How does lacrosse work in Central Oregon?
There’s a lot going on, so let’s break it down.
Because lacrosse is not sanctioned by the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA), lacrosse is in an interesting position in Oregon. Here’s a primer on how everything fits together.
High School
At the high school level, the teams are considered “clubs,” meaning that each school district across the state can choose how much to support the teams. In the Portland Metro Area, many teams are treated like sanctioned varsity sports. In Central Oregon, the teams receive much less funding and support from the school districts.
The boys high school league is governed by the Oregon High School Lacrosse Association (OHSLA), and the girls high school and youth leagues are governed by the Oregon Girls Lacrosse Association (OGLA).
Usually, the high school teams are governed by a nonprofit board or other organization that serves to hire coaches, raise money, and coordinate the season. Sometimes, newer programs are combined with existing programs during their fledgeling years - for example, Bend and Caldera High Schools currently have a combined program. Communities that can only field one team also exist - the Ridgeview boys team serves both high schools in Redmond, and the Bend United program serves girls at Bend, Caldera, and Mountain View high schools.
The boys teams in the High Desert conference are currently:
Bend-Caldera
Burns
Mountain View
Ridgeview (Sisters players will play with Ridgeview in 2024)
Summit
The girls teams in the Central Oregon lacrosse conference are currently:
Bend United
Sisters/Redmond (combined for 2024)
Summit
Town/School Affiliated Youth Lacrosse Teams
On the boys side, some of the high school affiliated clubs also have school affiliated or town feeder youth programs. Bend-Caldera Youth and Summit Youth are the two primary ones in the Bend area. Summit starts at 3rd/4th grade and Bend-Caldera starts at 5th/6th. These teams typically play games against other travel youth teams, and have play-days and tournaments throughout the state.
Players from other school areas have played with these teams in the past when their school doesn’t have an affiliated travel youth team.
At this time, there are currently no school affiliated or town youth teams on the girls’ side, although there are a good number of girls playing rec lacrosse in the region.
Rec Lacrosse
The Central Oregon Sixes rec lacrosse program is a great option for beginners, uses no gear, and serves boys and girls in 1st through 8th grade in Sisters, Redmond, and Bend. We will even provide you with a stick to keep! You can read more about Central Oregon Sixes here.
The goal with rec lacrosse is to teach players the fundamental skills necessary to be successful, give them some playing experience, and prepare them for a lifelong love of the game! The Central Oregon Sixes program is the only rec program run by lacrosse professionals.
We recommend that intermediate to advanced players play with their school affiliated travel youth program!
Off Season Club Lacrosse
Off Season club teams & leagues allow players to keep playing outside of the spring. There are major benefits to keeping your stick in your hand throughout the year, and off-season clubs allow players hone & refine their skills from skilled coaches. We won’t get into more details here but it’s an option for intermediate to advanced players!