TORONTO - "Tune Up Your Stick" "Fire Up Your Game" - this is the theme for the Ontario Lacrosse Festival set to take over Whitby's Iroquois Park later this week.

The Ontario Lacrosse Festival returns to Whitby, Ont., Aug. 4-13, after attracting 4,500 participants in 2006, the third consecutive year of growth for Canada's largest youth lacrosse event.

Held at the Iroquois Park Sports Centre, the 10-day Lacrosse Festival features the provincial championships of the Ontario Lacrosse Association in four age divisions (Boys' Tyke 7-8, Boys' Novice 9-10, Boys' and Girls' Pee Wee 11-12 and Girls' Midget 15-16). The event also hosts the Pee Wee and Bantam Lacrosse Championships of Canada, round-robin tournament competitions between the best players from across Canada competing as provincial teams.

New to the Festival program in 2006 are three events of interest to players and fans alike: the Brine Paperweight Shootout (an eight-team showcase of 4-6 year-olds) on Wednesday, August 9th; the launch of provincial championships in all-girls box lacrosse (for Pee Wee and Midget age divisions) on Thursday, August 10th and the introduction of field lacrosse to the Festival fun with the Harrow U15 Girls Field Lacrosse Provincials on Saturday, August 5th and Sunday, August 6th.

Once again this year, Rogers Television will broadcast the finals of the Pee Wee and Bantam Lacrosse Championships of Canada.

"The Ontario Lacrosse Festival is a ten-day combination of healthy competition and great fun for the entire family," said Ontario Lacrosse Association President John Doherty. "The OLA is once again pleased to partner with the Iroquois Park Sports Centre to deliver first-class facilities for the excitement and drama of our provincial championship tournaments."

The Toronto Rock is a proud sponsor of the Ontario Lacrosse Festival and supporter of minor lacrosse in Ontario.