Philadelphia to Host Major Lacrosse Event

US Lacrosse today announced the schedule of presenters and topics for nearly 130 educational sessions for lacrosse coaches and officials at the 2014 US Lacrosse National Convention, presented by Champion. The convention is set for Jan. 10-12 at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, and coaches, officials and administrators can purchase tickets for just $95, a savings of 40 percent vs. walk-up pricing, at uslacrosse.org/2014convention through Nov. 30.

The lineup of speakers features a significant number of NCAA and U.S. national team coaches. In the men’s game, defending NCAA champion coaches John Danowski (Duke University) and Paul Cantabene (Stevenson University) join Dave Pietramala (Johns Hopkins University/Team USA), Jeff Tambroni (Penn State University/Team USA), Kevin Corrigan (Notre Dame University), Lars Tiffany (Brown University), and Pete Milliman (Cornell University), among others.

Defending NCAA champion coach Jenny Levy (University of North Carolina) and 2013 Federation of International Lacrosse World Cup champion coach Ricky Fried (Georgetown University/Team USA) highlight the slate of women’s game coaches, which also features Missy Doherty (Penn State University), Dana Dobbie (Loyola University Maryland), Lindsey Munday (University of Southern California), Joe Spallina (Stony Brook University), and Jessy Morgan (University of Virginia), among others.

Bill Clement, a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Philadelphia Flyers and current author and NHL broadcaster, will kick off the convention with a keynote address for all attendees at 7 p.m. Jan. 10.

“To keep pace with the growth of player participation across the country, US Lacrosse has a number of initiatives to arm coaches and officials with educational resources, and that reaches a peak at our annual convention,” said Beth Porreca, director of special events at US Lacrosse. “We appreciate that many of the game’s brightest, most successful coaches and officials are giving of their time to share their expertise with thousands of their up-and-coming colleagues from all over the country. The convention is a home for coaches and officials who want to get better at what they do and make a better impact on players.”

Recently retired NHL director of officiating Terry Gregson will give a keynote to all officials at 12:40 p.m. Jan. 11. The schedule for officials includes NCAA, NFHS and US Lacrosse rules interpretation sessions, clinics on points of emphasis for the 2014 season, and sessions hosted by nationally recognized officials like Al Blau, Jim Carboneau and Eric Rudolph in the men’s game and National Hall of Famer Jen O’Donnell, Patti Cleary and Jen Dorff in the women’s game.

National Hall of Fame coaches Tom Marechek (Friends School in Maryland) and Bonnie Rosen (Temple University) also are scheduled to host clinics. The US Lacrosse Coaching Education Program will conduct Level 1, 2 and 3 instructional clinics.

Convention schedules in PDF format by constituent group:

Men’s Coaches

Women’s Coaches

Men’s Officials

Women’s Officials

The US Lacrosse National Convention, presented by Champion, has drawn 7,000 participants in each of the last two years. The convention will include four live demonstration areas, approximately 150 educational sessions, and the US Lacrosse Fan Fest, presented by TeamZila, which is open to the public.

Fan Fest runs 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 11 in the convention center, where lacrosse fans can check out gear and apparel from some 200 exhibitors in the sport’s largest expo hall, watch live demonstrations, and get autographs from members of Team USA and other top players. Major League Lacrosse will hold its annual collegiate draft at the convention on Jan. 10, and the National Lacrosse League’s Philadelphia Wings will offer discounted tickets to convention attendees for their Jan. 12 home game at Wells Fargo Center.

A schedule of speakers and topics for lacrosse program administrators, managers and organizational boards of directors will be announced when finalized.

Follow the convention on Twitter @USLaxConvention<http://www.twitter.com/USLaxConvention> (#LaxCon). Membership in US Lacrosse is required to attend the full convention. For more, visit uslacrosse.org/2014convention.

About US Lacrosse: US Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is the national governing body of men’s and women’s lacrosse and the home of the nation’s fastest-growing sport. US Lacrosse has more than 410,000 members in 64 regional chapters across the country. Through responsive and effective leadership, US Lacrosse provides programs and services to inspire participation while protecting the integrity of the sport. Bookmark, like and follow US Lacrosse at uslacrosse.org, fb.com/uslacrosse and @uslacrosse, respectively.

About the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PHLCVB), discoverPHL.com, a private non-profit membership corporation, is the official tourist promotion agency for the city of Philadelphia globally, and the primary sales and marketing agency for the expanded Pennsylvania Convention Center. The PHLCVB competes with its counterparts worldwide for convention and tourism business. The organization has departments dedicated to the multicultural, sports, and life sciences markets.