Lacrosse 101
Box Lacrosse is a Fast Paced and Thrilling Sport which is often compared with Hockey, and in some ways it is similar. Both games are played in an arena, feature five runners & a goaltender and points are scored by shooting an object into a net.
However, the flow and speed of Lacrosse is much more like the game of Basketball! Many rules have been developed over the years to keep Lacrosse a fast moving "transition" style game. There is no Off Side, Two Line Pass or Icing calls affecting the flow. Many rule infractions result in only a possession change and continuation of the game. Face offs generally occur only at the beginning of a period or after a goal has been scored.
Lacrosse, Canada's Game... Its origin has been lost to the antiquity of Native Legend & Myth. When Europeans first came to what would become Canada, they found that nearly every Nation & tribe played their own version of the Game. The Iroquois Nation called it Tewaarathon, and the Algonquin referred to it as Baggataway, but in each instance the meaning of the Game was the same. This was a game to be played For the Creator, to show thanks for all that was provided, to Celebrate Life, and to create a Link to the Great Spirit.
In the early 1800s, Montreal Settlers first started to show a great interest in the Game, and by 1840 there were regular games between the townsfolk and the Natives. By the 1860s, Lacrosse clubs were springing up in many townships and cities. The people of our young Country embraced the game as their own and Competitive Lacrosse was born.
In 1867, the Montreal Lacrosse Club, along with Dr. George Beers, helped to form the National Lacrosse Association, which was the first and only National Sport Governing Body in North America.
British Columbia started to form Lacrosse clubs in 1880, and by 1893 all provinces of Canada were involved in competitive games, which drew crowds of 5000 - 10000 fans regularly. The newspapers of the time, knowing the importance of the game to the readers, reported on all games. In 1910 a Montreal team traveled to New Westminster to play the Salmonbellies for the Championship of Canada in front of 15000 fans, 3000 more than the total population of New West at the time.
In the early 1930s a new version of the Game was unveiled for the Country. Indoor Lacrosse, or Box Lacrosse, took the field game and compressed it into a tighter playing area creating an Exciting, fast moving Game like no other. By the mid 1930s, Box had all but replaced Field Lacrosse in all of Canada, and was the official game of the Canadian Lacrosse Association.
Through the 1990s Participation in the Game grew once again, and Field began to make a recovery. Today more than 100 000 Amateur Players register with the Canadian Lacrosse Association each year.
With such a long and interesting History, it is impossible to fit everything into this space. We can say though that this Game predates recorded history, and is destined to be played well into the future.
This essay will be is still under construction, and will be updated from time to time.
