In the baseball field behind Christ United Methodist Church on Dogwood Drive Thursday, five Milton High students gathered to practice a sport only available at Gulf Breeze High School: lacrosse. Barlow said he’s been working a year to bring the sport to the area. On August 8 he’ll get another chance to show his community what the sport is all about at the Guy Thompson Community Center’s (GTCC) Family Day.
Out behind the church, Barlow went over four things with his fellow students: single-hand cradling technique, fielding, passing, and shooting. All of the players had a stick and a ball, but Barlow said he wasn’t able to afford a goal yet. The four students who joined him were Jaden McCary, Justin Kniper, his brother Brett Kniper, and Gabriel Nester.
The lacrosse stick features a scoop at the end with a netted pouch. The net can hold the ball but is too shallow for holding the stick upright. The single-hand cradling, Barlow and Brett Kniper demonstrated allowed the free arm to block defenders while moving with and maintaining control of the ball.
The focus of the Family Day is going to be on the GTCC’s tennis facility, according to John Norton, and feature demonstrations by the pickleball players, yoga instructor, and volleyball players. He said Barlow will have space to demonstrate lacrosse. Norton also said the city bought lacrosse nets to put up at Optimist Park to let Barlow and other local players generate interest in the community. The difficult part right now is Barlow, a MHS junior this fall, is the main lacrosse contact the city has, according to Norton. “We’re trying to find somebody more than just Seth himself to drive this,” Norton said. He noted pilots coming to NAS Whiting Field who are interested in lacrosse play over in Pensacola.
Nester said, “(Lacrosse is) something new. It’s not a usual sport.” Barlow said, “It’s finesse and physical. It’s a mix. It’s beautiful in a way. It combines the brutality of football with the quick thinking of soccer.” August 8 he and his fellow lacrosse enthusiasts will have another chance to bring the sport they love to the community’s attention.
Click here for a video of Barlow teaching standard lacrosse techniques.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Lacrosse players have next milestone in sight (with VIDEO)