Despite plans to have moved to a new location in the Inner Harbor by spring 2009, U.S. Lacrosse still remains at its headquarters next to Homewood Field on University West Parkway.
Although they have not carried out their original plans to move, Colleen Sperry Aungst, public relations manager for U.S. Lacrosse, said that they still intend to do so.
"We're outgrowing our space here. Our staff has doubled over the past four years," Aungst said.
Relocating would also provide the U.S. Lacrosse headquarters with more exposure to the Baltimore community and to fans visiting the city.
"We need a new location that highlights the sport, a place that's affordable as well as conducive to size and space," she said.
Several factors have slowed the moving process, including a lack of financing due to the economic downturn. According to Augnst, finances could limit the organization's plans to move even further.
"Our goal is to move in three years, but in terms of the way the economy is right now, that might change," she said.
Jerry Schnydman, executive assistant to Hopkins's president and former Hopkins lacrosse player, said that U.S. Lacrosse hoped to obtain not only more office space but also athletic fields where players can practice.
"If possible they're hoping for some fields so that they could do training at U.S. Lacrosse," Schyndman said.
In 2007, U.S. Lacrosse had been looking at the Inner Harbor as a potential area for relocation. According to Aungst, the organization still considers the Inner Harbor to be a desirable location and a potential option.
Schnydman felt that the Inner Harbor was a particularly attractive location with regards to increasing traffic for the headquarters, owing to its popularity with tourists.
"They are hopeful for a greater visitor option," he said.
"From their point of view I can understand that the downtown area allows for people, when they come to visit Baltimore, to easily go to visit the Hall of Fame too."
According to Aungst, the majority of people who come to visit the headquarters and the Hall of Fame are families of players and college lacrosse fans.
"We get a lot of fans of opponents when teams come to play Hopkins as well as a lot of high school teams and other college teams that are in the area," she said.
Schnydman felt that when U.S. Lacrosse finally moves, its absence from the Hopkins campus would have a negligible effect on Hopkins lacrosse and the University.
"Years ago, when the precursor to U.S. Lacrosse, the Hall of Fame, was here, it was advantageous for both organizations to have the Hall of Fame on campus," he said.
"Now because lacrosse is so widespread, there isn't necessarily an advantage for Hopkins to have the lacrosse headquarters close by."
U.S. Lacrosse is the sport's national governing body. It was founded in 1998, and emerged along with the increasing popularity of lacrosse. The organization is a conglomerate of a number of national lacrosse organizations that previously existed.
The organization also collaborates with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in order to oversee the sport.
The organization offers a coaching education program, national player clinics, physical education curriculum for schools and referee training programs.
It is also responsible for fielding the men and women's national teams as well as the under-19 teams.
U.S. Lacrosse is also involved with rules that focus on player safety. In the recent past, they have established rules to reduce injuries on the field, such as prohibiting contact with the head.
The organization also plays a role in helping to develop the sport at the collegiate and high-school level, especially at schools where funding for lacrosse is low.
The U.S. Lacrosse offices on campus are also home to the National Hall of Fame, an organization that has been honoring individuals with induction since 1957.
The Hall of Fame not only honors individual players, but also provides other awards to those who have contributed to the sport in other ways.
The Hall of Fame gives awards of lifetime achievement to individuals who have progressed the sport throughout their lives, and a team distinction award recognizes the contribution of specific teams to the sport.
The Lacrosse Museum also educates visitors about the history of lacrosse, tracing its development to modern times from its inception as a Native American sport, and features trophies, jerseys and other memorabilia.
- Additional Reporting by Thomas Danner
