The sport of lacrosse is growing by leaps and bounds in Estevan.
Not only can Estevan Minor Box Lacrosse boast a team at every level this season, but there will also be a senior lacrosse team for the first time.
The new squad will be known as the Estevan Harris Oilfield Impact and will play out of the Prairie Gold Lacrosse League's senior division.
Impact coach Jody Harris said the team has roughly 15 players. Most are from Estevan, although the club also includes players from Swift Current, Esterhazy and Weyburn.
The Impact also has several former top scorers in the PGLL's junior division.
Former Estevan Big Dogs players Kelsy Omland, Lucas Smyth and Colin Fogarty were the driving force behind putting a senior team together. With all three having graduated from the junior program and having nowhere to play, they enlisted Harris's help in putting a team together.
Former Big Dogs captain Ryan Curzon is also among the players on the team.
Harris said she wanted to "help out these young guys and get this rolling." She will be behind the bench because the team is required to have a certified coach.
The growth of lacrosse at the lower levels is also paying dividends now for the senior club.
"I call it an evolution. We've got kids in tyke, and now some of their dads, who have graciously come out to coach, are actually playing on this senior team now. Hopefully we can continue this. To me, that's a huge step for our association," said Harris.
The Impact is one of only three teams in the PGLL's senior division, along with the Regina Heat and the Saskatoon Brewers. They begin their season on Saturday and Sunday with games in Saskatoon.
With only an eight-game schedule, their first home games will not be until June 8-9, when they host the Heat for two games.
Harris said roughly 60 per cent of the roster has previous lacrosse experience. She said the primary focus is on fun, but she also doesn't expect the Impact to be a doormat.
"My first expectation is for the guys to have fun, to go on the road or in town and have that camaraderie, build that friendship. It's being united over a game they really like. They're going to be on the floor to win, I know it. My plan to coach is not going to be teaching a whole bunch of skills and systems, but just ensuring that the testosterone and energy levels are in check, and basically more encouraging than anything."
On Thursday, the Impact and Big Dogs played an exhibition game, and Harris said it was "a proud moment" for the sport's growth in Estevan.
"We had close to 35 guys on the floor. That's a big deal. That's success, that's doing things right."
Local lacrosse is also experiencing a boom at the grassroots levels. There are 30 kids in the tyke program and 34 in novice. That comes only two years after a combined tyke/novice team had only 12 players.
There are 22 players signed up for peewee, 15 for bantam and 11 for midget.
The tyke and novice teams will play intrasquad games and will also go to a tournament each. The peewee, bantam and midget teams will all play exhibition games.
Harris said the peewee and midget teams will likely enter provincials, with the midgets also taking players from the bantam team.
The midget team will be known as the Thunder and is sponsored by Baxter Trucking, while the bantams are named the Warriors and are sponsored by Cathedral Energy.
Estevan Minor Box Lacrosse will be holding a steak fundraiser on May 7. Tickets are $25.
