The lacrosse coach
When Andrew Bazarian moved to
Hong Kong from the US with his
family, seven years ago, a lacrosse
programme for kids didn’t exist.
A keen player in high school and
college, Andrew had also tried his
hand at coaching and realised his
experience could help raise the
sport’s profile here.
“It’s an incredible sport that
offers many of the best qualities
of other sports,” he says. “There
was a group of parents who had
all played and wanted their
children to experience playing,
so together we formed a club
for boys and girls.” Southside
Lacrosse Association was born,
and Andrew’s two sons joined the
team.
“I really enjoy coaching my
kids,” he says. “Last year, our
boys’ team played their first
official game in the Hong Kong
men’s league and it was incredibly
satisfying to watch my son take to
the field in his first lacrosse game.”
Due to work schedules and
limited field availability, the
association mostly plays on
Sundays. Starting with just 20
players, they now have almost 100
kids turning out to train.
“Creating a youth programme
when none previously existed
has been very rewarding,” says
Andrew. “Last week I was driving
through Tai Tam and two kids
were walking along the street with
lacrosse sticks in their hands going
to have a catch – I like being a part
of that.”
For more info on children’s lacrosse,
contact
.
June 2015
49
