Standing room only at James City meeting as 100 lacrosse families come to seek funding

It's March 11. Lacrosse players crowd county board room asking to make lacrosse a varsity sport; taxpayers seek relief from rising home assessments. Man wanted in shooting turns himself into jail.

Lacrosse players speak out at JCC board of supervisors meeting Tuesday. (Williamsburg Watch and Jason Madzuma photos)

It was standing room only at the James City County supervisors’ meeting Tuesday, as some 100 lacrosse players from all three high schools and their families joined others with business before the board.

Players from Lafayette, Warhill and Jamestown high schools asked the board to add an additional $225,000 to the local schools’ $220 million proposed budget to fund lacrosse and make it a part of the Virginia High School League.

Other speakers came to speak out against higher real estate property taxes, as well as the usual board business.

Chris Henderson, a local businessman who speaks at every board meeting, jokingly commented during his turn that he had never seen so many young people in the council chambers before.

Players from each of the high schools in the Williamsburg-James City County school system told the board they deserved an opportunity to be treated like other sanctioned sports, like football and golf. They said this would attract coaches to games that might get them offers a…