Heartland Area Lacrosse Organization

Our story

The Ankeny Thunder Lacrosse Club got its start in the fall of 2013 as part of an authorized club team associated with Ankeny High School. At this time the team played as the Ankeny Hawks. With the demands of the school board and the growth of the club, the HALO board decided to separate from the school in 2016.

The program started with Mr. Charles Love Jr., at the time living in Ankeny and playing lacrosse for the West Des Moines Tigers. He approached Mr. Timothy Reed about starting and coaching a high school team in Ankeny. Mr. Reed was running lacrosse camps in the area and was a certified lacrosse official. Mr. Reed received approval from the Ankeny school board and the league, and the Ankeny Lacrosse Club played its first game on April 5, 2014.

Lacrosse continues to grow in popularity in Ankeny as well as the surrounding areas! We expect the growth to continue and many exciting things are anticipated to happen with this sport in the very near future.

Our seasons

Ankeny Thunder offers lacrosse for boys starting in 1st grade and girls starting in 4th grade. More teams will be added as our numbers grow. Our regular season is spring, with indoor practices starting around mid-January for our older youth and HS teams. Once we have permission to use our fields from the city, we move outdoors for all age groups at the end of March. Games start in March for high school teams and in April for youth teams. The season ends mid-May for high school and end of May / early June for youth.

We also offer Fall Ball. It's held a couple of days a week, starting early September and ending in October. Fall Ball introduces new players to the sport and gives returning players the opportunity to keep up their skills while practicing with coaches and teammates. Typically there are no games — it's less intense and offers a lot of flexibility for those playing other fall sports. It's a great time to try the sport if you've never played, and our equipment loaner program covers those who don't have gear.