The Sport of Lacrosse

The sport of Lacrosse has become extremely popular and it has boomed especially in the recent years. It has become America's fastest growing sport and it doesn't see any sign of slowing down. It attracts so many players and supporters with its fast paced physical game play. Also many people of all sizes big and small can excel in the game. It is a game of speed and agility. It has many characteristics of many popular sports. It is mostly a mix between Hockey, Soccer, and Basketball. It has the speed and contact of Hockey, the finesse and teamwork of Soccer, and the defensive mindset found in Basketball.

The game is played on multiple skill levels from peewee leagues all the way up

to the MLL (Major League Lacrosse). The sport has really been popular at the high school level with over 150,000 high school players. At the inter-collegiate level there are 236 NCAA approved teams. There are also more than 500 college club programs which compete. There consists of four main variations to the game that are competed today. They include Men's Field, Women's Field, Box Lacrosse and Inter Lacrosse.

Men's Field Lacrosse is the most popular variation of the game, being played

in High School and the Inter-collegiate level. It is played on a soccer sized field outdoors. It has many shifts in the game which involve long sprints up and down the field with abrupt starts and stops. Precision passes, dodges and intricate designed plays are a huge part of the offense.

Women's Field is as you can tell played by women. In their variation of the game there is no body to body contact allowed. There game is much different from the men's game. There play is heavily based on teamwork. Multiple passes are made before the ball is shot on goal. Also their game is most like the primitive Indian game in which there is no out of bounds. The ball is played until it reaches the first natural boundary.

Box Lacrosse is a fast game that is played indoors in an arena much like in

Hockey. It is often called the "Fastest game on two feet" due to its incredibly fast game play. There is no out of bounds and the ball is allowed to be played off the wall. Players are allowed to hit opponents into the walls like in Hockey which brings a whole new element into the game. Due to the speed of the game the goals have been miniaturized and the goalie equipment is the same as in Hockey. This makes the scoring more difficult and evens out the game.

Inter Lacrosse of Soft Lacrosse is farthest from the Indian game. It is a slow

game that has absolutely no contact. It can be played by both men and women. There is a two pass minimum before the ball is allowed to be shot. Due to its ease of play it is most commonly played in public school Gym classes.

Lacrosse is Northern America's first sport and has been around way before Columbus set foot here. There is very little known about the very beginning of the sport, and what we do know is very little. "Early data on lacrosse, from missionaries such as French Jesuits in Huron country in the 1630s and English explorers, such as Jonathan Carver in the mid-eighteenth century Great Lakes area, are scant and often conflicting." (Vennum 1). We do know it was first played by the Native Americans all through out the eastern portion of North America. "It possibly originated from the Southeast an origin within the Southeast culture area and migration up the Mississippi to the Northeast Woodlands area" (McCluney 1974). It was played in many areas, and each area the game evolved and was played slightly different and took a different role in society. There were three main forms of the game. The game played in the Southeast, the game played around the Great Lakes, and the game played by the Iroquoian and New England tribes.

The game played in the Southeast tribes is the most different from today's form of the game. These tribes included the "Cherokee, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Creek, Seminole, Yuchi and others" (Vennum 1). It is played as a religious rite and practiced to honor the pantheon of Indian Spirits and was considered "The Game of the Creator." (Mcluney 1974). A solemn dance would proceed the game in which players would respect the "Game of the Creator." These tribes mostly used two stick instead of just one. "A two-and-a half foot stick is held in each hand, and the soft, small deerskin ball is retrieved and cupped between them" (Vennum 1).

The game played near the Great Lake Region was called Onondaga DEHUNTSHIGWA'ES, or "men hit a rounded object". The Tribes here included the "Ojibwe, Menominee, Potawatomi, Sauk, Fox, Miami, Winnebago, Santee Dakota and other tribes" (Vennum