Following the California Interscholastic Federation’s decision to declare lacrosse an officially sanctioned sport for the 2006 season, Malibu High School administrators and coaches must decide to elevate its team to CIF status or remain at the club level.
By Stephen Dorman/Special to The Malibu Times
For the past six years, the Malibu High Lacrosse Club has transformed itself into a powerhouse in the Pacific Coast Lacrosse Association. In that time, the Sharks have captured three middle school championships (2000, 2001 and 2002) and a pair of high school titles (2003 and 2005). This year, MHS went a perfect 5-0 in league play, with a 15-1 overall mark and a second league title in three years.
Following the California Interscholastic Federation’s decision to implement lacrosse as an officially sanctioned sport in the Southern Section, the Sharks are looking to test their skills at a whole new level. However, financial ramifications and lack of local competition threaten to derail the team’s ascent to CIF status.
“Schools can now acknowledge [lacrosse] as a CIF sport,” MHS athletic director Jeff Gardella said. “What we’re finding, though, is a lot of the good teams we play are not going to do it this year and are going to stay as a club. The problem that presents is that if you go CIF, you can only play CIF-member teams. So if a lot of the teams we play do not go CIF, we’re going to be restricted in who we can play.”
Gardella said he doesn’t believe any schools in the Frontier League will opt for CIF status in lacrosse in 2006, adding the closest league that could decide to join CIF may be the Condor League, which has schools located in Ojai, Carpinteria and Santa Barbara. Playing schools in those areas would bring heavy transportation costs and probably force kids to miss significant school time during the season, he said.
But MHS head coach Josh Waldbaum says there are alternatives being discussed, including the formation of a league specifically designed to accommodate schools that decide to elevate lacrosse clubs into CIF. Waldbaum also expects approximately 14 of the 18 schools currently competing in the PCLA to move up. In addition to MHS, schools such as Beverly Hills, Palos Verdes, Pacific Palisades and Harvard-Westlake currently compete in the PCLA.
“Right know were not really sure how the league is going to be structured,” Waldbaum said. “Obviously, it can’t be Frontier League versus Miramonte League because there just aren’t enough teams within those leagues to participate. So we are talking with CIF to form some kind of league which all the teams can participate in…I think it’s going to get done.”
School pride and financial relief are just a few of the reasons both Gardella and Waldbaum said they’d like lacrosse to become a varsity sport next year. As it is now, there are over 60 players currently playing boys’ lacrosse, and all have to pay more than $700 per year for participation costs. In addition to its varsity and middle school players, MHS also started its first girls’ lacrosse team this season, with solid participation across the board, according to Waldbaum.
“The problem with the club, for the kids, is that they don’t feel part of the school,” Waldbaum said. “They don’t get games announced on the speaker at school. They don’t get the same treatment as they would if it was a varsity sport after school. They don’t get a varsity letter, PE credit, or a lot of other things a varsity sport gets. Some of the stuff seems trivial, but to a kid it can be big to get the recognition.”
Despite a lack of team recognition, MHS had a pair of players who were rewarded for their performances in 2005. Goalie Jason Kho, who had a 2.71 goals against average this year, and Andrew Heric both earned All-American honors this season and will move on and play college lacrosse at the Division I level. Kho will also play for the Korean national team this summer.
“Over the last three years, we’ve had five of the seven players in our league to earn All-American status,” Waldbaum said. “I’m happy for the boys. We’ve had a great run.”
A decision regarding the proposed move to CIF is expected to come by August. Gardella said he believes the move is at least a year away, while Waldbaum remains optimistic something can get done sooner.
“[Gardella] thinks it’s a problem.” Waldbaum said. “I don’t. Don’t get me wrong, he’s been extremely supportive along the way. Without his support we wouldn’t be where we are at today. But I really think we can get something done.”