This award is for an individual who supports the US Lacrosse mission and vision, working effectively and tirelessly to develop lacrosse in a particular geographic area. US Lacrosse recognized her with the 2010 Excellence in Growing the Game award. She has served on the US Lacrosse Board of Directors and continues to serve on several on-going committees with USL. She also served on the Arizona Chapter US Lacrosse Board of Directors. From 2004 to 2008, she was on the Executive Committee of the AGLA. She has received other formal recognition, including the Women’s Sports Association Community Leader of the Year Award for 2006-2007 and the YWCA Tribute to Women Sports Leader Award in 2007. She co-founded Desert Heat, a competitive traveling team to help girls be exposed to more opportunities outside of Arizona and Pink Empowered a non-profit to help support players who need more assistance to play the game. Since 2002, she has held the head coach position of the four-time state champions, Chaparral Varsity Girls Lacrosse Club. In 2004, she founded and still manages AZ Girls Lacrosse, LLC, a league for girls in grades K-9. In addition to starting a program for the youth in 2004, she also founded Arizona Storm, Arizona's first and only post-collegiate team. She started playing the sport for the first time as a freshman in college but quickly learned that her basketball skills transitioned easily into the game of lacrosse and she has ne ver looked back.īarden boasts a lengthy list of accomplishments and honors. Jessica was a captain and All-American Lacrosse Player at Sweet Briar College in Virginia.

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