown interest over the years. Vancouver Island did something similar a few years ago, and now they害羞草研究所檙e up to five teams, and they now compete against Vancouver too. Our hope is the same, to have teams in every minor association,害羞草研究所� said Kinna.

Currently, there are only co-ed teams in the Okanagan, and Kinna said for many girls otherwise interested in playing box lacrosse, that is a dealbreaker.

害羞草研究所淏ox lacrosse specifically is a very aggressive sport, with a lot of contacts. It takes a certain type of girl to compete against a boy of the same age,害羞草研究所� said King. 害羞草研究所淭here a lot of girls who害羞草研究所檝e shown interest over the years, but aren害羞草研究所檛 interested in playing against or with the boys. We hope that as more girls come out, the more they talk about it to their friends, and the more word of it spreads.害羞草研究所�

The drop-in is open to girls of all ages and experience levels, and it will run from 5:45 to 7:15 p.m. on April 10 and 12 at Penticton害羞草研究所檚 Memorial Arena. Sign up is available at the Penticton Minor Lacrosse Association website, , under the events page.