Breaking Barriers

Breaking Barriers Adaptive Lacrosse

Breaking Barriers Lacrosse is one of the first fully adaptive lacrosse programs in New York State. They service the greater Rochester area and have recently branched out to Syracuse, NY. They pride themselves on being adaptive and breaking down the game of lacrosse into the most basic components to facilitate learning. They provide a customized program to each of their campers highlighting their abilities and focusing on areas that require improvement. 


Recently they told us they’ve found the low bounce characteristics of our Swax Lax soft training balls to be an invaluable tool for their campers. Because their campers do not wear any kind of padding or protection from the traditional hard rubber lacrosse balls, Swax Lax balls are ideal in helping their campers experience the real feel of lacrosse balls without the uncontrolled bounce.

Breaking Barriers campers often need assistance handling their lacrosse stick, and foam, yarn, and light rubber balls don’t offer the weight the campers need to get any kind of lift on their ball. They say, "There is nothing like watching the face of a young player as he/she puts the ball in the net for the very first time."

A Mom’s Point of View — What Lacrosse Means to Camper Ashton and His Family

“In Ashton’s world, sports have had a beneficial effect on his overall health and well being. Ashton was born with cerebral palsy, microcephaly, spastic quadriplegia, and hypertonia. These are just a few of Ashton conditions that challenge him on a daily basis. Ashton uses a manual wheelchair for all mobility and transport to and from locations. The game of lacrosse has given Ashton the ability to enjoy a sport emotionally more than physically. The interaction with other kids of similar needs, whether they are physically or mentally needy, has had such a positive impact. But, what is more rewarding as a parent, is to see the family bonding between Ashton and his sisters. His sisters are avid lacrosse players and seeing him enjoy the game the same way his sisters do, is priceless.

Breaking Barriers Lacrosse not only gives special athletes athletic skills and the ability to express themselves, they also offer more opportunity, encouragement, and dexterity to survive in society than the public school system alone. To understand the differences and similarities between handicapped athletes and their non-handicapped peers is the first step in creating a program that best meets a child's needs. As a parent, I have witnessed Breaking Barriers Lacrosse exemplify this and I am extremely encouraged on how they adapt to each child’s need and requirements. No children are left out of any drills and inclusion is of high priority to this organization. Each camper rotates throughout several different drills that are set up with a mentor or camp director at his or her side. This transition has seen a boost of confidence with campers and the end result is that they have a group of children who leave with a smile on their face. This is rewarding for all parties involved whether you are a camper, director, mentor, or family.

Let’s remember that today’s children participate in all kinds of activities. A sport is the biggest and the best way for children to gain the skills necessary to succeed in life as responsible citizens and adults. Skills are taught that are needed to be healthy and happy, so including our special needs children/adults in these activities and letting them have the ability to participate and feel the success is of importance to their well being also."

We are proud to have the opportunity to support Breaking Barriers by supplying them with our soft Swax Lax training balls.