Stealth Rookie Jarett Park Takes Lacrosse to School as Sticks-2-Schools Resource Director

February 15, 2006 ---- San Jose, CA ---- Defenseman Jarett Park is spreading his love of lacrosse to Bay Area youth as the new Sticks-2-Schools resource director. Sticks-2-Schools was launched in 2005 as a way of enabling more than 20,000 elementary school children to get fit while learning about the game of lacrosse. Co-founded by TEAM Construction and Development, Inc. and the San Jose Stealth, the program is funded by local businesses and provides free lacrosse sticks and balls to children’s physical education classes.

“I was looking for something I could do during the week,” said the Stealth rookie, who recently moved from New York to San Jose to make his NLL debut. “[Stealth General Manager] Johnny Mouradian mentioned it to me at dinner one night and it turned out to be this great program. I went to two elementary schools this week and the kids are out of their minds with excitement, watching and playing. Most of them have never even heard of lacrosse. So far, the kids love it.”

Park is a perfect fit for the job, as he started playing the game young. Like many players on the team, he was introduced to the game by his father, who bought Park his first stick. Born in Chicago, he attended Syracuse University, where he played Division I lacrosse for four years. Park was selected in the second round of the 2005 NLL Entry Draft (19th overall) by the Stealth.

Lacrosse has typically been more popular on the East Coast, but Park commented that he sees the game moving west. Sticks-2-Schools is a great program for encouraging the game in the Bay Area. Park is interested in spreading the popularity of the sport in the local area. He foresees an expansion for all ages.

“It seems like these kids are really into the game,” he said. “If even a couple kids in each class get interested, that’s a huge number that start playing. When the younger kids start playing, the more interest gets generated early. Then we can get all the high schools to start fielding teams and then more colleges out here can do the same. It can only get more popular.”

For now, the rookie is just adjusting to life with the Stealth. The team begins a two-game road trip on Feb. 11 against Colorado, where Park hopes to see some playing time. In the meantime, he will continue to meet with elementary school students to play his favorite game.

The San Jose Stealth, (www.sjstealth.com), a member of the National Lacrosse League (NLL), plays at HP Pavilion. TEAM Construction and Development, Inc. (www.team-construction.com), a member of the TEAMWRKX family of companies, is the 25th largest commercial contractor in Silicon Valley, offering construction, building management and technology services.

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