BLACK BEAR’s 2026 WINTER TRAINING ACADEMIES
Registration Now Open!
learn from the best...train with the best! we’ve assembled an elite coaching staff for our 6-week winter Academy programS offering high quality sports performance and position specific training. see our curriculum at the bottom to learn more!
Then JOIN THE MOVEMENT this winter to Learn From The Best and Train With The Best at our Elite Winter Training Academy
hosted at The Far Post’s Brand-New state-of-the-art Indoor Turf arena in Limerick, PA!
New this Winter! Black Bear’s Winter Foundations Academy is for beginner to intermediate boys and girls in grades 2nd-4th looking to grow their passion for the game and improve their fundamentals and team play in a fun/challenging environment. This co-ed program is designed to improve players' fundamental skills and understanding of team play throughout the Winter in preparation for their middle school or recreational program lacrosse seasons. Players will be grouped by grade and experience for this program.
Black Bear’s Position Training Academy is back for year 5! The Position Training Academy is designed for Intermediate and Advanced Boys in grades 5-8 with at least 2 years of playing experience who are seeking to develop advanced skills to excel at their position (Goaltender, Defense, Midfield, and Attack). Players will be pushed beyond their current skill sets in a competitive team-first environment.
Register for Black Bear’s 2026
Winter Training Academies
Where? The Far Post’s indoor turf arena in
Limerick, PA
Who? Beginner, Intermediate to Advanced Boys and Girls Lacrosse Players in grades 2nd-8th
When?
Wednesdays Starting Jan 21 through Feb 25
co-ed Winter Foundations Academy for grades 2nd-4th 7pm-8pm
position training academy for girls in grades 5th-8th 7pm-8pm
position training academy for boys in grades 5th-8th 8pm-9pm
COST? $375 per player
PROGRAM DIRECTORs:
Bryan Churchey-2x mercury newspaper coach of the year (2018/2021) & a phillylacrosse.com coach of the year nominee in 2021, head coach of black bear 2030 & associate head coach of 2028 and 2026 teams, HS program director, head coach at perkiomen valley high school.
GRady Wise- 18 years high school coaching experience current assistant varsity coach at spring-ford high school, and former head varsity coach at boyertown high school. Black bear middle school program director and 2032 head coach
Offensive Coaches:
Mike Orlando- 2028 Head Coach, Spring-Ford Youth Coach, Former Springfield-Delco Player and Coach
Jack Scaliti-Captain and Starting Midfielder at Stevenson University (2021 Mercury Newspaper Player of the Year), & Guest Offensive Coaches from Local Colleges!
Defensive Coaches:
Sam Romania- Phoenixville High School Varsity Assistant Coach; Played LSM/Defense at Neumann University; Black Bear 2031 Head Coach
Bob Capozzoli- Upper Darby High School Varsity Assistant Coach and Black Bear 2030 Defensive Coordinator
Goalie Coach:
Ryan Candelori- Black Bear 2031 Assistant Coach and Current Assistant Coach at Souderton High School. Former Goaltender at Perkiomen Valley High School and Notre Dame’s Club Team.
Black Bear’s Winter Position Training Academy is tailored towards advanced and immediately skilled players looking for an edge on their competition.
This performance-based curriculum uses FOUR-CORE Areas:
Foundational Player Development
Athletic Skill Set Development
Positional Skill Set Development
Mental (Lax IQ) Development
Why Train With Us?
QUALITY over Quantity: For each 60 minutes of training we are capping enrollment currently at 4 Goalies, 12 Defenseman, 6 LSMs, 10 Midfielders, and 10 Attackmen (40 athletes total)
QUALITY Coaches: You can see below but we’re serious about who is training your son, Learn From The Best! Athletes will go through four 90-minute weekly sessions of our Performance-Based Curriculum in an up-tempo, high energy environment!
Player-Focused Model: At Black Bear we have a passion to serve our community everything we do is to serve you, your family, and your son. We have a proven model that has helped thousands of kids in the area learn to love and excel at lacrosse. Let us help your son be the next in a long legacy of excellence!
Performance-Based Curriculum
Foundation Skill Development
Passing, Catching, Ground balls: We start every session with our traffic-passing drill for a high rep, no standing, fast-paced Foundational skill work. RH-LH-Splits-Gbs 100 reps in less than 10 minutes.
Position Skill Development
Small group training for each position with coaches that played the position and are passionate about teaching the skill necessary to be successful.
Game Time!
Athletes will have a chance to compete in live play to practice their position skills against grade appropriate opponents!
Mental (LAX IQ) Development
Each week we will be focusing on different team concepts on both sides of the ball that will help our players better understand the purpose of the “WHY” behind each area of focus. Each week students will be given a homework assignment by their coaches to study a short YouTube Video from one of our favorite people Patrick Chapla of “POWLAX. Check his channel for great “how to” videos on understanding the game of lacrosse.