Information AboutLacrosse |
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player carries the ball past a defender.]] Lacrosse is a fast-paced Team Sport played by two teams of ten players (men) or twelve players (women), each of whom uses a netted stick (called ''the crosse'') in order to pass and catch a very hard Rubber Ball with the aim of scoring goals by projecting the ball into the opponent's goal. Popular mostly in North America , lacrosse is the continent's oldest sport and the fastest growing sport at all levels – youth, high school, college, and Professional . Lacrosse is especially popular in the northeastern part of the US and is Canada's National Summer Sport (although Canadians commonly play the Box Lacrosse variety of the game which is described below). It is expanding westward, with burgeoning lacrosse communities in Illinois , Colorado , California , Oregon , Florida , Tennessee , and Texas . In its modern form, men's lacrosse is played on a field of Grass or Artificial Turf . Each team is composed of three attackmen, three midfielders, three defensemen, and one goaltender. In men's lacrosse, players wear protective equipment on their heads, shoulders, arms, and hands, as body-checking is an integral part of the game. Women's lacrosse is played in a similar manner except with two additional midfielders per team. Players of women's lacrosse need only wear protective eyewear (except for the goaltender, who wears a Mask ), as contact is not permitted apart from minor stick-checks. The sport was invented by Native North Americans. Its name was ''dehuntshigwa'es'' in Onondaga ("men hit a rounded object"), ''da-nah-wah'uwsdi'' in Eastern Cherokee ("little war"), ''Tewaarathon'' in Mohawk Language ("little brother of war"), and ''baaga'adowe'' in Ojibwe "bump hips". The game was named lacrosse by early French observers. It is commonly assumed that the name stems from the French term crosse for the shepherd's crooklike crosier carried by bishops as a symbol of office. Pieffe Francois Xavier de Charlevoix noted the resemblance between the crosier and the shape of the racket stick in 1719. However, the term crosse, which also translates as bat, was applied to the Native playing stick by the Jesuit fathers nearly a century before. Since there was only one ball, early players concentrated on first injuring their opponents with their sticks, and then moving easily to the goal. Their pitch was about one kilometre by one kilometre Sometimes games lasted for days, and often players were gravely injured or even killed. Early balls were made out of the heads of the enemy, deerskin, clay, stone, and sometimes wood. Lacrosse has played a significant role in the community and religious life of tribes across the continent for many years. Early Lacrosse was characterized by deep spiritual involvement, befitting the spirit of combat in which it was undertaken. Those who took part did so in the role of warriors, with the goal of bringing glory and honor to themselves and their tribes. Evolution of the game Lacrosse has witnessed great modifications since its origins in the 1400s , but many aspects of the sport remain the same. In the North American Indian version, each team consisted of about 100 to 1,000 men on a field that stretched about 500 yards to half a mile. Sometimes, the fields were even several miles long. Rather than having traditional goals where the ball has to pass through goal posts, many of the Native teams used a large rock or tree as their goal. They would hit the deerskin ball against the goal to earn points. The medicine-men acted as umpires, and the women urged on the men by beating them with switches. These lacrosse games lasted from sun up to sun down for two to three days. The games were played to settle inter-tribal disputes and also used to toughen young braves in preparation for future combat. The game became known to Westerners when a Jesuit Missionary, Jean De Brébeuf , saw the Iroquois Natives play it in the 1600s . In 1763 , after Canada had become British, the game was used by the Natives to carry out an ingenious piece of treachery. On the 4th of June, when the garrison of Fort Michilimackinac (now Mackinac ) was celebrating the king's birthday, it was invited by the Ottawas , under their chief Pontiac , to witness a game of "baggataway" (lacrosse). The players gradually worked their way close to the gates, when, throwing aside their crosses and seizing their tomahawks which the women suddenly produced from under their blankets, they rushed into the fort and massacred all the inmates except a few Frenchmen. By the 1800s , lacrosse evolved to become less violent and more of a sport as French Pioneers began playing the game. In 1867 , W. George Beers, a Canadian Dentist , codified the game, shortening the length of each game and reducing the number of players to ten per team. The first game played under Beers' rules was at Upper Canada College in 1867 , with Upper Canada College losing to the Toronto Cricket Club by a score of 3-1. By the 1900s , High School s, College s, and Universities began playing the game, and lacrosse was contested as a medal sport in the 1904 and 1908 Olympics . In the 1930s , an indoor version of the game, Box Lacrosse (see below), was introduced in Canada. It quickly became, and remains, the dominant form of the sport in that country. A later version of box lacrosse, Indoor Lacrosse , is played professionally in both Canada and the United States. In the United States , the sport is popular in Maryland (where it became the official team sport in 2004 ), New York , New England and other areas along the East Coast . In addition, its popularity has started spreading to the West Coast , spurred by the sport's increasing visibility in the media as well as the growth of College and High School programs and "pee wee" leagues throughout the country. This explosion has been made possible in part by the introduction of plastic heads invented by Baltimore -based stick maker STX in the 1970s . This innovation reduced the weight and cost of the stick, and allowed for faster passes and gameplay. The plastic head is now universally used, and while wooden sticks remain legal, they are far outclassed. At the Collegiate Level , there are currently 57 NCAA Division I men's lacrosse teams, 31 NCAA Division II men's lacrosse teams, and 130 NCAA Division III men's lacrosse teams. There are also currently 82 Division I women's lacrosse teams, 35 Division II women's lacrosse Teams, and 154 Division III women's lacrosse Teams. At the professional level, there are 11 National Lacrosse League ( Indoor ) teams with 1 new team starting in the 2007 season ''(See Chicago NLL Expansion Team and 2007 NLL Expansion )''. In Major League Lacrosse there were 6 teams in the 2005 season and the league is adding 4 more teams to create a west division for the 2006 season (The league also plans to add 2 more teams for the 2008 season). Field lacrosse Outdoor men's lacrosse involves two teams of 10 players each competing to project a small ball of solid Rubber into the opposing team's goal. The field of play is 110 yards (100 m) long and 60 yards (54 m) wide. The goals are 6 feet (1.8 m) by 6 feet and contain a mesh netting similar to an Ice Hockey goal. The goal sits inside a circular "crease", measuring 18 feet in diameter. Players line up with 3 offensive players called "attackmen", 3 "midfielders" or "middies", 3 "defensemen", and 1 Goaltender , or "goalie." Each player carries a stick (the French settlers, upon seeing the Native Americans using the stick, called it ''la crossier'' ( Crozier ); hence the name "Lacrosse"). Attackmen's and midfielders' sticks measure between 40 inches (1 m) and 42 inches (1.07 m), while one midfielder and defensemen carry a stick up to 72 inches (1.8 m) long. The sticks have a metal shaft (usually aluminum or titanium) and a plastic head, with either a string and leather or mesh basket called the "pocket". Goalie sticks vary in length but are typically between 50 (1.27 m) and 60 (1.52 m) inches long, and their heads are significantly larger than field players' heads to help in blocking shots. Players scoop the ball off the ground and throw the ball in the air to other players. Players are allowed to run carrying the ball with their stick. Unlike in women's lacrosse, players may kick the ball, as well as covering it with their sticks, provided they do not withhold it from play. Play is typically quite fast. Players are permitted to hit one another with their bodies and sticks, although rules govern the manner in which this may be done. For NCAA play, games consist of four fifteen minute periods, while at the youth and high school levels games are typically shorter. Considerably more goals are scored than in soccer or hockey, with typical games totaling ten to twenty goals. Penalties are given to players breaking rules. These usually result in sitting in the penalty box, much like a hockey penalty box, for 30 to 60 seconds. Some of these rules consist of slashing, offsides, unnecessary roughness, and possessing an illegal stick or other illegal equipment. Certain penalties that are assessed by placing players in the penalty box are "releasable," meaning that a player may return to the game without spending the entire duration of his penalty in the box if the opposing team scores during the penalty. More minor infractions, such as warding (also called "playing with the free hand") or a loose ball push from behind, may result in simply awarding possession to the opposing team, rather than a timed penalty. Box and indoor lacrosse See Also: Box lacrosse Canadians most commonly play Box Lacrosse , an indoor version of the game played by teams of six on ice hockey rinks where the ice has been removed or covered by turf; the enclosed playing area is called the box, in contrast to the open playing field of the traditional game. This version of the game was introduced in the 1930s to promote business for hockey arenas, and within a few years had almost entirely supplanted field lacrosse in Canada. In box lacrosse the goal is smaller (4' X 4') than in outdoor lacrosse, and the goaltender is usually bigger, with considerably more padding. The attacking team must take a shot on goal within 30 seconds of gaining possession of the ball, and play is rougher than in the field game (see below). Indoor Lacrosse is a version of box lacrosse played professionally during the winter, not only in regions where summer lacrosse is popular but also in regions where lacrosse is rarely played in summer. It was intended to be less violent than box lacrosse, although changes in box lacrosse rules have reduced some of its violent play and a change in indoor lacrosse rules to permit crosschecking (hitting another player with the stick with one's hands apart on the shaft) have made it more violent. The chief differences between the two forms of the indoor game now are that indoor lacrosse games consist of 4 x 15 minute quarters compared with 3 x 20 minute periods in box lacrosse, and that indoor lacrosse players may use only sticks with hollow shafts, while box lacrosse permits solid wooden sticks. Indoor lacrosse is always played on a carpet, while box lacrosse is usually played on bare concrete. While feild lacrosse is played on a standard size field. Women's lacrosse See Also: Women's lacrosse The rules of Women's Lacrosse differ significantly from men's lacrosse and are specifically designed to allow less physical contact between players. As a result of the lack of contact, the only protective equipment required are goggles and a mouthguard. The pockets of a womens' sticks are shallower than those of the men, making the ball harder to catch and more difficult to shoot at high speed. Women play with three attackers (or "homes"), five midfielders (or "middies"), three defenders, and one goalie. Penalties for women's lacrosse are assessed with the following cards:
The University Of Maryland, College Park has historically dominated women's intercollegiate play, producing innumerable head coaches across the country and many U.S. national team players. The Lady Terps won seven consecutive NCAA championships, from 1995 through 2001. The game is also commonly played in British girls' independent schools, and while only a minor sport in Australia , at the elite level it is played to a very high standard. Women's intercollegiate lacrosse stars have included University Of Maryland, College Park standouts Kelly Amonte-Hiller, coach of the 2005 national championship team from Northwestern University , and all-time scoring leader Jen Adams. International Lacrosse While modern lacrosse has been around for well over a century, until 20 years ago it had only been played for the most part in Canada and the United States , with small but dedicated lacrosse communities in Great Britain and Australia . Since then however, lacrosse has flourished at an international level with the sport establishing itself in many new and far-reaching countries, particularly in Europe and east Asia. With lacrosse not having been an official Olympic Sport since 1908, the pinnacle of international lacrosse competition consists of the four quadrennial World Championships. Currently, there are world championships for lacrosse at Senior Men , Senior Women , under 19 men and under 19 women level. Until 1986, lacrosse world championships had only been contested by the United States , Canada , England and Australia , with Scotland and Wales also competing in the women's edition. The expansion of the game internationally though, has seen the 2004 Women's World Championships competed for by ten nations, and the 2006 Men's World Championships will be contested by no less than 22 countries. Lacrosse world championships have been dominated by the United States, particularly in the men's game, where the only world championship game loss at either level was in the 1978 final to Canada. The USA has won 8 of the 9 senior men's and all five under 19 men's tournaments to date. In the women's game, Australia have provided stiffer competition, even holding a winning record against the USA of 6 wins to 5 at senior world championships, plus one draw. Despite this, the USA has won 5 of the 7 senior women's and 2 of the 3 under 19 women's tournaments to date, with the other world championships won by Australia, including last year's senior women's trophy. See also
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