A beginner's guide to lacrosse
Imagine if there was a game that took some of the best attributes of the other major sports and combined them into one.
Take the speed, power and contact of football and hockey, the endurance, agility and strategy of basketball and soccer, and the ability to score in bunches like any good baseball or football offense.
Interestingly, this hybrid sport already exists, and is in fact older than any of the aforementioned.
Yes, lacrosse, the oldest sport in North America, continues to sweep through Illinois and you'd be hard-pressed to drive by many schools this spring that do not have a club team for either boys or girls.
While you may see a lot of kids playing it, you may know little, if anything, about what the game entails. That's fine.
Lacrosse is played at a fast enough pace that even those who do not understand exactly what's going on will be thrilled to watch. Those first learning the sport generally get hooked because of the exciting nature and lack of downtime during the game.
“It's kind of a combination of different sports,” York coach Don Canfield said. “You're on a big open grass field like soccer, and then it's like hockey because you're using a stick to move the ball around and trying to score in a small goal.”
High school lacrosse is played outdoors. A variation of the game, called box or indoor lacrosse, is played indoors with variations to the rules. Since high school students are playing field lacrosse, we'll focus on that. First, a look at the boys' game.
“The easiest way to give a high-level picture is that it's hockey on grass,” said Brian McGinnis of the Fox Valley Lacrosse Club. “Some others compare it to basketball — but with a player behind the basket.”
Native Americans first devised and played lacrosse. They often did so as a way to settle arguments with other tribes or for religious purposes. At the high school level in Illinois, it's being played because it's exciting, physical, fun and a new challenge for many.
The field
Games are played on a rectangular field measuring 110 yards in length and between 53 and 60 yards in width, which allows games to be played on existing fields. Like a football field, white lines are used to set the boundaries. Goals areas are also defined with a line 40 yards long. About 15 yards from each end of the field is a goal which is situated in a circle called the crease. The line is centered on goal on each side of the field and parallel to and 20 yards from the goal line.
Defensive area lines and wing area lines parallel to the sidelines are also marked. A point on the center line is marked with a “X” and is designated for the center faceoffs.
Like many other sports, the goal in lacrosse is to finish the game with more goals than your opponent. As with hockey and soccer, the game is played using goals on opposite ends of the field. The goal includes a pair of vertical posts 6 feet apart that are joined by a top crossbar which measures 6 feet from the ground with the net narrowing back 7 feet to form a triangle. The crease is a 9-foot radius and is the home to only the goalie and defensive players.
Scoring
To score a goal, a player must send the ball completely past the goal mouth, beneath the crossbar and between the two vertical posts. There are many different ways, though, that a goal can be disallowed. A couple of examples: When a flag is down, signaling that the attacking team is offsides, and when the head comes off the stick on a successful shot.
A full team comprises 10 players, and both teams must have a legally equipped goalkeeper on the field at all times. A team may have as many four players using long crosses that are 52 to 72 inches in length, excluding the keeper's crosse. The remaining players on the field use short crosses ranging from 40 to 42 inches. In addition to the goalkeeper, players are designated as either attack, midfield or defense and each team must select a team captain to be its sole representative on the field of play throughout the contest.
Teams must don matching uniforms and wear shorts, rather than pants, of the same dominant color. Because of the physical nature of the sport, mandatory equipment is required and a player can be penalized if caught trying to compete without the necessary equipment. A protective helmet, face mask, mouth protector, protective gloves, shoulder pads and arm pads are required. Eye shields are optional, but if worn they must be clear.
Similar to football, a lacrosse game lasts four periods of 12 minutes. A coin toss takes place before the game and the winner decides to either receive choice of goals to start or take control of the first alternate possession. Play is started at the center faceoff. One of the officials places the ball on the ground, tells the players to assume their positions, says “set” and then blow the whistle. Each player's crosse must rest a certain way and they cannot back out and reset during this time. Once the whistle is blown, players may attempt to direct the course of the ball. Future faceoffs will occur each time a goal is scored.
Arguably the best way to catch the action is to find a game being played in a large football stadium where you can climb near the top of the bleachers to be able to see the entire field and look down as the players move with and without the ball.
“People can see a lot better how the defense works in rotation to the ball,” Hinsdale Central coach Vic Pasqualicchio said. “There's the crease slide or the adjacent slide and parents and spectators don't really see that part of the game.”
There are many subtleties to lacrosse, but if you're a fan of the so-called major sports, it won't be difficult to quickly make sense of all this. But be ready for plenty of action.
“They call it the fastest game on two feet,” Bartlett coach Mike Steichen said. “It's a cross between hockey and soccer, basically hockey in the air, and it has all the elements with stick work and being a physical game.”
Got a question? Ask the ref
If you have any questions during a lacrosse game, ask the officials.
Yes, the officials.
Pete Ducato, president/assignor of Rock Valley Officials Association, welcomes questions during halftime and after games.
Ducato makes it a priority to walk toward the stands at these times to field questions. It's become a great way to promote lacrosse and to share the excitement of this emerging sport.
Ducato has spread his message to fellow officials, so chances are most of them will be more than welcome to answer any of your questions.
<B>— Chris Walker</B>