Lacrosse boasts former National Football League great Jim Brown and hockey legend Wayne Gretzky among its alumni, and thousands participate in the sport in the eastern United States and Canada.

The Henderson Warriors girls club team, a melting pot of teen players from several different high schools, hopes to bring greater recognition and increased participation in lacrosse to Southern Nevada.

"We need to get the word out about lacrosse," said Eric Kulenkamp, head coach of the Henderson Warriors and a former high school lacrosse player. "Participation in the sport among boys is growing in leaps and bounds in the West, and we want the girls game to grow as well."

A 501C organization, the Henderson Warriors were organized a little more than seven years ago by a group that wanted to bring the sport to Southern Nevada. The Warriors are a member of the Henderson Lacrosse Club, which is made up of 20 teams from Henderson middle and high schools. Its mission is to provide positive lacrosse experiences to elementary, middle and high-school girls and boys.

Being physically fit is a core value that the Henderson Lacrosse Club promotes, and it is important for them to offer physical activity opportunities to kids through playing the game of lacrosse.

Participation in the Henderson Lacrosse Club has grown from 188 players in 2008 to 311 in 2011.

Kulenkamp describes lacrosse as being "like hockey on air," and he says that the Warriors are really seeking to increase its numbers this year.

"Generating interest in the sport is the most important thing," he stated. "As we start to develop girl players at the elementary and middle school level, more of them will want to continue to play in high school, and lacrosse will become more and more popular. We teach girls who have no experience how to play the game."

The Henderson Warriors currently are practicing two days a week at Anthem Hills Park, located at 2256 N. Reunion Drive. The number of practice days each week will increase as the team gets closer to the beginning of its season in March.

Partnerships with local restaurants have helped the Warriors with fundraising, and the group is in the process of applying for a grant.

According to Laurie Rocchio, the Warriors' team manager and the mother of Lauren Rocchio, a member of the team, a lot of college scholarship opportunities are available to girls who have a love for the game of lacrosse.

"There are clinics, camps and tournaments all over the country where colleges recruit girl lacrosse players," Rocchio said. "The Ivy League schools have great lacrosse teams. Becoming a part of the Warriors would be a fantastic experience for any girl, and it could be a stepping stone to an outstanding college education. Lacrosse for girls is really an up and coming sport."

For more information about the Henderson Warriors lacrosse team, email Laurie Rocchio at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .