Few realize that lacrosse, which is finally hitting its stride among youth sports in America, is actually the oldest sport in America.  In fact, it’s believed to have been invented by Native Americans.  For the past decade, though, lacrosse has been number one on the list of fastest growing high school sports in America, and the lacrosse program at Camp Starlight has very much mirrored that trend.  Just a few short summers ago, lacrosse was a sport enjoyed primarily by Upper Camp boys at Starlight.  Within the past few years, however, it has exploded in popularity and is now very enthusiastically enjoyed by Upper and Lower Camp as well as boys and girls alike.  In fact, some of Camp Starlight’s most powerful teams are Girls Camp teams.  We talked to Starlight’s new Head of Lacrosse, Georgia State University Head Coach Billy McCullough, about the program, and he had some really positive things to say about his staff and the program.

Billy came into the summer hoping to improve the skills of his specialists as young coaches and turn campers onto a great sport.  So far things on right on track.  In fact, if he had to pick just one word to describe how things are going at lacrosse this summer, it’s “great”—as in “great games, great kids, and building some great friendships.”

In particular, Billy is proud of the amount of growth he is seeing in the skills of the younger campers, to which he credits the assistance of his great staff and instructors.  In fact, he can’t help but brag about them.  “Taylor is the best! A great instructor and learner with a positive attitude everyday.  And Jordan has done a wonderful job with the boys.  He’s a great young coach with a bright future.”

Billy himself is a very enthusiastic former football player.  In fact, he played four years of college football at his alma mater, Valdosta State University in Georgia.  After college, he coached youth, high school, and college football and lacrosse before transitioning full time into his current head coaching role at Georgia State.

As for looking ahead, Billy says he hopes to take away great memories from the summer and for each camper to take his or her experiences home and apply the skills they learned here at camp.