he weather over the weekend couldn't have been better, especially for Freedom's Fourth Annual LAX Day. The day is scheduled to be the biggest fundrasier of the year for the boys and girls programs at Freedom and this year's event was the biggest and best according to Tamara Healy, President of Freedom Lacrosse.

"We couldn't have asked for better weather, attendance or a day of lacrosse," she said. "We haven't done the final tallies on our financials, but we're very excited about the day we had."

And the day was filled with lacrosse action from 9am until after 5pm in the evening. With full crowds for every youth game to varsity games by the Patriots, the event created a stir for the players and the members of the club that work so hard to bring an event like this together.

For Healy, the exposure the event can bring to the community is just as valuable as what it does financially.

"We really felt like we did a good job of bringing the community together," Healy said. "We always want to bridge the gap between the youth and the older players."

And lacrosse programs at Freedom also want to bridge the gap for funding as well. Even though the programs earned a grant from U.S. Lacrosse two years ago that provided equipment for the programs, there are still a multitude of fees that the program is responsible for, such as insurance, transportation, coaching salaries, referee fees, and field paint to name a few.

Until lacrosse isn't considered a "club" sport in the Bethlehem Area School District, the likes of Healy and company will have to continue to shell out money to keep the program afloat.

With 10 games throughout the day, the event was able to bring together nearly 800 people, including players, to highlight the growth of lacrosse in Bethlehem.

The day may have been culminated by Ryan Skae's 100th goal against Bethlehem Catholic during the final contest of the day, which the Patriots stormed away from with a 16-0 victory. The girls team spearheaded the winning charge prior to the contest with an 18-2 win over Quakertown.

"It really was wonderful to see all the support from people that attended," Healy said. "The kids loved playing in front of large crowds all day too. It was the best fundraiser we've ever had."