WILLIAMSBURG – Students, coaches, and parents filled the Williamsburg-James City County School Board meeting on Feb. 17 to continue to advocate for lacrosse to become a Virginia High School League varsity sport.
For years, lacrosse in WJCC has operated as a club program, requiring families to cover costs for dues, equipment, and transportation. Supporters told the board that designation as a varsity sport would provide recognition, funding, and broader access for students across the division.
Lawrence Hayek, assistant coach for the Jamestown High School boys lacrosse team, said the program is ready to compete at the varsity level.
“In just the short time that I’ve been associated with them, I have seen an immense desire for them to be part of the Virginia High School League,” Hayek said. “The maturity of the program would show that an investment would not be recognized as a startup, that this would be a growth investment for the program.”
Hayek added that the team has “won back-to-back championships within the club league” and said a varsity designation would directly benefit students both athletically and socially.
Such a move, he said, “would provide a direct impact to the students and those student athletes both with health and wellness and an extension beyond the classroom for camaraderie and work with their teammates.”
Luke Chauvin, a senior at Jamestown High School who has played lacrosse since he was 5, told board members the lack of official recognition diminishes the team’s accomplishments.
“In the last four years since I started playing for Jamestown, our team has gone to the championship three times and we’ve won twice the past two years,” Chauvin said. “But here’s the hard part. When we come back to our school from after winning the championships, there’s no celebration, no announcement. No one even mentions how we brought home a championship.”
Chauvin said the team’s efforts deserve the same recognition as other high school sports.
“All we’re asking for is a fair chance to be recognized and compete under the same banner as every other Virginia high school sport,” he said. “We’ve already proven our commitment, and now we’re just asking for recognition.”
Students from multiple schools echoed similar concerns about cost barriers. Many noted that club lacrosse requires families to pay hundreds of dollars and arrange their own transportation to practices and games.
Kate Hugh, who said she is “deeply entrenched in the WJCC lacrosse community,” told the board the current structure excludes students.
“We are taking an entire chunk of our WJCC community and saying, ‘Sorry, you can’t play,’” Hugh said. “The way we fix that is by making this a varsity sport. You already have the base. Like I said, it’s a matter of growing. It’s not a matter of creating.”
Several board members responded positively to the advocacy and acknowledged ongoing budget discussions surrounding lacrosse programs.
One board member, Michael Hosang said, “I’m an advocate for bringing lacrosse into our schools,” adding that participation in team activities helps students grow. “You learn so much by being a member of a team, whether it’s a lacrosse team or whether it’s a military team.”
“It’s great to come here and talk to us about lacrosse,” Hosang said. “You should also have those same conversations with the funding partners because ultimately they will give us a number.”
Another member, Dr. Daniel Cavazos, encouraged continued community engagement in funding discussions, noting that school board decisions are tied to allocations from local funding partners.
According to Cavazos, the estimated cost to launch a varsity lacrosse program has been placed at approximately $215,000, with additional capital improvements, including potential field upgrades, also under discussion.
While no final vote was taken during the meeting, board members indicated the issue remains part of ongoing budget deliberations.
For now, students say they will continue advocating.
The next Williamsburg-James City County School Board meeting is scheduled for March 3.
