Five fearless young Petaluma Rivercats U11 Lacrosse players have made the grade for the first Northern California BOX lacrosse travel team set to compete on an International level in Calgary, Canada, this summer.

Petaluma's 10 & 11-year olds, Tommy Buickerood, Max Bechtel, Matt Salazar, Spencer Almy and Kyle Gomez-Fowers have been bitten by the lacrosse bug, big-time. Not only are they storming the fields of the Bay Area and beyond in one of the top regional U11A field lacrosse teams, these intrepid Petaluma Rivercat players have been carpooling (thanks to their dedicated parents, I must add) down to San Jose for regular indoor lacrosse training with the sports top pros.

Indoor Lacrosse is known simply as "Box" in Canada, where it originated and remains the most popular form of the sport, largely, I would imagine, due to climate.

Box Lacrosse is traditionally played on an indoor ice hockey rink once the ice has been removed or covered after the winter season. Two teams of six players each make this an altogether faster, rougher, compact version of the outdoor sport, more along the lines of hockey contact.

Pro lacrosse player with the San Jose Stealth, Shaydon Santos is the man behind the movement here in the South Bay, after bringing real Box lacrosse (Canadian Rules) to California. Shayden grew up in Canada and has a passion to share his favorite game with Bay Area youth.

California's 10 & 11-year-old players are required to raise the money to support their trip - jerseys, additional equipment, facility time for practice, tournament fees and travel to Calgary.

The boys will "billet" with host families during the June tournament. Paired with a host from the Calgary Axemen team, the lads will stay 4 nights, eat their meals and hang with their Canadian pals when not at the tournament facility.

Some of the kids will stay with a fellow Cali*Lax team mate at their host family's home and other boys may have to brave it alone. A huge part of the experience for our young 1998-born Petaluma boys, some of whom are now in line at the post office for their very first passports.

Cool, lacrosse fundraising merchandise is available on-line. There's no denying that lacrosse is something of an 'accessory' sport, with sticks and heads and gloves a near fanatical phenom with passionate players. All good negotiating tools - a new set of strings for several additional chore responsibilities. Works wonders. Go Cats, go!