An Awesome Sport - Lacrosse
Lacrosse has been popular on the east coast of the United States for many decades now. Recently, lacrosse is gaining popularity across the country. It is the official summer game of Canada and is played in over 20 countries world wide.
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 rules are different for men's and women's clubs and on the surface seem quite complicated to anyone unfamiliar with the game. A men's lacrosse match might remind an observer of a combination of field hockey, soccer and American football. Maybe these younger sports borrowed some aspects of play from the native sport of baggataway.
Basics of Lacrosse:
Lacrosse players use a stick to pass and carry a rubber ball that is around the size of a standard baseball. On one end of the stick is a head with nylon cording strung to create a pocket for the ball. Each player carries a stick and uses it to throw and catch the ball, carry the ball while running and displace the ball from an opponent. Cradling is the practice of keeping the ball in the pocket while running.
Each team has a goal, as in soccer. The goal tender or goalie has a stick with a much enlarged head to aid in stopping opponent scores. The basic point of the game is for one team to score more goals than the other during the regulation time period, which differs from high school to college.
Protective padding is required for men. They use rib guards, shoulder pads, padded gloves and arm protectors. Men's lacrosse allows physical contact like blocking, shoulder checks and the occasional tackle, not to be confused with the tackles in American football. There is no physical contact permitted in women's lacrosse therefore padding is not required. Some women choose to wear gloves, nose guards and eye protection for safety. Helmets are required for men while women do not have to wear them.
Lacrosse games start with a face off at midfield. The team consists of attackmen, defensemen, midfielders and a goalie. Depending on whether it is a men's or women's team, there will be 10 men or 12 women on the field at any given time. Women's lacrosse games are played on a larger field than men's and therefore require more players.
There are three officials in the field of play, an umpire, field judge and referee. The officials follow the game watching for personal and technical fouls and general adherence to the rules of play. As with most team games, there are strict rules about how many players can be on the field, and which players are allowed to cross the mid-line.
Lacrosse is a fast-paced sport that develops good hand-eye coordination and endurance. The added benefit of team sports is the development of teamwork and cooperation. More schools across the country are developing lacrosse programs which means seeing a game will become easier. Then you'll have first hand knowledge on why lacrosse is growing in popularity across the U.S.
Article Source: http://www.search-raven.com
About the Author
To see more about the great sport of lacrosse, visit K.L. Amadio's website, Lacrosse-Information for all-inclusive insight to this rapidly growing sport. Parents, get more info on lacrosse positions for your kids.
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by: K.L.Amadio
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