Lacrosse

[car54]

My grandson is in his 1st year of Lacrosse. All can can say is that I am getting to like the sport very much. It is fast and full of action. What other sport can you chase after someone and hit them with a stick.


click to enlarge

Brad

[Caneyscud]

At A&M, Lacrosse was....well....considered rather Ivy Leaguish (I used nice words instead of the words they used) by all my rowdy friends who, like me, carried rifles and shotguns in the rack in the back window of their pick em up trucks, had big whip antennaes for their CB's, and who grew up eating football and baseball.  With that being said, I could sit in my dorm window and watch by turning my head to the right some strange game that didn't seem to make any sense at all - rugby, and by turning my head to the left, I could watch the Lacrosse team practicing.  As I don't enjoy seeing the sight of blood, knocked out teeth and puke, I usually turned my head left and watched Lacrosse.  That is a fun game to watch, even in practice.  I almost succumbed to the lure, but after careful study, I decided there was too much running involved - and God made me with short, stocky, strong muscle fibers not the long, lithe, and limber ones needed to run!  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!! ;D ;D ;D

[Carter]

Hey Brad it's a great game eh? 

I'm interested in the picture though.  What's the deal with the long stick?  I played box lacrosse as a kid as opposed to field lacrosse.  I've also been a Toronto Rock seasons ticketholder and have seen some very good lacrosse played in Ontario lacrosse hotbeds like Peterborough, Brampton, & Brooklyn, but in all my years, I don't think I've ever seen a stick like that before.

Just curious.

Carter

[car54]

Carter ,
That is called a long pole and they generally are used on defense, that about all I know. I'm new to this. It is a good game to watch and CANEYSCUD rugby and one strange game.

Brad

[Carter]

Thanks for the response Brad.  You must be quite proud of your grandson.

On the lacrosse topic, one thing that always interests me in the game is that for a game that appears to be extremely rough, there seems to be way less serious injuries than say in football or hockey (I'm not talking about bumps, cuts, and bruises - but more the knee/head/spinal chord stuff).

I wonder if part of that plays into the less is more equipment philosophy.  Hockey players and football players where suits of armour so why not smash the heck out of your opponent, whereas lacrosse, is rough like those games, but you wonder if psychologically lacrosse players just hold themselves back (maybe without even knowing) because the other person is just wearing a pair of shorts.

This isn't a criticism of those other sports.  I'm a big fan of both.  It's more of an observation.  I can't recall ever seeing a lacrosse player carried off on a stretcher.

Carter

[Consiglieri]

At A&M, Lacrosse was....well....considered rather Ivy Leaguish (I used nice words instead of the words they used) by all my rowdy friends who, like me, carried rifles and shotguns in the rack in the back window of their pick em up trucks, had big whip antennaes for their CB's, and who grew up eating football and baseball.  With that being said, I could sit in my dorm window and watch by turning my head to the right some strange game that didn't seem to make any sense at all - rugby, and by turning my head to the left, I could watch the Lacrosse team practicing.  As I don't enjoy seeing the sight of blood, knocked out teeth and puke, I usually turned my head left and watched Lacrosse.  That is a fun game to watch, even in practice.  I almost succumbed to the lure, but after careful study, I decided there was too much running involved - and God made me with short, stocky, strong muscle fibers not the long, lithe, and limber ones needed to run!  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!! ;D ;D ;D

Just because we played lacrosse didn't mean we didn't drive around in trucks, with gun racks, etc., or disliked football, baseball, basketball, or rugby.   :)  Well, there was some friendly rivalry between the lax players and the rugby players.  They gave us a bad time about helmets; we told them we wouldn't use helmets if we looked like them.   ;D  All in fun. 

I really enjoyed the sport.  It requires speed, agility, hand-eye coordination, timing, the ability to deliver (and absorb) body on body or stick on body checks.  It's one of the few sports where people compete like wildmen to win, beat the heck out of each other, then leave it on the field and share beer (home team hosts).  There is indeed a great deal of running involved and I do not recall fondly the windsprint training at the end of each practice (we called them the choke and puke drills).  That said, I was probably in the best shape in my life while I was playing.  And the sport's demands help build confidence too (well, some would say cockiness). 

Made some great friends playing the sport and found out (when I graduated during an 80s recession) that there is a bit of a fraternity where lacrosse players help other players network to find jobs in their chosen field.  Playboy came out and called it one of the finest sports for a young man to play. 

Car54: Your grandson has picked up a great sport, in my opinion, for any number of reasons.  All the best to him.