Rest in peace, Jeff Pettit. 🥍💙
I love lacrosse, at an almost spiritual level — the history, its origins as an Indigenous sport, the connections it builds, the communities it creates. Jeff Pettit may have loved it more, and he certainly gave more to the game than most.
I didn’t grow up in Media, didn’t go to Penncrest, and Jeff never personally coached me or my kids — but I heard his name long before we moved to DELCO. So often in fact, that I felt like I knew him before we’d even met.
His name is synonymous with lacrosse, his reputation is sterling, and I’ve never once heard a negative word spoken about him.
We eventually connected through the Rose Tree Optimist Lacrosse that club he created, and which I was thrilled to volunteer for. It became my favorite place to be, and the friendships my kids and I made there are ones we’ll always treasure.
Jeff was accessible, gracious, funny, humble, and endlessly welcoming. He remembered my kids’ names after meeting them once, always answered emails and texts, and never dampened my energy around even the most far-reaching ideas.
About six weeks ago, my friend Lyle Thompson called, looking for practice space for his team, Futures. The team is all Haudenosaunee players from Onondaga, Tyendinaga, Akwesasne, and other territories, and they were coming to the area for a tournament. I knew exactly who to call. Jeff said yes before he even had a plan, and he, his son Evan, and his daughter Caitlin pulled together the space and players for an evening none of us will ever forget.
That day I learned the story behind the Optimist logo. I was so happy to learn that Jeff worked directly with an Indigenous artist to get it right. There’s a real difference between “Native inspired” and “Indigenous made”, this was the latter and I am so grateful to Jeff for that.
The lacrosse world lost one of its best. Moving forward I aspire to pour my own energy into the Optimist lacrosse community, into coaching wherever and whenever I can, and into growing this game, as generously as he did.
TRP Lacrosse Academy
Share
🥍 Elevating lacrosse through skill mastery & strategic deception. Master your game with TRP Lacrosse Academy. However, we go beyond the basics.
At TRP Lacrosse Academy, we believe that mastering the fundamentals is the gateway to transformative lacrosse performance. Our training methodology combines proven techniques, repetition, and a calculated pace to ensure athletes develop exceptional passing, catching, shooting, and dodging skills. Our signature approach infuses a critical element into each player's game: deception. By understanding
First night of training and evals was amazing! Two more chances to join the movement. Jr. Waterdogs Player Performance Pathway!
Registration 🔗 in bio
Waterdogs PPP is getting geared up!!! 2 more day camp/evals for only $20 combined!!!! Come play with the big dogs!!!
- PLL draft 5th overall pick 🚨
- 62 points in his final college season at U Albany 📈
- Two America East titles 🏆
Meet Silas Richmond — Philadelphia Waterdogs attack 🥍🔥
🔗 to register for Waterdogs Player Performance Pathway evals in bio
“The best 20 bucks I’ve ever spent in my life was three Waterdogs tryouts.”
TRP Lacrosse Academy and Jr Waterdogs Player Performance Pathway are proud to welcome Dr. Erin Stephen to the team! 🥍
She didn’t pick up a stick until her freshman year of high school.
By senior year, she was recruited to Lafayette. Four-year starter. Patriot League Rookie of the Year.
Earned her master’s in education, and built a high school girls program from scratch because her town didn’t have one for girls.
Coached D-II at Holy Family. Earned her doctorate in educational leadership, studying how kids actually learn. 🧠
Brought all of it back to the sideline.
Now she’s helping launch the first girls program of its kind, right here in Philly! 🥨
Her message to any parent on the fence:
“Come and check it out. After three sessions, if you leave not better than where you started, then shame on us.”
Tryouts start THIS SUNDAY 👇
📅 Aug 23 · Aug 30 · Sep 13
🔗 Link in bio
08/19/2026
Tryouts are here. 🐾🥍
Year Two of the Jr. Waterdogs Player Performance Pathway starts now — and this year, we’re adding girls’ programming. 💜
📅 Aug 23 · Aug 30 · Sept 13
📍 WSFS Bank Sportsplex
💵 $20 flat — come to one, come to all three
🔥 Year-round training with
⚡ Position-specific coaching
🏆 Pro-level access to the Philadelphia Waterdogs
🗻 Guaranteed spot at Lake Placid
Not a club team. Not a replacement for yours. Just skill development and Technique, Repetition, and Pace. 💪
🔗 Link in bio to register.
The line-item emojis do double duty here — they break up the block visually, which matters since Instagram truncates after about two lines and the rest sits behind “more.” Anyone who taps through gets a scannable list rather than a wall.
If you want it heavier, swap 🐾🥍 for 🐾🥍💜 in the opener and add 🚨 before the dates. I’d stop there — past roughly ten it starts reading as noise rather than energy.
07/27/2026
One more ☀️Summer date, this coming Monday, then you can catch us at the PLL Street 🥍 Lacrosse event, followed by the Waterdogs game and first-ever, historic WLL Championship, at WSFS Sportsplex. Then, in September, just in time for 🍁 fall-ball, we’ll be back at it!
Click here to claim your Sponsored Listing.