BALTIMORE - US Lacrosse and its Youth Council will honor 12 individuals from around the nation for their service to youth lacrosse, as announced today by Jennifer Allen, director of programs for US Lacrosse. The group will be honored at the third annual US Lacrosse Youth Council Awards Breakfast, sponsored by Bacharach and STX, on Jan. 10 during the US Lacrosse National Convention, presented by Under Armour, at the Philadelphia Marriott.

The US Lacrosse Youth Council solicited nominations from around the country who have made significant contributions to youth programs over time. The 12 honorees represent 10 states.

Dr. Joel Fish, director of The Center for Sports Psychology in Philadelphia, will serve as the keynote speaker for the breakfast. Dr. Fish has been a sport psychology consultant for the Philadelphia Flyers, 76ers, Eagles, and Phillies organizations and the USA Women's National Soccer Team. Tickets for the ceremony and breakfast will be available on the US Lacrosse web site at www.uslacrosse.org. This year's recipients are:

Outstanding Contribution to the Game (3 recipients):
Kate Dresher, Denver, Colo.
Stanley Swanson, Eagle, Idaho
Jay Williams, Scituate, Mass.

Dresher has played an important role in the development of lacrosse in Colorado. A former athletic director and middle school coach at Colorado Academy, Dresher currently serves as executive director of the Colorado Girls Lacrosse Association, a board member of the Colorado Lacrosse Foundation, and vice president of the US Lacrosse Youth Council.

Swanson, the 1954 recipient of the SchmeisserTrophy as the nation's outstanding defenseman while playing at Navy, has been active in promoting the sport in Idaho. Swanson is a boys' lacrosse coach at Eagle High School and a member of Idaho Lacrosse Association board.

Williams has been vital to the growth of the sport in Massachusetts. From 1994 to 2001, Williams served as president of the Massachusetts Bay Youth Lacrosse League, helping the organization grow from 800 participants to over 6,000. Williams serves on the US Lacrosse Board of Directors as representative of the Youth Council and the Executive Committee.

Girls' Youth Coach of the Year: Kent Roberts, Portland, Ore.
Roberts started the first girls' middle school team in the state of Oregon at West Sylvan Middle School and his passion helped the sport explode. After having to travel out of state for any games in its first season, last year there were 11 teams representing nine middle schools in the Portland area with many more expected for 2004.

Boys' Youth Coach of the Year: Jon Bock, Englewood, Colo.
Bock's motto of "Let's just play good lacrosse," has served the state of Colorado well. A former head coach at the University of Denver, Bock has been a coach with the Creek Indians youth lacrosse program for the last seven years, coaching two age groups the last four years.

Program Administrator of the Year: Robert Garry, Mamaroneck, N.Y.
Since introducing Larchmont Mamaroneck Youth Lacrosse with this mission, "...This program is for our children. They will have fun and feel good about themselves every time they leave our lacrosse field," Garry has overseen one of the country's most successful youth lacrosse programs. After starting with 117 children in 1998, the program has grown every year and featured over 500 boys and girls participating last year.

Outstanding Youth Official/Umpire: Paul Bycoffe, Coppell, Texas
Bycoffe has been a fixture in North Texas officiating girls' and women's lacrosse for over a decade. His style of helping to teach new lacrosse players the rules within the flow of the game has been praised by many in Texas.

Exceptional Double-Goal Coach: Sean Buzzard, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Buzzard has been active in Western Pennsylvania lacrosse and in particular with the North Hills Boys Lacrosse Club where he has been a seventh and eighth grade coach for the last four years. Buzzard has been a strong advocate for the "Honor the Game" motto of the Positive Coaching Alliance, a national partner of US Lacrosse.

Exceptional BRIDGE Lacrosse Coach: Eric Ludwig, Leland, N.C.
Ludwig took over a struggling program at Myrtle Grove Middle School and over the last six years has turned it into one that is helping scores of youngsters. Last year, 63 players tried out for the team and Ludwig made no cuts. Fifty-three of them finished the season, with Myrtle Grove winning the New Hanover County Middle School lacrosse championship.
(The US Lacrosse BRIDGE (Building Relationships to Initiate Diversity Growth and Enrichment) Initiative works to introduce and expand the sport of lacrosse in nontraditional and under-served communities, and promotes the individual and collective growth of participants through instruction, opportunity and relationships.).

Most Innovative Youth Coaches: Brendan Cowan and Christian Folk, Friday Harbor, Wash.
Cowan and Folk helped make lacrosse a reality in the San Juan Islands, a remote island community in the Pacific Northwest. After Folk introduced the sport in a physical education class, the duo formed the Dragons Lacrosse Club, which brings together students from the local private and public high school as well as home-schoolers.

Excellence in Growing the Game: Suzanne Maline Brown, Albany, Calif.Brown has been a driving force behind lacrosse development in Northern California. She started the Skyline Lacrosse Club (fourth to eighth grade) and is active in the Northern California Junior Lacrosse Association, the league with which Skyline is affiliated. She also is president of the Northern California Women's Lacrosse Association, a post-collegiate league, and a board member of the US Lacrosse Northern California chapter.