06/08/2026
The days are long but the years are short.
For nearly 10 years, we have proudly led Big Walnut Lacrosse with a simple premise: youth sports not only can be better, it has to be better.
The goal was simple on paper, slightly harder in ex*****on:
Bring as many kids as possible into the sport, keep them playing for as long as possible, and provide them with the best possible conditions in which to learn and play.
We willingly and enthusiastically dove head first into that mission.
We built out the full youth girls program to ensure every little girl had a place to play and learn THEIR game.
We launched Pick Up Sticks to show new players what lacrosse is all about, without the burden of high-entry costs and gear.
We have run a variety of summer and fall programming, from Summer 3v3 to Open Nets to Fall Clinics, to keep sticks in kids’ hands, help them have some good ol’ fashioned fun while playing, and instill the aspiration to take the varsity fields of our high school teams.
We’ve worked diligently with our school system and athletic departments to make lacrosse an official school sport at both the middle and high school, a huge win for our players and families that lowered the cost of entry to the sport. We’ve provided seed money for those programs, helped with coach recruitment and hiring, and continued to support the teams as auxiliary boosters.
We’ve grown two well-established fundraisers to bring in the funding that’s needed to run a full youth season – nets, goals, paint, sprayers, balls, coaches, coaches’ training and certifications, referees, uniforms, goalie equipment, extra gear, end line nets, cones, temporary creases, signage, scorers tables, electronic scoreboards … so much goes into standing up the spring season, and it all costs something. Our fundraising has been instrumental in our ability to stretch registration dollars and give more back to our players and families.
We’ve given countless hours and, honestly, personal dollars to the program to fill in the gaps and do our best to provide the quality of play we wanted for our own children.
Despite all of that …
The stress.
The pressure.
The time demands.
The fear of failure.
The worry … “Will people sign up?”
“Did the kids have fun?”
“Will they play again?”
The criticisms and critiques.
The unrelenting negativity.
We can sit here today, nearly a decade later, and say:
We’re the lucky ones.
Because we have gained far more than we’ve given.
We’ve gained friendships.
True and honest lifelong friendships.
Laughs.
So many stories.
Memories, many sweet.
Like watching high school varsity athletes take the field, remembering the day we witnessed them pick up their sticks for the first time.
And a whole lot of pride.
Pride in what we’ve helped build.
Pride in what this program has become.
Pride in where we can see it going.
Pride in our players who put the “Big” in “Big Walnut Lacrosse.”
As we hang up our hats from Big Walnut Lacrosse and turn to a larger, broader mission that we hope will benefit all of our Golden Eagle student-athletes, we want to take a moment to say thank you.
Thank you to the remaining board members. Amy, Katie, Kristin, Greg … We can’t thank you enough for all you have done and all we know you will continue to do to shepherd this program into its next decade of growth and success.
Thank you to all of the families who have blessed us with their trust and allowed us to play a small role in the growth and development of their kids. You will never know how much it means to us to see kids return year after year, younger siblings on the sidelines playing with lacrosse sticks, and those same siblings donning their tiny little Big Walnut Lacrosse jerseys for the first time.
Thank you to our greater Big Walnut Lacrosse family for believing in our mission, embracing the culture we’ve worked to build, and carrying the “Be BIG” mentality with them on and off the lacrosse fields. We hope in some small way we’ve helped you navigate the complex youth sports experience in a way that has created positive, lasting memories for you and your kids.
Last but certainly not least, thank you to every single Big Walnut Lacrosse player. Whether you played one year with us or many, you are what has motivated us, driven us to do more, and pushed us to find new and better ways to teach this sport, build confidence, and come back to it, year after year.
From the bottoms of our hearts, please know:
We have loved watching you play.
The testament in building an organization is that it sustains and continues to grow when you step away.
Please honor us in helping the mission continue.
Be BIG.
Thank you, Big Walnut Lacrosse family.
–Jandi, Darrin, and Whit
(Thank you for indulging us with a little trip down our personal memory lanes as we bid our farewell ...)
