The Beginnings

Truly, an American sport, lacrosse is a game that was first played by native people and later adapted by the French Canadians. An Olympic sport in the early 20th century, lacrosse has long been popular on the East Coast. In 2004, for example, 40,000 people gathered in Baltimore to watch the NCAA lacrosse finals. And, while Midwestern cities such as Cincinnati and Columbus,  Ohio, have established boys and girls teams, Dayton had none until 2004.

John Reed's son Eric became interested in the sport when his family lived in Virginia . Reed tried to organize a high school-age team when his family moved to Dayton but found local schools were unwilling to promote the sport. Being self-supporting, the fledgling Dayton team didn't have the finances to advertise. By the end of July 2002, Reed had 13 high school-age boys who wanted to play. The problem was that they needed full gear to compete and no one wanted to invest in equipment until they were sure there would be a team.

"Kind of like the chicken and the egg thing, so we closed out our clinic in July for the summer," Reed said.  When Patti Jo Vore moved to the Dayton area from Virginia , she discovered the closest opportunity for her son Daniel to play was in Cincinnati .  "Daniel told me in no uncertain terms he did not want to drive to Cincinnati to play. If there was a team in Dayton , fine," Patti Jo Vore said.  When Vore found Reed had been trying to start a team, she took on the challenge. Vore assumed the roles of organizer, media relations, fund-raiser, outfitter and team mother. Harry Calcutt, a retired Air Force colonel, who has played lacrosse since he attended the Air Force Academy Prep School in 1968, offered to act as head coach.  "I feel an obligation to give something back to a sport that I've enjoyed for over 30 years," Calcutt said.  

Andrew Johnson, a member of the Dayton Lacrosse Club's first team, knew little about lacrosse when he read about a Fall 2003 clinic in the local newspaper. It sounded like the right mix of hockey and soccer, so Johnson told his parents he wanted to play.   "It's awesome," Andrew's mother, Katie, said. "It gets your blood pumping to watch it."  Andrew was one of 87 boys who played in 2004 for the Dayton Lacrosse Club. They traveled to Cincinnati and Columbus to play more experienced teams and although the club claimed few wins their inaugural season, the boys and their families were hooked on the game.

2012 Dayton Lacrosse Club Organization