Lacrosse’s Beginnings

Lacrosse is the oldest organized sport in the U.S. It began with the Native Americans. Different tribes played different versions of modern lacrosse. This sport was spiritual to the Native Americans. They believed that the game was a physical, emotional, and spiritual training ground for all life. Lacrosse was introduced to the Europeans when they arrived in North America.

The Crosse

The top part of the crosse is called the head. The head is where you carry the ball. The opposite end of the stick is the butt end. The crosse is correctly held vertically, with the open pocket facing forward. Your dominant hand is place six inches below the head. Your recessive hand is placed on the butt end. The way of carrying the ball across the field is called cradling. Cradling can only be done if the hands are placed correctly on the crosse. All of the players on the field have the same crosse except for the goalie.

Uniforms

Since the boys’ version of lacrosse is much more physical than the girls’, they wear more equipment. They wear gloves, a helmet, a jersey, shorts, and cleats. They boys also wear body pads on their elbows and under their jerseys. Girls wear cleats, gloves, a shirt, and a skirt. Usually girls also wear mouth guards, but some teams do not require them. On both boys’ and girls’ teams, goalies wear leg padding, a helmet, and gloves along with their uniform.

Positions in Girls’ Lacrosse

In girls’ lacrosse there are six defenders: point, coverpoint, third man, center, and two defense wings. The defenders try to get control of the ball from the opposing team and they try to stop the opponent from scoring. There are also five attackers: first home, second home, third home, and two attack wings. The attackers attempt to set up shots and score goals. The first home is usually the team’s main scorer. Last but not least, there is the goalie. The goalie prevents the ball from getting into the net for a point. Positions differ in boys’ lacrosse.