At just 16 years old, Tony Ding is already thinking about how to grow lacrosse in China. A junior in high school who balances his passion for diabetic biology studies with his love for the sport, he recently launched Laxmeter, a website designed to connect players across the country and help build a community around a game still finding its footing in Beijing.
A former student at Beijing World Youth Academy, Tony’s own journey began only three years ago when he entered high school in the US as a freshman. He played thirds lacrosse and was, by his own admission, terrible at it. It took him a week just to learn to successfully catch and throw the ball. But despite the steep learning curve, he fell in love with the fast pace, the aesthetic motion of a well-aimed shot, and the way the varsity team celebrated a win where everyone sprinted onto the field to high-five their goalie. For Tony, the beauty of lacrosse lies in that tension between fierce body contact and delicate stick movement.
With lacrosse set to return to the Olympics in 2028, he saw an opportunity.
The sport is growing in China, but there’s no platform bringing players together. When his parents suggested that hiring a professional to build one would be too expensive, Tony took matters into his own hands. Drawing on what he learned in AP Computer Science and a post-AP data structures course, he programmed Laxeter himself.
Right now, the site features a rankings system meant to motivate more players to participate in games. But his ambitions are bigger: he wants to eventually rank players by stars and help them build profiles that college coaches can see.
His vision doesn’t stop online. Tony is now working to establish a school lacrosse league among Beijing’s international school communities. He’s calling it BALL (the Beijing Academia Lacrosse League), and he’s already reaching out to schools to invite them in.
The plan is to start with a 3v3 format and scale up to a more competitive Tier I league for players with real talent and drive. For anyone interested in starting, he recommends BUX Lacrosse Club and the Beijing Lacrosse Association as great places to begin, filled with passionate athletes and professional coaches ready to help.
For Tony, this moment matters. “This is a pre-Olympic stage of Lacrosse (as I would like to call it), so every player is a pioneer. They’re not just learning a sport—they’re building a community from the ground up. That sense of ownership makes their journey deeply personal, which not only creates future influencers in the lacrosse community to publicize this sport we love more, but also presents opportunities (colleges, national teams, branding, etc.)” says Tony. The story of lacrosse in Beijing, he believes, is ultimately one about belonging and identity.
When asked what advice he’d give to kids who want to pick up a stick, he quotes his high school’s varsity goalie, John: “Lacrosse is an easy sport to pick up, but a hard sport to excel in.” What matters most, Tony says, are the friends and connections you make along the way. Whether you’re playing in big games, tossing the ball with a neighbor, or doing wall-ball with music in your ears, you’ll find yourself improving with a smile on your face. And then he adds John’s signature send-off: “Let’s go hit the wall.”
For kids in Beijing who want to give the sport a try, it’s easy. “I am working to create lacrosse teams at every high school that shows interest in this sport. Not only can they come to play at BUX lacrosse club, but they can also aid me and convince their teachers about including this sport in their school. We have professional coaches who are happy to show up and teach you the tricks!”
Inspired? We know we are! If you’re a teen with an incredible achievement, let us know! Get in touch with Mina Yan via email at minayan@beijing-kids.com or WeChat (ID: Wilhelmina87).
Images: Tony Ding
