1. Our Oldest American Sport
Lacrosse is the oldest sport in America, originating with North American Indians who used lacrosse contests to train warriors, fight battles and even heal illness. Native Americans played games that could last for days on fields from one to fifteen miles long. Missionaries and pioneers adopted lacrosse and eventually established basic rules to the sport. The first U.S. college teams formed in 1877, with high schools adopting it five years later and women's teams beginning in 1890.
2. The Fundamental Fun of Lacrosse
Lacrosse requires speed, strength, agility and coordination for success, making it a great sport for athletes of all shapes and sizes. A typical lacrosse game lasts 60 minutes and takes place on a soccer-like field divided into 3 sections with goals at either end. Each team has 10 players, including a goalie, who try to throw the lacrosse ball into the opposing team's goal. Players throw and catch the ball with a lacrosse stick, moving it around the field to score more goals than the other team for a victory.
3. Stick to It
While all lacrosse players wear basic protective gear, the most important piece of lacrosse equipment is the stick. A lacrosse stick consists of a pole with a basket at the end and is between 40- and 72-inches long. Players at attack and midfield generally use a shorter stick for better maneuvering while defense players prefer a longer one for checking opponents. The basket is a web of strings forming a pocket used to catch and throw the ball.
4. Get Into Position
There are 4 lacrosse positions. The goalie protects the goal and blocks the opposing team's shots from going in. The rest of the team is 3 attackers, 3 midfielders and 3 defense players. The attackers play around the opposing team's goal and try to score. They cannot leave this area of the field. The defense plays around their own team's goal and help the goalie prevent the other team from scoring on them. They cannot leave this area of the field. The midfielders help the other two positions as needed and have free reign of the entire field.
5. Men and Women Aren't Equal in This Game
While the goal is the same, men's and women's lacrosse have some differences. Unlike the male version, women's lacrosse is a non-contact sport; therefore, women, except the goalie, do not wear the protective gear that men do. Women don't use the longer stick permitted in the men's game and have a more shallow basket at the end of the stick, making it easier for the defense to knock the ball out. Women's teams consist of 12 players as opposed to the men's 10. The women's game assesses penalties much like soccer, giving the ball to the offended team, while men penalize a player who commits the foul by making him sit out for a set amount of time.
Member Comments