Teacher Grows Girls' Lacrosse to 50 Players in Mid-Missouri

When Joe Bennett saw one coach struggling with more kids than expected at a lacrosse clinic, he did what felt natural. He asked if he could help.

That simple question five years ago transformed youth lacrosse in mid-Missouri. Bennett, a high school biology teacher in Columbia, has grown the Columbia Youth Lacrosse girls' program from a handful of players to nearly 50 athletes across elementary and middle school teams.

"When I'm doing lacrosse and I am engaged, I feel good," Bennett said. "It makes me happy to see other people get that lacrosse bug."

Bennett caught that bug himself as a middle school student in Houston. As a multi-sport athlete who also swam and played soccer and baseball, lacrosse immediately felt different when he first picked up a stick.

"I was completely hooked," he said. "I was not going back."

His passion never faded through high school at Lamar High School or as a collegiate club player at the University of Wisconsin. Now he's passing it on to two generations of players, including his own daughters.

Under his leadership since 2023 as head coach, the program now has competitive 10U and 12U teams. He recruits new athletes, builds relationships with families and schools, and makes lacrosse accessible in a region where the sport barely existed.

"Joe has been instrumental in growing lacrosse in mid-Missouri," said Neha Chugh-Gupta, a Columbia Youth Lacrosse board member. "He organizes community events, promotes the sport's cultural heritage, and leverages his teaching background to connect lacrosse with educational opportunities."

The Ripple Effect

Bennett's impact extends beyond the youth program. This year he also took on coaching the boys' team at Rock Bridge High School, where he teaches biology.

The challenge is real. Columbia sits right in the middle of Missouri, about 100 miles from the nearest high school teams in St. Louis or Kansas City. Most teams won't travel that far for a game.

"We have to travel a lot," Bennett said. "Most teams are not chomping at the bit to come here because they can just stay in St. Louis or stay in Kansas City."

But Bennett sees the obstacles as opportunities. As someone who learned to use wit and strategy to compete as a smaller player, he teaches his students that lacrosse rewards mental approach as much as physical prowess.

"I view it as a good virus," he said with a teacher's flair for metaphor. "It gets in your DNA and it alters your core and makes you better, almost like an evolutionary thing."

His dedication is building something lasting in a place where lacrosse was once unheard of, one player at a time.