• MINNESOTA LOONS LACROSSE COVID SAFETY GUIDANCE. 2021

    March 14th 2021

  • Pre Practice/Event:

    If you feel sick or anyone at home is sick with COVID symptoms please stay home. If you have had known contact with someone who is suspected or tested positive for COVID please contact staff before attending a team event. 

  • MASKS:

    Masks are mandatory and to be worn at all times. Masks are to be worn at outdoor and indoor practices at all times including practices and games. Face-covering guidance does allow for people to remove their face covering if they are having trouble breathing. If an athlete needs to take their mask off, they should take a break from play, and find an area where they can sit down and be physically distanced before removing the face covering

  • MDH Sports Guidlines - Click Here

    • Make effort to social distance
    • Do not share water bottles
    • Mouthgurads must still be worn
    • Sign in at each time at Loons Training Center
    • Multi household carpooling not encouraged

  • Minnesota Loons Lacrosse COVID-19 Statement

    Minnesota Loons Lacrosse 2020 Boys Summer Declaration

    Director: Brandon Husak

    May 11th 2020

     

    Overview: This document includes schedule changes for the summer, financial adjustments and research findings. each team member will be emailed individually on adjustments made particular to a specific team within 24 hours

     

    Mission: 

    On March 26th, we set out to create a plan to announce on May 11th based on Gov. Walz’s original plan for shelter in place which at the time was ending May 4th.

     

    We are very pleased to share our plan with you based on our research and efforts in creating a successful, safe, and exciting summer lacrosse program. Priorities have come to the forefront that have shed light on areas where we can better support our student-athletes in creative recruitment strategies, additional training, and great events that give our kids a chance to compete. Through our years of experience, challenges presented with COVID, collaborations with coaches and advisors, and even recent findings we are confident that this is the best plan for Minnesota lacrosse players on this date May 11th, 2020.

     

    Our initial priorities for adjustments to be made:

    • Create a safe atmosphere for Student-Athletes
    • Clear and constant communication
    • Create connections with our athletes for strong mental status and support
    • Complete analysis of pre-COVID events
    • Establish required safety measured on-site for a phased return
    • Create a development plan and restart practice asap
    • Mitigate risk, travel exposure
    • Recruitment needs both local/travel
    • Quality reliable events with opponents we know will be attending
    • Think outside the Box. Use ingenuity and other past concepts
    • Use our strengths as a program
    • Reduce costs
    • Add practices and training opportunities
    • Establish May 11th as the day we would present our findings and declare a plan

     

    Areas of interest from athletes and parents: Feedback from Surveys

    • Parents wanting kids to play. “Get the kids back on the field”
    • Children’s’ current mental health and support
    • Communication 
    • Set plans and adjustments to the schedule
    • Kids feeling comfortable in a safe team environment
    • Recruitment exposure
    • More training, make up for lost time.
    • No flying. No bussing. Travel with families.
    • Good competition at events that are likely to happen

     

    Actions we have taken:

    • Focused on clear communication through registration group emails and daily Group Me
    • Localized and events safety protocol documented and required by all staff and participants to follow 
    • Created Loons Fusion training, skill, continuing education satellite program
    • An open line of extended communication and outreach with each individual
    • Zoom meetings with student-athletes discussing developmental topics
    • Established a collaborative group of experienced Midwest coaches. The Midwest Premiere Group. A trust that analyzes pros/cons in events, tendencies, monitors state-level health advisories, documentation of event movement, creation of our own play/recruitment exposure opportunity,  and a deep network of NCAA connections.
    • Confide in NCAA staff on trends, tendencies, campus status, pros/cons of events, recruitment windows, and our plans for enhanced recruitment exposure.
    • Hosting parent surveys for documented feedback, concerns, and desires.
    • Held small group zoom call meetings for feedback and sourcing from parents.
    • Proposed early training and practice period and extended beyond the original date. More training than we have ever had
    • Remove travel events that have a higher exposure to potential travel issues or areas of concern.
    • Remove all-inclusive travel risks with busses, airfare, hotels, and all-inclusive buffet meals
    • Created a window for travel of a safe and reliable time period. Consolidated 2 months into 3 weeks
    • Expose major concerns with rescheduled conflicting events, values, recruitment limitations
    • Selected reliable events in which we communicate with the opponents themselves to ensure attendance, like-minded values and priorities to ensure quality events
    • Select events that are within a smaller travel region
    • Select events that have control factors and safety precautions that we are aware of and can help dictate if need be.
    • Added an additional event for some of our teams (2021,2022,2023) 
    • Select events that enable refunds if the event can not take place
    • Reduced costs on every team on our platform







    The Outcome, Our Plan:  

    Creating Certainty in Uncertain times

     

    Our plan includes a total re-evaluation for our summer events while maintaining its core values, goals, and objectives. Other needs have surfaced as stated above with safety being paramount. We will be removing our all-inclusive HS travel plans to mitigate risks and create comfort in families’ travels. We will be confidently moving forward with the plans that have best been made available to us by May 11th. We do not wish to delay, wait, or take chances on events that could or could not take place in uncertain or high-risk areas. For years we have participated in events in the midwest to support the region's events and recruitment efforts. Along with “like-minded” programs we have created a strong reputation for our region and will be utilizing our connections and networking to ensure successful events. 

     

    We are focusing on midwest travel that is delayed into July and the first week of August as previously stated in emails. The events listed below have been selected for the right reason based on our findings. These events also have an overwhelming control factor that creates confidence in our planning and resembles the highest values in success.

     

    We are set to roll out unique recruitment tactics that have not been seen to the best of our knowledge in this region. The majority of this will take place in June during our weekly practices. We will create exposure opportunities day today here locally with enhanced technology that will be able to GUARANTEE PROOF OF EXPOSURE here in MN from coaches recruiting at home across the country. We have created a 2020 team that consists mainly of committed players for our underclassman to compete against. The 2020 team will serve as a benchmark for recruitment comparison to our underclassmen in the eyes of a college coach.  Along with NCSA accounts for registered players we will utilize a great network and optimize our strong background with enabling outstanding REALTIME recruitment opportunities all summer! Much more to come!

     

    And finally, we are able to reduce costs. Not mentioned as a “need” by every family, but certainly, a focus we felt was propper during this time of economic stress. We have made great efforts in re-evaluating our budget, adjusting events, and inclusions to each team. Even while planning to add a substantial amount of practices each member will be seeing an opportunity for a refund. Refunds will differ from each team with our previously all-inclusive teams seeing a substantial refund compared to smaller amounts to be attributed to our non-inclusive youth teams which event plans have little to no change. Refunds will be sent out in two waves. An initial refund will be sent out the week of May 13th, and the following refund will be sent on July 15th. July 15th refund date will also serve as an opportunity for any other or further refunds needed due to changes in our schedule moving forward to give our program time to analyze those changes and consolidate refunds in an organized manner. In addition, we continue to offer the opportunity to help in any way we can with specific support for families that request any further adjustments on an individual scenario. Please feel free to contact us or fill out our financial request form found on our website.

  • Minnesota Loons Lacrosse COVID-19 Statement

    March 11th  1:55pm (closing at 4pm)-

    Due to circumstances with the COVID-19 virus Minnesota Loons Lacrosse will be suspending currently team activity, programming, rentals, and access to the Loons Training Center until further notice.

    This situation is clearly unfortunate. We are lacrosse coaches, not health care professionals. We are taking advice from the CDC, State Health organization and following suite from guidance from professionals on best practice to safely conduct operations. In our opinion, at this current time with universities moving to online classes only, NCAA programs halting play, and a very large amount of youth who are/or going to be traveling for spring break that it is just simply not worth any sort of risk for our participants or guests. 

    When it comes time to resume operations we will notify our participants immediately. Adjustments with registrations and programming will be made to those currently using the Loons Training Center. 

    Thank you. -Minnesota Loons Lacrosse Staff

Adjustments for COVID-19

See how we have made adjustments for events based on COVID-19 findings, research, and values that pertain to our athletes safety and success

We are very pleased to share our plan with you based on our research and efforts in creating a successful, safe, and exciting summer lacrosse program. Priorities have come to the forefront that have shed light on areas where we can better support our student-athletes in creative recruitment strategies, additional training, and great events that give our kids a chance to compete. Through our years of experience, challenges presented with COVID, collaborations with coaches and advisors, and even recent findings we are confident that this is the best plan for Minnesota lacrosse players on this date May 11th, 2020.

  • Events that avoid nation wide exposure to areas of concern
  • Opportunity to refund a portion of dues to all members
  • Focus on Midwest travel which helps reduce costs
  • Events have more probability to be run at a same time and a safe manor
  • Events that are not mass populated and have control factors within reason
  • Tournaments that value NCAA recruitment and ensure the highest likely outcome based on planning/support
  • Tournaments that known opponents will plan to attend
  • Events host by "like minded organizations"
  • Events that are non conflicting based on rescheduled dates