Hi, my name is Brecken Laliberte, and I’ve been playing lacrosse for six years, with three of those years spent at Darlington School. I’m preparing for my senior lacrosse season this spring. Lacrosse is known as the fastest sport on two feet, and it’s also one of the fastest-growing sports at the collegiate level. Although it has historically been more popular in the North, states like Florida, California, and even Georgia have begun to adopt lacrosse into their culture. Here in Rome, where lacrosse has yet to gain significant traction, I have the opportunity through my Senior Ventures Project to introduce lacrosse as a way to bring people together—a sport that could continue to grow for years to come.
Lacrosse is a fast-paced, hard-nosed, technically demanding sport with roots going back nearly 900 years. With the right coaching and commitment, lacrosse can grow exponentially, and my goal is to contribute to that growth. Through teaching the younger generation and engaging with the local community, I hope to build a foundation for the sport. By partnering with external organizations, I plan to make lacrosse a staple in our area.
The reason I chose lacrosse for my Senior Ventures Project is because of the opportunity to provide others with the same experience I’ve had—being around friends and playing a team sport that requires everyone to work together. Lacrosse is not just about athleticism; it also enhances health and fosters a sense of community. Georgia, and the South in general hasn’t fully embraced lacrosse yet, and creating that expansion can only happen through local projects that bring people together—just like mine. Lacrosse is mentally and physically demanding, requiring the stamina of soccer, the brutality of football, and the accuracy of archery. But with hard work and great coaching, anyone can succeed. The Senior Ventures class has offered me the opportunity to show the people of Darlington and Rome the beauty of “the Medicine Game,” and I am making and will continue to make every effort to help this sport flourish.
So far, my project has been both rewarding and insightful. Through Darlington’s Senior Ventures Program, I’ve had the opportunity to launch an after-school lacrosse program that started in the fall. This program focused on introducing students of grades 3-5 to the fundamentals of lacrosse, including cradling, scooping, passing, catching, and shooting. The goal was to provide an engaging experience where participants could improve their skills while having fun. For just over a month, two times a week, about 15 or so student-athletes always came ready to learn, have fun, and become a team, laying the foreground for this ASA’s return next year.
Additionally, I’ve been collaborating with key administrators such as the athletic director and head lacrosse coach to initiate the repainting of the lacrosse wall. This wall represents the various lacrosse teams across all levels of the school, and I believe it will serve as a lasting visual symbol of unity within the Darlington Community. As part of the process, Coach Leezer and I are currently preparing the wall for painting, with the final repainting event planned for the following semester, involving all the lacrosse teams. This project has allowed me to learn more about organizing events and fostering collaboration between different school groups, all while promoting the growth of lacrosse at Darlington.
Looking ahead to the spring, I’m continuing to work with Ms. Christian and Ms. Botts at Extra Special People (ESP) to organize an event that will connect the Rome community with the Darlington and lacrosse communities. Though the details are still being worked out, one idea I’m excited to pitch is an Easter Egg Hunt for ESP participants. Each participant would be paired with a Darlington or local Rome “buddy” to make the event even more inclusive. My hope is that Darlington would provide baskets, lacrosse sticks, and plastic eggs filled with candy or small toys to minimize the burden on ESP. I’m also considering reaching out to the Java Joy truck to provide hot chocolate and coffee for both students and parents, though I’m still assessing the feasibility of this idea.
When I started this project, my goal was simple: to leave the lacrosse community at Darlington and in Rome in a better place than I found it. With the completion of the Lower Grades Lacrosse ASA and the ongoing work on the lacrosse wall, I feel I’ve made progress in achieving that goal at Darlington. The wall, in particular, will serve as a lasting legacy that connects the various levels of our lacrosse teams. Looking beyond Darlington, I’m eager to create a lasting impact in the community by working with ESP. Bringing together the people I’ve worked with and creating an event that fosters community engagement will be a meaningful way to cap off my lacrosse career at Darlington and my time in the program.
Here are some of the photos and information about the Lower Grades Lacrosse ASA we completed this fall.
Senior Ventures is a year-long academic program built on a framework of leadership, innovation and community engagement. Through a proven self-guided exploratory process, seniors whose proposals are selected for this program work independently to develop a project that’s interdisciplinary in scope and is connective, performance-based, investigative, or entrepreneurial. Click here to learn more.
