Lacrosse, considered to be America’s first sport, was born of the
North American Indian, christened by the French, and adapted and raised
by the Canadians. Modern lacrosse has been embraced by athletes and
enthusiasts of the United States and the British Commonwealth for over a
century.
The sport of lacrosse is a combination of basketball, soccer and
hockey. Anyone can play lacrosse — the big or the small. The game
requires and rewards coordination and agility, not brawn. Quickness and
speed are two highly prized qualities in lacrosse.
An exhilarating sport, lacrosse is fast-paced and full of action.
Long sprints up and down the field with abrupt starts and stops,
precision passes and dodges are routine in men’s and women’s lacrosse.
Lacrosse is played with a stick, the crosse, which must be mastered by
the player to throw, catch and scoop the ball.
Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing team sports in the United
States. Youth participation in the sport has grown over 77% since 2006
to nearly 400,000 in 2012. No sport has grown faster at the high school
level over the last 10 years and there are now an estimated 282,000 high
school players. Lacrosse is also the fastest-growing sport over the
last nine years at the NCAA level with 671 college teams in 2012, and
that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are more than 500 college club
programs, including nearly 200 women’s teams that compete at the US
Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates level.
Credit: US Lacrosse About the Sport | Overview.