An Awesome Sport - Lacrosse
by: K.L.Amadio |
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The long standing official summer sport in Canada, lacrosse is gaining popularity in the United States. Lacrosse, already popular at many east coast schools, is spreading across the nation and is already played in at least 20 countries around the world.
Lacrosse is well documented all the way back to the 1600's by French missionaries who witnessed Native Americans playing the oldest team sport in North America. Native Americans called the game baggataway. The stick used to play the sport resembled the bishops cross; and so a new name was given by the missionaries. They referred to the game as la crosse.
Lacrosse is played by boys and girls, women and men from post college age down to grammar school. More than 5,500 women actually play lacrosse at upwards of 240 universities and colleges across the U.S. Estimates of as many as 125,000 kids around the country are participating in lacrosse. 4,500 programs are documented around the U.S.
Lacrosse is a seemingly complicated game to those not familiar with its rules, and those rules differ for men's and women's leagues. Watching a men's lacrosse game, one feels like they are observing part soccer, ice hockey, field hockey and American football. Perhaps all these sports have borrowed from the ancient native game of baggataway.
Lacrosse Basics:
Players pass and carry a rubber ball, the size of a standard baseball, using special sticks. The stick utilizes a head at one end that's strung with cording like nylon to make a pocket that holds the ball. All the players have a stick and pass (throw) the ball, catch the ball and run with the ball around the field. When running, players cradle the ball in the pocket, a much practiced technique.
As in soccer, each lacrosse team guards a goal. The goalie carries a stick with a large head to help block shots at the goal net. In simple terms, each team is attempting to score more goals on the opposition. The game has a regulation time that is divided into quarters. The actual length of the entire game differs by level from middle grade to high school and college.
Men's lacrosse players wear protective padding. The shoulders, ribs and arms are covered and they wear padded gloves. Physical contact is permitted in men's games with some blocking, tackling and shoulder checks though not as hard core as American football. Women's lacrosse does not allow physical contact so no padding is required. Many female players choose to wear nose guards, eye protection and non padded gloves. Men wear helmets but women do not.
A face off begins every lacrosse game like field hockey. The lacrosse team has a goalie, midfielders, attackmen and defensemen. The number of players needed on the field differ for women and men. The playing field in women's lacrosse is actually larger than men's so they need more players.
Higher level lacrosse games are officiated by three people, a field judge, referee and umpire. They keep watch over the game looking for technical (holding or grabbing) fouls and personal (tripping or slashing) fouls. Lacrosse requires certain position-players to stay to one side of the midfield line and of course there can only be the required number of players on the field while the ball is in play.
Lacrosse is a quick and sometimes aggressive game that requires good eye-hand coordination and excellent stamina. Team sports always have the added benefit of teaching teamwork and cooperation. While more high schools and colleges add lacrosse to their sports calendars, it will be easier to see a match. Then you'll understand why lacrosse is spreading across the country.
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About the Author
To learn more about the great sport of lacrosse, visit K.L. Amadio's website, Lacrosse-Information for all-inclusive insight to this rapidly growing game. Parents, find more info on lacrosse positions for your kids. Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.
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