As you all know, this past week Governor Wolf announced that he was extending the school closure through the remainder of the academic year.  Bethel Park School District subsequently confirmed this closure which includes all BP facilities and fields. After weighing our options, the Bethel Park Youth Lacrosse Board has made the tough decision to cancel the 2020 spring lacrosse season. 

 

While most of you probably assumed this was coming, we did take time to explore alternatives. Given that many factors would be at play (e.g., players' summer availability, field status, 8th-grade eligibility, opponent availability, and an unknown end-date to the current quarantine) we felt that cancellation was the the most responsible option.

 

 

1. Each family will receive a refund check from this season which will be calculated as your registration fee, less $50 for the customized uniform. 

For example: if you paid $150 for your child, you would receive a check in the mail for $100. 

 

2. Keep in mind that we ran 2 early bird specials and 1 regular rate period, so your rate depended upon what date you registered your child/children. We will need to look at each of your accounts to determine that amount, along with your refund.  

 

The rates for the 2020 season were as follows:

8U - early bird $100 / special discount $125 / regular preseason rate $150

10U, 12U, & 14U - early bird $150 / special discount $175 / regular preseason rate $200  

 

3. The SportsConnect (formerly Blue Sombrero) online processing fee will not be a part of your refund. For example: if you go back and look at your recorded transaction, you may notice that the final amount on a $150 purchase was $153. This is because SportConnect added a fee for them to facilitate the registration and process your credit card. That money went to them and was not collected by BPYLA.

 

4. The goal is to have these refund checks to you by Monday, April 20th.  As we will need time to organize this process and complete it accurately, we want to be realistic about the turnaround time.  Our hope is that you receive it earlier, but please understand that the expectation is for it to arrive by Monday, April 20th.

 

5. For those who did not yet pick up their uniform...the next pick up is scheduled for this coming Wednesday evening (4/15) from 6:30 pm to 7:30 pm. 

There are around 25 players that still have not picked up their uniform.  They will be in the driveway in alphabetical order at 127 Bluestone Drive, BP 15102.  An email reminder will go out on Wednesday morning as well.

 

There may be some planned opportunities available after we get through all of this craziness.  Depending on when social distancing guidelines are loosened, the board has discussed organizing a possible weekend tournament or clinic in partnership with a few other south hills schools. We are heartbroken to have to cancel this season and would love to try and put something together down the line.  We will let you know if this happens.

 

In addition, we will be in contact with Coach Schreiber of BP high school lacrosse to see how they plan to proceed in the months ahead.  This information will be passed on to our 8th grade parents in preparation for junior varsity.

 

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to those of you who volunteered as coaches and business managers this year. Your willingness to help lead is what makes organizations like BPYLA a great environment for young athletes to grow.

 

And finally, a big THANK YOU to all of you for your patience and understanding during this time.  We hope everyone remains in good spirits and players continue practicing and exploring their interest in lacrosse as much as possible. Our program will return stronger and better than ever. Go Hawks!