You probably know that both boys and girls play lacrosse. But did you also know girls and boys play different versions of the game?
The fundamentals of lacrosse are the same for both boys and girls but rules and equipment differ. In both games, players use a lacrosse stick to throw, catch and carry (cradle) a ball down the playing field to ultimately shoot the ball into the opposing team’s goal. Each goal scores one point and the team with the most points wins the game. The boys’ game allows some degree of stick and body contact. Helmet, pads, gloves, and mouth guards are worn by male players. Girls’ rules limit stick and body contact. Girls are required to wear eye protection and mouth guards. Even the lacrosse sticks used by girls and boys are different.
Lacrosse, often referred to as “the fastest game on two feet”, is one of the fastest growing team sports in the United States. Lacrosse has had the greatest growth of any sport at the NCAA level over the past five years. At the high school level, lacrosse’s growth has outpaced any other sport over the last 10 years. Youth membership (ages 15 and under) in US Lacrosse has more than tripled since 1999 from 40,000 to over 125,000 players.
Following the national trend, the Herndon Reston Youth Lacrosse (HRYL) club – sponsored by the Herndon Optimists – is experiencing tremendous growth locally. This club is a member of the Northern Virginia Youth Lacrosse League and has teams for both boys and girls at the Under-9, Under-11, and Under-13 and Under-15 age divisions. Registration is open until February 28, 2008.
While growing in popularity, some girls hesitate to try this up-and-coming sport. Few people have seen a girls’ lacrosse game, let alone have had any playing experience. Jacqui Mathews, a youth coach for the HRYL club, explains, “Girls can pick up lacrosse at any age. We can teach them the stick skills and get them up to speed quickly, especially if they’ve played another sport. We’ve found that once they experience how fast-paced and exciting the game of lacrosse can be they are motivated to learn and they usually get hooked.”
While unfamiliar with lacrosse, many of the new players come with plenty of other sports’ skills. Coaches build on this experience and focus on teaching the lacrosse-specific skills. This combination allows new players to contribute quickly. Herndon High School’s Varsity Girls Lacrosse Head Coach, Lindsey Welch agrees. "If your daughter has experience in others sports such as basketball, soccer, and/or field hockey, she already has acquired many of the skills needed to make her a strong lacrosse player. The only difference is we are now putting a stick in her hand and asking her to throw and catch the ball in order to advance it up and down the field.”
Coach Welch sees first-hand how quickly new players are integrated into the program. Under her direction, the members of the Herndon High School Girls Lacrosse team volunteer at HRYL-sponsored clinics several times a year. “The youth players really benefit from the HHS players’ experience. Better yet, the high school players really enjoy giving back to the program that taught them the game. Most of them are graduates of the HRYL program. It definitely is a win-win for everyone.”
Lacrosse is growing and much of the growth can be attributed to the increasing popularity in girls programs. This popularity is evidenced at the NCAA -Division I level where there are more women’s lacrosse programs than men’s. This fact is not lost on Coach Welch. “Currently this finesse sport allows for many scholarship opportunities for girls at the collegiate level, much greater than soccer and basketball."
