Lacrosse has become very popular right from the start, and its popularity has yet to be seized. Once advancing to the upper collegiate levels of the game, competition is tough for both men and women. The sport's competitiveness has contributed to the reasons why lacrosse is a sport that catches many peoples' eyes. Attached is a video of the Tufts Men's Lacrosse team that shows the intensity and commitment that these college teams possess.
Tufts Lacrosse-JumbosLaxTV.com by JumbosLaxTV
Monday, March 26, 2012
Thursday, March 22, 2012
European Influence
The French Jesuit missionaries were the first westerners who encountered lacrosse when in the St. Lawrence Valley observing the Huron Indians during the 1630s. At first, they condemned the game because they thought that it was too violent, involved betting, and was part of the religion that they disliked. Jean de Brebeuf was the first person to write about lacrosse and therefore gave it its name. He derived the word from the French term for field hockey, le jeu de la crosse.
Even though the Jesuits did not encourage the game, other Europeans were very interested by lacrosse. Betting became common as many French colonists were picking up the game around 1740, though they could never match the impressive skills of the Native Americans. A team of Caughnawaga Native Americans introduced the game of lacrosse in Montreal in 1834. Interest in the sport gradually grew in Canada as it gathered much attention.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Where it All Began: Native Americans
The Eastern Woodlands Native Americans first began playing the game, thus developing the sport's reputation as one of the oldest team sports in North America. Original lacrosse games were oftentimes major events that could last for up to several days. The average number of players who would participate ranged from 100 to as much as 1,000 men from opposing villages or tribes. The games were played in open, flat fields located between the two villages. The width of the field from goal to goal ranged from 500 yards to as much as several miles apart. Rules for the game were usually decided the day before and there were usually no out-of-bounds, but players were not allowed to touch the ball with their hands at any point while the game was playing.
The Native Americans used trees or large rocks as goals, as apposed to the modern, triangular-shaped base goals that we use today. In later years, they began to use wooden posts and netting to catch the ball after taking a shot. Games usually were an all-day event, from sunrise to sundown. At the start of the game, the ball was tossed into the air and the two opponents would run to obtain possession of it. Because so many players were usually involved, the game included large masses of people after one ball and therefore caused the game to slow down. At first, passing the ball was thought of as a trick to escaping the idea of having to dodge opponents.
What were some of the original purposes for playing the game? Below are just a few:
The Native Americans used trees or large rocks as goals, as apposed to the modern, triangular-shaped base goals that we use today. In later years, they began to use wooden posts and netting to catch the ball after taking a shot. Games usually were an all-day event, from sunrise to sundown. At the start of the game, the ball was tossed into the air and the two opponents would run to obtain possession of it. Because so many players were usually involved, the game included large masses of people after one ball and therefore caused the game to slow down. At first, passing the ball was thought of as a trick to escaping the idea of having to dodge opponents. What were some of the original purposes for playing the game? Below are just a few:
- To settle inter-tribal disputes
- To strengthen younger warriors for war and recreation
- To collectively pray for something (religious reasons)
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Introduction
Hello and welcome to my blog about the history of lacrosse! Are you a lacrosse player who is curious about the history of the sport you love to play? Here, you will discover more about the orgins of the sport from decades back, all the way to its successful popularity nowadays at all levels. I chose this topic because I love to play lacrosse and have been doing so for nine years. I plan to continue my lacrosse career at Colby College next year and am so excited!
I would like my followers to get to know more about the game as every lacrosse player should, so that he or she is familiar with his or her sport's original ties. Also, it is interesting for readers to see how, over the years, the sport has become increasingly apparent throughout the nation, but especially across the Eastern coast. It is fascinating to observe how its popularity is gradually spreading west. I'm here to educate you about where this awesome sport began and its progress thus far.
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