Lacrosse\n is one of oldest sports ever and North America\u2019s first. It was first \nplayed by Native Americans in the 1400\u2019s. Baggataway (thats what they \ncalled it) was much more violent then what we have now. Its original \npurpose was to solve conflicts, but then became a drill for the \nbattlefield. Sometimes goals were a certain rock or tree that you would \nhave to hit, or other tribes would put up posts that the ball would have\n to go through like we do now. The targets (goals) were spread out as \nfar as 15 miles apart and there were no sidelines. Up to 1,000 players \non both teams could play at the same time. They had 3-4 ft long sticks \nwith nets on the end. As you can imagine with that many people on the \nfield at once trying to get one ball into two goals it could get pretty \nphysical. Most of the time braves were nowhere near the ball and much \nmore focused on using the stick as a weapon. The game normally took 2-3 \ndays with breaks from sun-down to sun-up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When\n the Europeans came over in the 1500s, they took up the sport and gave \nit the name we use today, Lacrosse. They gave it that name because \naccording to most accounts, Jean de Brebeuf (a French explorer) was the \nfirst to record baggataway. He thought that the stick resembled a \nbishop\u2019s crozier called la crosse in French. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n In 1794 a match between the Seneca and Mohawks resulted in the creating\n of basic rules. Europeans in Canada began playing the game. Montreal\u2019s \nOlympic Club organized a team in 1844, specifically to play a match \nagainst a Native American team. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n George Beers of the MLC rewrote the rules thoroughly in 1867. His rules\n called for twelve players per team, and named the positions: Goal, \npoint, cover point, first defense, second defense, third defense, \ncenter, first attack, second attack, third attack, out home, and in \nhome. He also improved the ball from a wad of deer skin to a hard rubber\n sphere and constructed a better stick so throwing and catching was \neasier. For the things he did he is now called \u201cthe father of lacrosse\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n In 1881 The first intercollegiate tournament was held at Westchester \nPolo Grounds in New York. Soon after in 1890 the first women\u2019s lacrosse \ngame was played at St. Leonard\u2019s School in St. Andrew\u2019s, Scotland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n By the 20th century lacrosse was becoming much more popular. In the USA\n the first collage team started at New York University which was \nfollowed by many more in the north-eastern region which spans from \nMichigan to North Carolina. In 1926 Rosabelle Sinclair reestablished \nwomen\u2019s lacrosse in the United States when she started a team at the \nBryn Mawr School in Baltimore. In the early 1930s the United States \nWomen\u2019s Lacrosse Association (USWLA) was formed as the rule-making body \nfor women\u2019s lacrosse and just after the USWLA held its first national \ntournament in Greenwich, Connecticut. All these major events were in the\n east region. The west was not big on lacrosse. Now areas in the west \nare picking up with major teams in Denver and Notre Dame. Nationwide \nthere about 250,000 people that play both boy\u2019s and girl\u2019s lacrosse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n Slowly and steadily lacrosse is making its way deeper and deeper in the\n hearts of many Americans and hopefully everybody worldwide. Its the \nfastest growing sport in the US and one day it might be as popular as \nsoccer is now. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Lacrosse is one of oldest sports ever and North America\u2019s first. It was first played by Native Americans in the 1400\u2019s. Baggataway (thats what they called it) was much more violent then what we have now. Its original purpose was … Continue reading