Play Of Lacrosse example essay topic

Lacrosse is a sport that is played by two teams. The purpose of lacrosse is to shoot the one rubber ball past a goaltender into the goal. Each player has a lacrosse stick (between three and six feet long) that has a head or basket on the end for carrying the ball. When not carrying or cradling the ball, a player is allowed to check or try to dislodge the ball from an opponents stick. Lacrosse is a sport that I have played for over ten years.

Born and raised in upstate Syracuse, New York, played lacrosse. When my family moved to southeast Georgia, I was astounded that there was not a lacrosse league or team in middle or high school. Furthermore, a good majority of the teenagers had never even heard of lacrosse. Lacrosse is not only my favorite sport, but it is also what I consider to be my expertise.

This sport has, and continues, to keep me out of trouble from outside influences, is a great stress reliever, is the teacher of many life-long lessons that I have learned, and is a great source of camaraderie and friends. In the north, there were teams, both recreational and school based that one could join if he / she so desired. If this sport, that has developed in the north United States, were to be played in the south more frequently, it would prove to be very beneficial in many ways. Lacrosse originated among Native Americans and was played in many different versions. In some tribes they used two sticks, compared to only using one, like present day lacrosse. Some tribes also chose to form teams, which include both men and women.

Named "the little brother of war" by the Cherokee Indians, lacrosse was considered to be very good military preparation. A team consisted of hundreds, or even thousands of players from a tribe. In this game of massive proportion, the goal was to get the ball miles away to the opponent's goals, which were miles away. When not cradling, passing, or shooting the ball, tribesmen would use their stick (s) to injure opponents. The Six Tribes of the Iroquois played another form of lacrosse. They were located in upstate New York (where I am from) and southern Ontario.

Their version of the game was affectionately dubbed "baggataway" or "tewaraathon". The Six Tribes of the Iroquois played with twelve to fifteen players per team with goals about 120 feet apart. This form of lacrosse is most similar to the sport played today. Due to many injuries, migration, and changes in the world, lacrosse died out in the United States by the mid-nineteenth century. When revived in upstate NewYork in the 1860's by the Onondaga tribe, the game began to grow in popularity.

A few years later, New York and Manhattan College played in the first United States intercollegiate game. After this game, colleges in the northeast, such as Boston University, Cornell, Harvard, Princeton, and Stevens Institute, created teams to play each other. Progress continued to be made with the spread of lacrosse in the north. Not until recently has lacrosse started to be played in the south. There are now large areas of lacrosse play in Atlanta and Florida.

Although these two areas have learned and now play the sport, I feel that much of the south still should be taught and be given the opportunity to play. When I moved from upstate New York, to Southeastern Georgia, and asked a group of my new friends to play lacrosse, their response was, "Play what? What is lacrosse?" I was shocked and even felt grief for my friends because for me, lacrosse had not just been a sport that I had developed a love for, but had become a way of life for me. I feel that lacrosse should be taught and played not just in some college club teams but in middle school, high school and colleges all over, even as professional leagues. In response to my feelings I took a survey of forty University of Georgia students from the south, and asked them the questions: "Have you ever played lacrosse?" and even "Do you know the rules or how the game lacrosse is played?" My predictions were correct as the results showed that out of the 40 students 37 had never played and 29 could tell me nothing more than "It is a sport with sticks and a ball, but that is all I know". After this survey, I decided that I wanted to try to educate and even promote the play of lacrosse in more southern schools, and schooling areas and my peers for many reasons.

Lacrosse has helped me stay out of much trouble. As a child in New York, I had many opportunities to stray from the right path in life, but due to lacrosse I was kept on track. Organized lacrosse involves not only time and effort, but also a self-development. In the game, you become keen attentive as to what is happening at all times and learn to plan and predict what will happen next. This provides a sense of judgment and decision making skills that is essential for life.

If lacrosse were to be brought to the south as a frequently played sport, it would teach many youth and adults self discipline as well as the previously mentioned attributes. This sport also serves as a stress reliever. If one is angry at the world, or needs to take out some of their aggression, the lacrosse field is a good place to do so. Lacrosse allows you to have run of the field and allows you to check your opponents.

In lacrosse one is allowed to swing their stick within rules at the opponent in a very aggressive manner. Along with relieving stress, playing lacrosse play keeps one in shape. From all of the practice and games of running up and down the field, moving both arms and legs at all times, the athlete will find himself / herself if good shape. Lacrosse is a toner for muscles and allows one to develop speed and agility.

Lacrosse not only teaches you hand-eye coordination but teaches many valuable lessons in life. In lacrosse one has to work with a team in order to both score and not be "checked to death". As a team you learn teamwork and how to function as a whole. This lesson of "there is no I in team" is one of the most valuable lessons that I feel I have learned in life; I accredit this to the game of lacrosse. Despite having to play as a team, many of my friends that I have worked and played lacrosse with have been, and continue to be, some of my life-long friends. Playing lacrosse is worth the time and effort just for the camaraderie.

When you play or practice, you spend so much time with these friends that you really get to know them and even develop a sense of closeness to them. When made to act as a team, one starts to function and think as a team. This is beneficial if you ever need someone to talk to or even if you are feeling lonely in the world; someone will always be there to cheer you up, encourage you to go on, and give you motivation. Lacrosse should be highly spread in the south due to the weather conditions.

It is a game that is intended for the fall and / or spring. The weather in the south allows year round play, which is a large factor in the sport. New Paragraph? Although lacrosse involves checking and other forms of hitting one with his / her stick, lacrosse is a very safe sport.

In lacrosse one is required to wear a helmet, a mouthpiece, gloves, and protective upper body equipment. Lacrosse is both very safe and very cost efficient with gear low costing and very durable. Although this sport is hundreds of years old it still teaches the same self-control, teamwork, leadership, and lessons today. If lacrosse is installed into more schooling systems in the south, as it is in the north, I feel that not only the players but the parents will benefit from it.