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Lacrosse Overview
The sport of lacrosse was first developed by the American Indians. The game was played both for recreation and to settle disputes between tribes without going to battle.
Today's sport is basically the same as the original game, although the number of wars it has helped us avoid is considerably less. Each team tries to move the ball into the goal using only a lacrosse stick in which to catch, throw and carry the ball. The team with the most goals at the end of an allotted amount of time wins the game.
Today there are a number of different "types" of lacrosse we are able to enjoy. Varying in sex, age group, indoor and outdoor, the sport offers an exciting playing and watching experience for all. Youth teams start as young as age 6 and there are both girl's and boy's lacrosse offered in most areas. School teams begin as early as 7th grade and go through college level. Since 2001 the best college players have gone to play in the Major League Lacrosse league.
The game is fast and requires skills of passing and catching the ball with the stick. Like all team sports, it is necessary that much attention is payed to plays and team work. It is a great sport for kids to be involved in because, unlike some other sports, "body design" is not important. Height, weight, build or speed are not necessary to achieve success. Any kid with an interest and an ability, and who is willing to practice the skills, can do well in the sport.
Be prepared to cheer and laugh and cry and watch your kids grow with a sport that will never let them down. Enjoy!
Lacrosse: The Sport of Tomorrow
When I asked my family what they thought of Lacrosse, I was bombarded by a variety of crazed responses. Mainly because my family's large (myself, two brothers and two sisters), and insane (according to the AMA). In any event, some opinions of the sport were: it's played with a ball and a stick, it's a form of male field hockey, and it's a combination of hockey, soccer, and football. This statement began a forty-five minute discussion that my brother Tommy, the former football player, ended when he told us all that football is nothing like lacrosse since they use a different kind of ball. Checkmate.
This dispute was followed by the most unexpected moment of the morning when, shockingly, it was my father who came up with, lacrosse was played by Native Americans and it is one of the fastest growing sports in America. This came from the man who hasn't wrapped his head around the concept of traveling in basketball. But he was absolutely correct. Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the country, and Native Americans were the first to play it. The sport is in the midst of a renaissance, and it's mainly due to the increased interest in youth programs and the passion that its core fans continue to demonstrate.
Baseball is called America's pastime and football prefers to be known as America's passion. But before Abner Doubleday was a glimmer is his Grandma's eye and Vince Lombardi started telling people what the true meaning of winning is, lacrosse had a heritage that went back hundreds of years. When people today say things like it's only a game they clearly misunderstand the importance this sport had on its participants and supporters. This sport had a role in resolving conflicts, was thought of as a way to heal the sick, and was used as preparation for war. And these weren't your five on five, or even, nine on nine: the teams that played in these contests could swell to hundreds or even thousands per team on a field as long as fifteen miles. As announcers these days would say, Depth is vital to success.
The rules around lacrosse used to vary depending on tribal preferences. That is, until 1867 when a set of standardized rules became established. George Beers created guidelines determining the size of the field, the number of players, and several other basics. And if people didn't want to follow his practices, well it was his ball and stick, and he would take it home with him if they wouldn't listen.
Lacrosse came to college in 1877 at New York University and made it to high school five years later. Today there are over 1000 high schools that sponsor teams, with several hundred college teams in existence as well. While most casual fans can debate the greatest ever in several sports, most don't know that football and lacrosse may have the best ever in common. That's because while starring in football (and getting robbed of the Heisman, which is another story for another day), Jim Brown was an All-American lacrosse player. While he went on to fame and fortune in the NFL, and later in Hollywood, many consider the three years he spent in college a defining period in the sport's history.
Nowadays, you hear a lot of people discussing lacrosse in the same breath with the big three football, baseball, and basketball. Water cooler talk in the fall is generally about the NFL, (and in my case wondering what God I need to pray to in order to make sure the Jets win a title in my lifetime) with winter and spring following suit.
A new topic of conversation is emerging. Mothers and Fathers are talking about their sons and daughters about lacrosse. People are spending more time watching the sport at the youth level, and with the Sport being shown on ESPN at the collegiate and professional level, the interest is growing on television as well. Next time you're flipping through the channels and want to make sure you see a few goals scored, and maybe a hit or two, landing on lacrosse will be just what you're looking for.
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