Spring is in the air and with this season of birth Santa Rosa County may embrace a new sport to the area: lacrosse, by way of tomorrow's clinic at the Guy Thompson Community Center. It will start at 9:30 a.m. for boys and girls combined for ages 6 to 9. Boys and girls for ages 10 to 16 will have separate clinics from 10:45 a.m. to 11:45.
Shannon Coleman, with Pensacola Lacrosse Association for Youth (PLAY) said, “The March 21 beginners' clinic is the first step. It will provide the kids of Milton and Pace the opportunity to get great instruction from coaches from Gulf Coast and panhandle lacrosse associations and leagues. Players will be sporting their uniforms and sticks and playing catch. We have kids and coaches from lower Alabama coming to help. That is the level of commitment to each other and this game. But it ain't easy. You need parents and volunteers. You need players, coaches, donors and referees. So the clinic is also an opportunity to talk to parents and push for increased support. The game is not free, and the level of commitment is extraordinary, but it is worth it.”
According to Carlee Costello, owner of girls travel club Team Laxchix, lacrosse has something for everyone. “It is the speed of soccer, the strength and hitting of football, and the strategy of basketball and ice hockey. Lacrosse loves basketball players, boys and girls, because your defensive positioning is exactly alike. Footwork is identical.”
Laura Pattison, coach of the Gulf Breeze High School girls lacrosse team described this as “the hottest sports story in the county.” She said, “Lacrosse is the fastest sport growing in the country right now and has been for the past few years. My team enjoys playing local high school teams in Escambia county but would love to see more Santa Rosa county teams. Right now my team is 12-1 and ranked first in our district. We are hoping to keep our team competitive for the district championship this year. We just try to keep it all about the ‘we’ and not the ‘me’ on our team one game at a time.”
History
Coleman said, “The game has always seemed to be for the rich and famous private school kids of Maryland and New York. The girls game started at Brynn Mawyer School for girls in Baltimore's historic Roland Park area after going to England from Canada/New York and then back to Maryland in the 19th century. But its the men's game that has captured national attention lately, maybe because it is the first American sport. The native American Men of New York and Canada created it and its power and importance are undeniable. It was for pleasure and for peace. It was for all men not a select few. Therefore it is not surprising that the game is for everyone not just for the kids of white collar parents. That is why it is so beloved in New York and Maryland. Whites, blacks, jews, girls and boys gravitate to the game because it has become woven into the fabric. Its principles and its setting as a spring sport that focuses and harnesses speed and skill makes it one of the most fun games to play and watch.”
Men v Women
According to Costello, the genders play very different versions of lacrosse. She said, “We say ‘one sport, two games,’ because they use different equipment and rules. Boys lacrosse is played with hard helmets and boys are padded up. Boys may hit to the body with the stick. They may use their body in play to push other players. Girls lacrosse is more of a finesse sport. Girls do not wear any padding and only wear a mouth guard and goggles. In Girls lacrosse, there are many rules. Stick contact is permitted but you may not check stick near head.”
According to an introduction video by US Lacrosse called “This is Lacrosse,” men and women also play on different sized fields with different arrangements of players. Men play on a field roughly the size of a football field with goals 80 yards apart, while the woman’s field is longer with goals 100 yards apart. On the field, there are 10 players per men’s team: a goalie, three attackers, three midfielders, and three defensemen. On a women’s team, there are 12 players: a goalie, 5 attackers, and 6 defense players.
Support
According to Costello, the existing lacrosse clubs get a lot of support from former players and parents. “We are so lucky to have so many post-college players here helping grow the game. Coach Ray Coleman played at Rutgers and Kevin Harmon, who was with Matt and Joe from the beginning, played at Frostburg State. Scott Bartkowski played at USNA and is now at Catholic.
We also have so many great dads helping coach now, like Eric Hester and Tim Mixon, and Bagelhead owner, Rob Mackey, and our own here in Gulf Breeze, Tim Durst, too. Once kids play our sport they are hooked. Same goes for parents, too. I have a new goalie. Her dad knows nothing of lacrosse and he has jumped right in.” Costello also said Pattison started as a lacrosse mom and turned high school coach. “(She) is having the time of her life helping grow the game for girls at GBHS and winning, too.”
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Lacrosse clinic tomorrow