blog #22- benefits to universities.

Todays post is about how lacrosse as a sanctioned sport would benefit college universities. Some ways that it would be good for college universities is that is has great potential to; attract more kids, the newness creates excitement, adds different demographic to the school, the fans love the sport so more people to college events, and could possibly fix title 9. The more athletes attending a university the merrier. With lacrosse growing as rapidly as it is in Utah, the chances of players wanting to attend a school in the state and play their sport is very high. I know from personal experience that I was drawn to the idea of playing at the college level in this state, but was quickly shot down because of the costs of playing, if I wanted to go on scholarship I would have to leave the state for sure! So this would benefit the universities majorly! Lacrosse players would be running in left and right to attend the schools here. The newness of the game creates excitement! We all know how fun it is when something new is added to the norm, and in college it is nothing but tradition and norm. If lacrosse was added it would attract several new fans because they would be so interested in what the sport is, and because it is such a fun, fast paced game, the fans would keep on coming! It is a great opportunity for the university to get advertising out again and reboot the love that previous students had at the school, new upcoming students, and simply just fans. It would create popularity to the school, and it could be really beneficial if the teams did good in their conference and won a lot of games, it could add trophies and records to that school. Adding a new sport would create a lot of attraction, therefore it would add diversity to the campus. It could attract all sorts of races, different types of athletes, etc. One of the biggest benefits that would occur would be the potential to fix the title 9 issue in colleges. Title 9 is when there is not an equal amount of men's and women's sports at a university. There is men's football and there needs to be another girls team, so women's lacrosse could fix the issue. There are several benefits to adding lacrosse in utah and then in university's.

Blog post #21- use of facilities

Todays post is about the use of facilities for lacrosse players. As a player in the game of lacrosse, and because it is not yet a sanctioned sport in the state of Utah, finding places to play games and practice can be really difficult. High schools do not let athletes play on the fields at the school because they are for other sports, so if we wanted to play on their field we would have to pay a pretty heavy, quite outrageous fee. An article from the Daily Herald, addresses the subject, “The Utah House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would allow high school club teams to use high school fields for their practices and games. While some schools allow club sports or non-UHSAA sanctioned sports, such as lacrosse, to use school facilities for free, others are charging clubs a fee. Rep. Stephen Sandstrom, R-Orem, would like to get rid of those fees. "What we are finding is that many schools are restricting the use of the playing fields," Sandstrom said. "These kids deserve access to their fields. "Sandstrom noted that some high school club lacrosse teams are being charged $1,000 a game to use the school's facilities and felt that was unfair treatment when other clubs in the school can use the facilities for no charge. The clubs would not have priority over UHSAA sanctioned practices or games, meaning a club lacrosse match could not take priority over a UHSAA girls soccer game.” (http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/legislature/house-passes-bill-to-allow-club-teams-to-use-high/article_8e5da8e3-226c-52bc-a9e9-5947e213f25a.html.) This article explains how lacrosse is not a priority to high schools. Other club teams are allowed to use the field without a great cost, so why is lacrosse so different? As lacrosse has been debating being sanctioned over the past few years, this specific problem has come up as well, “Thatcher said finding some of the same resources that sanctioned sports receive as school-sponsored activities has posed the greatest challenge. Those struggles include access to school weight rooms as a team, traveling on school buses, having enough knowledgeable officials, and even finding a place to play. “Finding fields is a constant struggle,” Thatcher said. Elder agreed, saying: “The growth of the sport has even been slightly inhibited by the lack of green space.”Cuff stated that, by being a member of the UHSAA, schools are often more apt to support teams with facilities. However, not even all sanctioned events take place on school grounds. Many soccer and softball teams, for example, compete at fields not located on school property. Thatcher added that, as the club sport has grown in popularity, support from the Olympus administration and Titan community has also increased. As the new Olympus High was being built, he was part of a parent group that successfully lobbied for lacrosse field lines to be added to the turf football field.” (http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865583648/High-school-lacrosse-UHSAA-lacrosse-proponents-debate-sanctioning-the-sport-in-Utah.html.) Lacrosse is growing rapidly all over the state, and it is sad to think that the playing of games and practicing for the teams would be restricted because there was nowhere for these athletes to go. Although some high schools are adding lacrosse lines, not all high schools have been. People are starting to realize how big this sport is getting and so the administration is benefiting the players by adding lines to their field. If lacrosse were to get sanctioned I believe that this would be one of the biggest benefits. I am not saying that lacrosse expects everything to be free, of course we would pay the fees and taxes for a field, it would be quite cheaper in the long run anyway, but at least we would have access to a field.

blog #20- benefits of lacrosse

Todays post is about how sanctioning lacrosse would benefit college universities and high school campuses. Before we have talked about why lacrosse should be sanctioned, and we have talked about why it isn't. So today will be interesting to see what we can find out about the benefits specifically that will come for the schools. Campuses would benefit from adding lacrosse to their school because it would create push and academic drive for the athletes. In high school athletics there is a certain grade point average that needs to be met in order to be eligible to play in the games. This would make it so the students were motivated to get better grades they need to play. With this rule the students become student athletes. They figure out how to keep up the best grades they need and therefore reflects on the school for their academics. Another way that it would be beneficial for schools would be because it increases school spirit! Another sport being added is exciting! That is a whole new fan section, more supportive friends and even parents. School pride is what makes a great school a great school. In other more serious terms, school pride creates more support, more sponsors, more money going into the school from gear and team fee’s, etc. There also is the aspect of the benefits that come from winning games. It creates a winning reputation for your school, and that is another trophy potentially in your hall. A website talks about the basic benefits of lacrosse, and it fits well with todays post. “Lacrosse is a fun and high energy game that is growing quickly in the United States. Interest is starting at a young age. girls and boys alike are lining up to play this sport. The athleticism, skills and finesse needed are pulling kids from all over to engage in Lacrosse. There is a misconception of danger related to this sport however, and that raises parents concerns regarding their child participating. There has been a lot of work to help Lacrosse be a safe sport and these concerns can be put to rest. Besides, the benefits far out weigh the potential risks. Benefit #1: Increase Mental Health Children participating in Lacrosse are benefited in their mind as well as their body. Depression is taking over many people's lives. Children are among the rising numbers effected by this disease. Although medication may be needed, activity considerably decreases the amount needed. Some studies have shown that sixty minutes of physical activity each day is as effective as a low dose of antidepressant. Although activity is not meant to replace medication it can help reduce symptoms. Exercise also releases endorphins and tension in your muscles along with improving attitude and clearing the mind. All of these things together mean a happier kid, and more able to handle the challenges of life now and develop a method of reducing stress that will benefit them their entire life. Your child doesn't suffer from depression? The same benefits apply. Youth experience stress and anxiety regardless of specific health conditions. Benefit #2: Prevents Obesity Child obesity on the rise with many youth just watching, cheering, and idolizing sports and athletes. The television is on and the chips are out. Not only are they increasing caloric intake, but the lack of activity lowers their overall metabolism and makes putting on the weight easier and continual throughout the day and night. Because there seems to be a trend of across the board of inactivity and weight gain among children and adolescence the U.S. government has even established programs to help kids move and make activity a daily part of their life. Physical education programs are cut back and even cut out in some schools. Children's physical activity is limited to that which they get on the playground and high school students are not opting to take as many P.E. classes as even 10 years ago. Lacrosse is a challenging and engaging sport that motivates children and teens to want to get the exercise they need. Benefit #3: Build Endurance Lacrosse combines the skills of basketball, soccer and hockey into a fast paced, high endurance test of strength and agility. With a playing area roughly the size of a football field there is a high demand for speed and strength. The training is rigorous and focused. Dedication is required to succeed. Struggling physically also helps build a person mentally. Pushing through and making a goal builds confidence and commitment. The hard work that goes into this sport helps develop a strong character, one that will benefit a person for years to come and help them endure other things in life unrelated to the game. Benefit #4: Social Interaction One of the great things about team sports is that you are part of a team. The players work, sweat, plan and play together. The time spent focused on a goal bonds the players together. Childhood and adolescense is a time for searching and learning to relate to peers and form friendships. Playing together allows for positive shared experiences with others and a setting to develop social skills. Children and teens who can be together and have a common purpose will have a greater chance at success in life, as much of what people do for work and community involves associating and working with others. If your child is interested in playing lacrosse, these are only a few benefits they will experience. With the popularity of this sport growing more each year, and with leagues and teams set up all over the country, it is a past-time that can continue on throughout their life.” Even though this isn't directly about high school and colleges it applies completely to high school students and college students. When you look deeper lacrosse is more than just basic benefits, it goes deeper into the players.

Blog #19- The challanges of club lacrosse

Today's blog is a real life example of the struggle in scholarships for lacrosse players in Utah. Specifically the University of Utah. “Rumors have been swirling the past few days that the University of Utah was considering adding Men's Lacrosse as an official NCAA division I sport. Utah already has a men's lacrosse team, however it is not an official division I sanctioned team at this time. Then today reports began to surface that Utah had indeed decided to add Men's Lacrosse in either 2019 or 2020. Lax Sports Network tweeted this: @LaxSportsNet BREAKING: Sources confirm to LSN @utahathletics official announcement about adding DI lacrosse is expected Thursday http://goo.gl/iZociu 11:43 AM - 12 Jul 2016 12 12 Retweets 28 28 likes However almost as soon a Lax Sports Net sent out that tweet, the University's official athletic department twitter account refuted the report. Utah Athletics ✔@utahathletics @LaxSportsNet @UUtah There is no plan by Utah Athletics to add lacrosse or any NCAA sport at this time. 11:46 AM - 12 Jul 2016 26 26 Retweets 38 38 likes So what's going on? Is Utah really considering men's lacrosse as an official sport? While the twitter can be less than reliable at times for factual information, it is strange that so many reports about Utah adding lacrosse would come out of thin air if there was indeed nothing in the works. Adding to the speculation was the recent news that Seth Neelman, a former Loyola Maryland recruit would be joining Utah as member of the 2020 class and August Colonna was transferring to Utah from Wagner, a division I program back east. The thought was why would these players choose to give up playing division I lacrosse to play for a club team at Utah? If the speculation is true, Utah would be the first Pac-12 school with division I lacrosse and also the westernmost division I program in the country. Currently the University of Denver and Air Force are the westernmost division I programs. Currently division I lacrosse is primarily an east coast sport, with 85% of the programs being located on the eastern seaboard between New Hampshire and Maryland. Obviously the sport is becoming more popular every year out west and the sport would love to see expansion into the Pac-12 market. As of now the University has denied they are adding lacrosse, so this is all speculation at this point. We will keep an eye on this topic and update if anything changes.” I looked farther into the Utah Utes men's lacrosse club program and found this article from the daily chronicle. “Practicing from 10 p.m. until midnight isn’t ideal, and neither is the alternative — practicing at 6 a.m. That’s the hand the majority of the club sport teams on the U campus have been dealt, and one they make the best of. To put it bluntly, it’s a hand they have to get over if they are going to find success on field. The lack of scholarships also isn’t ideal, so the players who participate are primarily doing it for the love of the game and not much else. These programs often get overlooked, however; in these club sports are people dedicated to not only performing well on the field, but also academically. Although they are dealt a tough hand, it’s one they live with, and one that’s better than the alternative — not competing at all. Women’s and men’s lacrosse, men’s soccer, and rugby are just a few club sports at the U. PAYING TO PLAY Typically when the words “pay” and “play” go together, it’s associated with the debate over whether or not college athletes should be paid to play. But for some club sports at Utah, it means having to pay to play — as in students who participate with these club sports are often paying their own money so they can continue playing a sport they love. While the thread of paying to play isn’t a theme with all the club sports, it is the hardship some have to overcome. The women’s lacrosse team recently hosted tryouts and while the girls were competing for a spot, the coaches were not sure there was even going to be a team. Club president Janessa Milne said they had to decide whether or not having a team would be worth it. It was something she hated saying out loud because she thinks the girls on the squad out-work most anyone else and she did not want to let them down. But the team is alive and well. While this is certainly the best outcome they could have hoped for, it seems to be something that probably wouldn’t have taken the players off guard. Head coach Tracy Pati mentioned that a few of the girls from last year decided to focus on their schoolwork and others decided they would rather save their money for a study abroad. The girls who stayed committed to the team would do anything to continue competing though. “As soon as a few players started changing their priorities and commitment, it changed the team dynamic,” Pati said. “It was nerve-wracking, because they could have picked not to be there and we wouldn’t have had a team. But they have chosen to be there and I think we are going to have an a amazing season.” This year, Pati estimates each player may end up paying around $2,000 for travel arrangements, field times, officials, gear, etc.. They will do some fundraising to combat the costs, but it will most likely stay in a thousand dollar frame. As for the rugby team, other programs in the country offer scholarships, but sometimes it is not enough to cover tuition for out of state students.” It then continues on talking about waking up for early mornings to practice. From the article it is easy to tell how inconvenient club lacrosse is in college, it can be done but it is harder.

Blog #18- Why do we fear scoring??

Today’s blog post is about scoring. This brings up a question for players and the crowd, why do we fear scoring? Why do players not take the ball into the net when they can? Especially the bystanders wonder why a player doesn't shoot? I believe this is about confidence issues, or in other words, the fear of failure. An article titled, “How to Conquer Fear of Failure” discusses how to work through this mental block. “Why do athletes sabotage their own success? You might assume this problem relates to a "fear of success." Fear of success does cause athletes to self-destruct. But fear of success is very rare compared to fear of failure.Both of these fears cause athletes to "get in their own way"--experiencing fear, anxiety, tension and worry about scoring and achieving results. However, these fears come from different sources.Athletes develop a fear of failure when they worry about not getting what they want and have worked hard to obtain, such as winning a championship. They develop fear of success when they worry too much about what comes with being successful in their sport. Most athletes experience fear of failure and not fear of success. Fear of failure manifests in many ways in sports. Athletes who are anxious or tense when competing are often afraid to fail or mess up. Fear of failure can also cause your athletes to try too hard, which leads to "getting in their own way" mentally. It's not enough to know that athletes experience a fear of failure. What's more important is to know what types of fears hold athletes back. As you can see from the list below, fear of failure often relates to what athletes assume they think others think about them (or social approval). Signs of fear of failure: Fear of losing a match, game or race. Kids badly want to win and are afraid they won't succeed. Fear of negative social evaluation. Athletes fear others will view them as a failure in sports. Fear of embarrassment. They're afraid to embarrass themselves in front of others if they don't perform well. Fear of letting others down. They do not want to let others down-- coaches, parents or teammates. Fear of putting in the effort and not ever getting the "payoff" or not playing to their potential. They don't want their hard work, talent and long practices to result in nothing (e.g. wins, trophies, etc.). Fear of not performing up to others' expectations. Young athletes worry about not meeting others' expectations. Fear of being rejected, losing respect, or not gaining approval. Fear of making mistakes and not performing perfectly after having worked so hard. To help kids with fear of failure, it's best to understand the specific fear and address it head on. Take fear of embarrassment, for example. If your athletes have this form of fear they worry too much about what others think about them. They need to play for themselves instead of being concerned about what others think. Help kids focus on success instead of worrying about failing. Many athletes with fear of failure focus on all the wrong things. They think more about not making mistakes than completing the pitch or gymnastics routine. These athletes need to set small goals that help them focus more on success. One option: kids should see a good result in their minds before they execute it. Athletes with fear of failure need to learn how to perform efficiently instead of perfectly. The idea here is that your athletes DO NOT have to be perfect to perform their best. They often want to over control their performance (due to their worries about making mistakes). They need to understand that mistakes are a natural part of sports. The goal is for your athletes to trust in their skills so they can play more freely and feel less tight or controlling.” The fear of failure is simply a mental block that we put up in our own minds. We don't shoot because we are scared of missing the goal, and of course you are going to miss every once in awhile, but you are also going to make them too. You need to have the confidence in yourself that you can score.

Blog #17- The Importance of Conditioning

Conditioning is a major factor in lacrosse. Because being in shape is so important for lacrosse athletes, learning how to condition your body is critical. There are several ways to do this. My team tries to strengthen our endurance and our speed by running at practice. It is a constant, everyday we run sprints and laps around a track. We run the length of the field to help us during games to be able to run it with less and less exhaustion. On other days we strengthen our body by doing push ups and sit ups and buried. This helps the strength of our arms and legs, which then will help us with our power behind our shots and our strength in defense. When we need to change things up we going swimming. This really helps our lungs stay in shape so we can control our breathing and endure running for longer periods of time. It also works your leg and arm muscles in a different way to strengthen them. This website discusses the importance of conditioning specific to the game of lacrosse. “When you watch a game from start to finish, you probably think to yourself, “Boy, they run a long way…we need to get our players to run that far.” And usually what happens is the players are asked to run distances of 1-3 miles “just to get in shape”. Although it may be true that certain players can run 3-5 miles during a lacrosse game, it’s how they run that distance that is important. I suggest the next time you’re watching a game, pick one player and watch how often they run, how fast, and how far. What you’ll notice is that the distance they run during a typical game is broken down into sprints ranging from 20-50 yards at a time. Between these sprints they will either be resting in the bench area, playing defense, or running their offensive set.While on the bench, you are obviously resting and recovering. But if you’re on the field playing either defense or offense, you’re body is accelerating, decelerating, changing direction, passing, shooting, checking, maintaining good defensive body position. All of these movements require expending a certain type of energy, and it’s NOT using the same energy system used while running long distances!” (http://www.athletesacceleration.com/conditioninglacrosse.html) This website is helpful to understand the type of conditioning that will be most beneficial. Yes, it is important to have the endurance and energy to be able to run for a long period of time, but what about when you need to sprint down the field to get the ground ball? Or if you need to sprint to get in front of your opponent that you are defending? This is why it is a smart idea to exercise bursts of speed. There are several articles, tips, and workouts to help the players strengthen their abilities personally. So, what are the benefits of conditioning? Thats easy. When you have the ability to run up and down the field without being exhausted, and when you can have those bursts of energy that are required from the intensity of the game, that feeling is the feeling of accomplishment. That is the reward! There is nothing better than being able to play your best because you have been conditioned and prepared, and on the contrary; there is nothing worse than not being able to fulfill your part as a player, or do what you need to because your physical body is holding you back. Now that might seem quite dramatic, but athletes feel it all the time. Some other benefits can be as simple as being stronger than your opponent, or being able to drill a hard shot because of your strength, or being one step ahead of your opposing player because of your agility. That is why conditioning is so important. That is why coaches push their players to do their best.

synthesis paper

“This could very well be a lacrosse world, and we’re all just living in it.” - Chris Rattey. Lacrosse is a fast, aggressive, intense sport and it should become sanctioned in the state of Utah on a high school and college level. Men and women’s lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports across the country. It is major along the whole east coast and in the northeast, and is growing like crazy in the midwest. The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) works with US lacrosse to get its data from the schools and has reported that for the past 10 years lacrosse is the fastest growing sport. According to the percentages of growth rates for sports from 2009-2014 boys lacrosse is at 27.8% while the other sports like swimming, bowling, cross country, and water polo do not even reach 10%. Girls lacrosse is at 31.2% with the same rates from other sports. “It’s a virus in a good way. Once you pick up a stick, you’re with it for life.” - David Gross, Commissioner of Major League Lacrosse.” (Rattey, Chris. "Lax attack: Lacrosse continues to explode across the United States." Boston.com. The Boston Globe, 12 Apr. 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2017). In Utah county it is becoming more played on a high school level and even in a junior high level. “From Cache Valley to the southern end of Utah County, there are currently 39 Utah boys varsity teams and 41 JV squads, as well as 30 girls varsity programs and 17 JV teams participating under the umbrella of the Utah Lacrosse Association. Last school year, Olympus' girls team had more participants than any other girls sport at the school and the boys team was second only to football. Together, the lacrosse rosters were made up of more than 100 Olympus High students. In the Olympus boundaries alone, there were 96 participants in Chase's eighth-grade group.” (Thomas, Sarah. "High school lacrosse: UHSAA, lacrosse proponents debate sanctioning the sport in Utah." DeseretNews.com. Deseret News, 25 July 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2017). The University of Utah has even been considering taking their boys lacrosse team to division I. They discussed the speculation and said that if it were to happen, Utah would be the first pac-12 school with division I lacrosse, and the western most division I program in the country. Division I lacrosse is mostly on the east coast, but with the sport becoming so much more popular, it only makes sense to start adding it into the school’s programs. It would be really great for the lacrosse program to be added into the pac-12 market. (McKee, Adam. "Will Utah Add Lacrosse?" Block U. Block U, 12 July 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2017). Lacrosse has the potential to be one of the most popular sports, and it could create several teams across the state. "I know there are factors and hurdles for the schools, so I can't speak for them," Cuff said. "I think looking at the way lacrosse is being supported at a youth level and also at other states that have lacrosse, I think it's certainly a popular sport enough that they're going to have a lot of teams." ("Utah Considers Sanctioning High School Lacrosse." Utah Considers Sanctioning High School Lacrosse. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2017). Along with the expansion of men’s and women’s lacrosse in Utah, and across the whole country sanctioning would be great because of the support aspect of it. Sports are expensive, there is equipment, uniforms, travel, coaching, field use etc. With lacrosse not being sanctioned all these expenses are covered by fundraising and personal money. The coaches do not get paid, they do it out of their own free will. Finding a field to play on is a challenge to, we can not use the high school fields so we result to using elementary fields or junior highs, and even that comes with a $700 expense for the whole season. Our coach pays that right out of his pocket, and he even bought us nets to use and balls. It is the little things that are not thought about that would make a huge difference. If lacrosse stepped out of the club program and moved to a sanctioned program by high schools, it would reduce the costs for the teams, it would provide fields, uniforms, gear and equipment. Although if this were to happen, lacrosse would have to follow the regulations in the state of Utah. For example they would need to keep at least a 2.0 GPA, and paying the coaches the same amount as other coaches. ("Utah Considers Sanctioning High School Lacrosse." Utah Considers Sanctioning High School Lacrosse. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Mar. 2017). Expenses are the biggest worry for sanctioning lacrosse, that makes sense. Lacrosse has more gear than most sports, and would have to start over with the purchasing of uniforms and nets and balls. But this is one of the main things, as athletes in lacrosse, are hoping for too. The support of the school would be incredible. But what about all the costs? This is a huge reason for why lacrosse has yet to be sanctioned. Lacrosse is a beautiful game, and it can be for any athlete. If the game were to get sanctioned it would create another option for multiple-sport student athletes to consider, and for those kids who are not playing a sport, it could be a great choice for them and something they could exceed at. Not only will it create more opportunities for those who have not entered into the lacrosse world, it will be great exposure for those who are. Recruiting is not easy for club sports. Lacrosse is growing on the college level too, so being able to take that next step into a higher more advanced game is something any high school athlete thinks about. But when you play on a club team, chances of getting exposure are hard unless you seek them out, which can have high expenses. From my personal experience the only way to get some attention from colleges is to apply online and send in videos and information, or get invited to go to tournaments outside of the state, which are usually a lot of money, and even then the chances are very slim. Other opportunities that would be great about the sanctioning of lacrosse is the fact that they get to experience what it feels like to be supported by peers, family, and school. ("ULA Sanctioning Letter." Utah Lacrosse News. N.p., 10 June 2016. Web. 16 Mar. 2017). Lacrosse is a beautiful game, and it is growing so fast across all the states. Several athletes, boys and girls, are hoping onto the lacrosse bandwagon. Lacrosse should be sanctioned because it creates opportunities for the players to feel supported by a school, by peers, and by family. It will help with all the expenses of playing lacrosse as a club sport, and it will continue the growth of the game by inviting whoever would like to come try the sport out. Sanctioning in the state of Utah would be very beneficial to the community of lacrosse.