LAX — and we’re not talking LA’s airport
LAX is an abbreviation for lacrosse … (as well as the code for LA’s airport!) Do you know the sport of lacrosse? Have you played it?
The background
It started as a men’s game in north America, played by native American Indians and was originally known as stick ball. It gained its name from a Frenchman who called it ‘lacrosse’ and spread not to Europe first of all but to Canada where rules were developed and the kit tweaked.
The Canadians brought the sport to Scotland and, it’s claimed, a team of schoolgirls in St Andrews, Scotland were the first females to play it. From there the sport spread through schools with girls’ teams growing in numbers.
It continued to grow throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and, today, although it is played in the UK, it is more widely played in north America.
But, lacrosse is having a major comeback in the UK. Girls and boys across the country are taking up the sport.
Team chat …
Regular participation has increased 650% over 15 years;
· In England, it’s estimated that over 45,000 people are participating in lacrosse annually;
· 85% of regular participants are female;
· 89% of regular participants are under 25 years old.
England Lacrosse told me this, “Lacrosse is bigger, better, has a higher global profile and achieved provisional Olympic status. World Lacrosse membership has increased by 25% since 2011 to 63 member countries, European lacrosse is now the most concentrated area of lacrosse participation in the world with 32 member countries. England Lacrosse has over 40,000 people participating regularly, is the leading nation in Europe and is recognised as the third largest playing nation in the world.”
The women’s lacrosse World Cup has been running every four years since 1982 by the International Federation of Women’s Lacrosse Associations. The USA and Australia have been the only winners, with the Aussies only winning twice, but the other major nations in the sport are Canada, England and Scotland.
Our Story
The We are Girls in Sport campaign is showcasing the variety of sports girls could try and start to enjoy. The choice is so vast that by sharing stories of success and personal growth through sport, it hopes to inspire more girls to give sport a try.
My name is Bethan and my sister is Jasmin. We are currently at different UK universities but have found a shared love for lacrosse after seeing team trials being advertised on university campus. We had never considered lacrosse before!
Bethan and Jasmin
But what actually is lacrosse, and why is it still so unknown?
The basics of lacrosse, otherwise known commonly as LAX, is a team sport involving a ball travelling up a pitch using the head of netted sticks for throwing and catching. Despite women’s and men’s sports varying quite dramatically in rules and equipment, the game is always fast-paced and goals are scored as the ball is launched into a net.
The kit
So, what it is about playing lacrosse that my sister and I love?
Speaking for us both, we love lacrosse because it’s something different! It’s challenging, but not impossible, and the game is so unpredictable. Coming into lacrosse at a university level was a great opportunity because most of the team, both girls and boys, had never played before. This means that every training session is a learning curve for all and learning the sport alongside other new beginners is the perfect way to find the fun in sport! Lacrosse is not like any sport we’ve ever played before, it’s exciting, fast-paced, and teamwork is more important than ever. Now that we’ve started, neither of us can imagine life without LAX!
But it’s not just us that love it! When it comes to trying a new sport, we interviewed members of the Essex Blades Women’s Lacrosse Club about that and also why they love lacrosse. Here are some of their comments:
“I wanted to join a team sport”
“Lacrosse was new, something I’d never tried, really enjoyed the atmosphere between the team.”
“Fulfilment of being in a team, getting out energy through playing and that it can get quite feisty!”
“It’s different to the usual sports you play at school. Not many people have played it before, so it gives everyone the opportunity to start on a level playing field as their teammates and progress from there.”
“It can get pretty fast paced and aggressive even though women’s lacrosse is non-contact, so it’s a good outlet.”
“Our team of girls is so lovely and friendly and is great to be a part of.”
“I enjoy it because I love the competitiveness.”
“I like how seriously the girls on the team take it and how they push you and make you work harder. I think the dedication and hard work put into sport can be reflected in other aspects of life such as uni work etc.”
“I love the athleticism and being a part of a team. Although it’s a lot of exercise it’s enjoyable because it’s fun, so usually I don’t even acknowledge how much running I’m doing in one training session.”
It’s an old sport but that doesn’t stop it being worth a go! It’s fun, energetic and can be as competitive as you want it to be!
Visit England Lacrosse for more information on how to get involved in England or World Lacrosse for help with finding a team in your country. Let us know how you get on!
Bethan x