#12- Purchasing a Stick

As season rolls around so does the season of buying. It's time for girls and boys to get their equipment for this year. This involves cleats, helmets, goggles, mouthguards and most importantly sticks. Sticks are something that takes time and research to buy and find the right one for you as a player, and for your position on the field. Sticks are made for all sorts of different purposes. It is strange to think that they are not just all universal to the game. Obviously you can use that stick in whatever way you want, but might as well use it for what it was designed for. Girls and boys sticks are very different. Girls have a more shallow pocket on their head for the ball, while boys have a very deep pocket that is easier to keep the ball in their stick. The way the sticks are really affects the game. There is purpose behind the shallow pocket for girls because we do not hit each others sticks as much, and we craddle a lot more to keep the ball in. It also affects the power and ‘whip’ of our shot. With a more shallow pocket it is harder to get the ball going fast. While in boys, they are quite more violent so they need to have a deeper pocket to keep the ball in, and they shoot from a farther distance so the deep pocket allows for more ‘whip’ and speed in their shot. When shopping for a stick, you can do it two ways. You can buy a head and a shaft separate and put them together, or you can buy a complete stick. I found a website that talked about purchasing sticks for an advanced player that would play the midfield position. (http://laxworld.com/lacrosse-blog/2016/07/best-womens-lacrosse-stick/); “ Sticks cost anywhere from $100+ These sticks have a tight pinch, the minimum legal sidewall, an extreme scoop angle and pack a lot of power, Advanced sticks are durable and lightweight. These sticks often have more custom ramps such as the Swivel Pocket Pro, Runway Pocket, Launch Pocket, or the deBeer Gripper Pro. Complete sticks often offer the best deals, try the Brine Dynasty Elite Complete Stick, Maverik Erupt Complete Stick, Nike Lunar Elite Complete Stick, STX Crux 500 Complete Stick, STX Exult 500 Complete Stick. Any of these heads individually make great choices and again, pair well with any composite shaft. The Crux 500 and Exult 500 are both 10 degree heads that pair with any 10 degree shaft. The 10 degree technology offers a quicker release and better ball feel. The Under Armour Regime head, and the Brine Mantra 3 are also good choices and are purchased as heads only. Each manufacturer has options for any level and this information is just a snippet of some of the most popular ones. The best way to find your favorite stick is to try them out in stores or borrow a friend's! As long as you are happy with the equipment you're using and it's legal, that's all that really matters!” (Renee, L.) Another lacrosse website said this according to a boy midfielder, “When it comes to picking out the right handle for your stick, there are a number of factors to consider. Although it ultimately comes down to personal preference, most manufacturers design their handles with a particular player type in mind. Besides the distinct differences in a defensive and offensive shaft, some of the key features that classify which handle is best suited for a particular position are; shape, grip and strength. In some cases, flex also plays a meaningful role in deciding which handle best suits your game. For a midfielder their main priority when picking out a shaft is weight. Midfielders will need to carry their stick up and down the field countless times so it is important that your stick doesn’t weigh you down. This fact is played out in our 2016 picks for midfielders as most alloy handles are composed of a scandium material versus a scandium-titanium blend that may weigh slightly more. Carbon fiber handles thus provide a fantastic alternative to the traditional alloy shaft as they are specifically designed to not only off a lightweight feel but an added flex to give the midfielder increased torque on their outside shots.” (http://www.lacrosse.com/guide/2016-shafts-for-midfielders/). A lot more than we think goes into the buying of your stick, and these are just a few examples. A defenders stick could need to be different than a midfielders, and the what the boys are looking for in a stick could be different than girls. It is important that you research what you want and for the right price, and to go into the store and physically feel what is the best fit for you.

#11- Sanctioning

Lacrosse is not a sanctioned sport at high schools in Utah. Why? As players and coaches this is frustrating. This means that we are a club sport, so we have to fundraise for everything. We have to find a place to play and practice on our own which can be challenging and expensive. We have to buy our uniforms and gear and then on top of all that we still have to pay a team fee. Sanctioning lacrosse would allow us to play at the high school, get gear and uniforms from the school, and be more supported in our sport.The Salt Lake Tribune ran an article about utah officials considering sanctioning. The Deseret News ran an article about the debate of sanctioning the sport in Utah. “Lacrosse, considered a high school club sport in this state because it is not sponsored by the Utah High School Activities Association, has grown exponentially over the last few years. Its popularity is evident all along the Wasatch Front.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.” With this many teams and players involved it only seems fair to start sanctioning the sport. “So much interest in the sport begs an obvious question: Why is lacrosse not sanctioned by the UHSAA?” As a player this is the question that is constantly in the back of our minds. So for it to really start being considered it exciting for the lacrosse community. They then go on to say, “Part of the reason is a moratorium currently restricting the state association's board of trustees from making any changes.The UHSAA is under a self-imposed sanctioning freeze, which was put into effect nearly four years ago as schools struggled to finance the existing 20 sports and three activities of drama, speech and theater."We have nearly 90,000 participants in those things that we already sponsor and our member schools were a little hesitant at that time bringing on more activities," said Rob Cuff, the executive director of the UHSAA. "All of that takes dollars out of some budgets and, at the time, schools were losing money." The moratorium does not have a set expiration date. Rather, if the ADEC, a committee of athletic directors that serves as a filter for the board of trustees, is presented with a compelling and organized proposal about adding a sport, ending the moratorium could be put to a vote. "We haven’t said nobody can approach the board," Cuff said. "What we’re saying is, (the moratorium) would have to be lifted in order for you to be approved." Nearly a decade ago, the ULA did approach the board of trustees with a proposal to add lacrosse. At the time, the girls program was not ready and the board did not want to add one program without the other. Since that time, the sport has been gaining popularity among both girls and boys, and the ULA is exploring its options. "We have had conversations with the UHSAA on what sanctioning would mean," said Josh Elder, the former commissioner over boys high school lacrosse with the ULA. "Sanctioning has both pros and cons." Cuff, Elder, and Thatcher each cited benefits and challenges that would come from sanctioning lacrosse and from maintaining the status quo.” The most crucial requirement for any sport looking to join the UHSAA is adhering to its handbook — a 130-page document that outlines the guidelines and interpretations for all sanctioned sports and activities. "That’s one of the pros or cons, however you want to look at it, in joining our association," said Cuff. "All of our bylaws would have to be abided by if a sport is added. "Those rules include, among many additional items, limited team membership (students can only play on one team of a particular sport during the high school season), the age rule (students are ineligible after they turn 19 or play four years), scholastic expectations (a minimum 2.0 GPA and no more than one F) and all transfer rules. As it stands, the ULA presides solely over girls and boys high school lacrosse in much the same way the UHSAA governs. It has an executive director in Lisa Schmidt, program coordinators over girls lacrosse and boys lacrosse, a handbook of regulations, and a board of directors that dictates policy.” o

#2- Offseason/ Preseason

Today’s post is all about going into depth about off season and preseason of sports. These are times when you are not playing your sport. This doesn't mean though, that you are not practicing your sport. In fact, this is one of the most crucial times for practicing and improving at your sport. Don Kardong, an American Olympian said this about the off-season; “In those long, lonely miles you put in during the off-season, and in those knife-in-the-gut track repetitions and hill repeats that buckle your knees - at that moment in almost every race when you ask yourself how much you're willing to hurt to catch one more runner - you can draw strength and inspiration from your running mates." I really liked this quote because he talks about how he pushes himself and stretches and has the mentality of that it will help him when he is actually racing during season. The fact that he can push himself in the lonely miles is what makes it so he can push himself in the actual season. Walter Payton said this; “During the off-season when you see other people playing in the Super Bowl, you wonder, and you say to yourself, 'Are you ever gonna get there and see what it feels like?' And it pushes you a little bit harder during that off-season to work to try to get there the following year." This quote is pretty self-explanatory, but it does show the importance of off-season. (https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/off-season.html) In lacrosse we are fortunate enough to have a fall season, and a winter league, so that in spring when the real season is we have kept up with our game. This doesn't mean that you don't ever need to practice out of scheduled time. Personally I can tell the girls that have taken the time to keep up with the game. In lacrosse this can be wall ball, which is so important!! Wall ball is when you go and literally pass back and forth with yourself. You hit the ball against a solid wall and catch it as it bounces back. It is crucial to be able to pass and catch like it is second nature in lacrosse, especially in game speed. This is especially helpful if you are trying to master your non-dominant hand. I am dominant with my right hand, so I struggle with my left and that is the one I work the most. When doing wall ball, it is recommended by our coaches and captains to do at least 100 on each hand. Another thing that is important in the off-season is staying in shape! I cannot emphasize this one enough. In lacrosse there are large amounts of running. It is said that in a typical professional women’s game you run 3-5 miles a game! That is crazy, because you are not just jogging that 3-5 miles, you are game speed sprinting and changing speed and dodging and defending and using a lot of your strength. So it is very important to run outside of your season and even outside of practice. This is also another one of the things you notice most about your team. A team that is in shape is unstoppable. My freshman year of playing lacrosse we had great captains that made us run a mile before every practice. This was so hard coming up from junior’s league, and to be honest I was really frustrated that we had to. Because after we ran we then had to practice! So then in your practice you were exhausted. But this taught me a lesson, and I’m so grateful it did. It taught me how to push my limits, and it taught me that if I could run when no one else could I would be a great player. The captains always told us that we need to be able to run just as good in the end of the game as we do in the beginning. My coach said this to us, “We may not be the best skill team in our region, but we will be the best conditioned team.” That is the year we took state. I will always remember that and that is why as a captain this year I will be pushing to get in the best shape we can. Another way to stay proactive in off-season is to eat right. When you can create good nutrition habits in off-season and preseason you will be able to control yourself when it counts on game days and such. Plus it is really good for your body.

#10- Teamwork

Today's blog post is about teamwork. Teamwork is crucial in team sports, it makes the dream work. It is the most successful and unstoppable way to play a game. It is so important because it increases the capabilities of the whole team. It takes the skill level of each player and combines it into something better. On a lacrosse team it is impossible to be a one man show. There are so many responsibilities that each player in their certain position is required to fulfil. There are defenders for defense, offenders for offense. Those positions can't be filled with one player. There is a goalie and midfielders and even the coach. It really is a group effort that makes a team so strong. There is more to a team than just passing to each other. Being a team is trusting in each other, supporting each other through win and lose, and being committed. Trust is a huge factor to teamwork. In fact, it's pretty much the only factor if you break it down. If you do not trust in the other players on your team with the ball, or to catch a pass, or to be able to score than your team will not work. I have played on several teams and have been on both ends of this situation. I have been the one that no one knows or trusts, and I have been one to not trust others with the ball. The success rate of those teams was not very high. There is only so much you can do when one person is the all-star of the team and is the only one to score. The other team can quickly pick up on how to defend this kind of team too and shut it down super fast. An article called Building Trust Inside Your Team said, “A team without trust isn't really a team: it's just a group of individuals, working together, often making disappointing progress. They may not share information, they might battle over rights and responsibilities, and they may not cooperate with one another. It doesn't matter how capable or talented your people are, they may never reach their full potential if trust isn't present. However, when trust is in place, each individual in the team becomes stronger, because he or she is part of an effective, cohesive group. When people trust one another, the group can achieve truly meaningful goals. So how can you, as a leader, help your team build the trust that it needs to flourish? Think about that definition for a moment. Trust means that you rely on someone else to do the right thing. You believe in the person's integrity and strength, to the extent that you're able to put yourself on the line, at some risk to yourself.Trust is essential to an effective team, because it provides a sense of safety. When your team members feel safe with each other, they feel comfortable to open up, take appropriate risks, and expose vulnerabilities. Without trust there's less innovation, collaboration, creative thinking, and productivity, and people spend their time protecting themselves and their interests – this is time that should be spent helping the group attain its goals.” Support is a big part of teamwork. When your teammates support you on the field it looks something like not getting mad at you for messing up, encouraging hard work, congratulating you on something you did good, etc. Being there for your teammates off the field is what brings you closer as a team and can really show how much you care. Another huge factor in teamwork is commitment. Being committed to your team is necessary. This means that you are there for practice, games,etc. This also means you go all in, you give everything to your sport as best as you can, at practice or at games and even off the field. Cynthia Measom wrote in the article titled, The Importance of Trust Within a Team, ‘’Commitment is an important part of trust. Every team member must commit to helping teammates meet the goals of the team -- no matter if personal or professional obstacles present themselves. For example, a team member who has to take an extended amount of sick leave should be willing to do as much work as possible from home. Team members must be able to rely on one another to do their part of the team's work without fail. Each team member must be cognizant of the detrimental consequences of not following through on commitments.”

#9- Rhetorical Analysis 2

In my analysis, I will be arguing the article from the New York Times, “Not Everyone Says Headgear Is Right Fit for Girls’ Lacrosse.” In this article Bill Pennington talks about how women's lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the country, with many injuries occurring to the head, such as concussions. This is causing a debate within the lacrosse associations about if women should be required to wear headgear or not. From an outsider's perspective it seems like a no-brainer, but it is causing worry to coaches, players, and officials. The author claims that if headgear becomes a requirement to girls lacrosse it will ruin the purity of the game. This claim is non-factual and overdramatic because simply adding headgear to girls lacrosse will not change the essence of the game. “Girls’ lacrosse is a purer form of the game, with a lineage closer to the sport’s early history. In the female version of the game, players abide by rules that are closer to the original regulations.” (http://www.woodburyunitedlax.com/page/show/729518-what-boys-can-learn-from-girls-lacrosse) Simply because we are being more cautious and adding headgear does not effect the rules of the game. The game of girls lacrosse is so pure because they stick closer to the regulations from the original indian history. In the article “The great debate: Why no helmets for women's lacrosse,” one of their players, because of her past injury experience, stated that she would be wearing a protective helmet for her own safety, and her parents agreed. They said, "We saw it as a prophylactic thing to do as a parent, so we felt that if it would give her more self-confidence and add a little protection to her, we feel it was a better thing to do.” The player Carley Sturges said, "It helped me rebuild my confidence," She said as long as she plays lacrosse she will wear the helmet, even next year in college. Crutchfield, one of the coaches said he wants to see women's lacrosse go to hard helmets like the men. "I don't think girls are going to play a rougher game. I think we are going to dramatically see a reduction in the number of concussion injuries in women's lacrosse.” (http://www.wbaltv.com/article/the-great-debate-why-no-helmets-for-women-s-lacrosse/7074461) The main reason that so many people in the lacrosse community are bothered by the headgear requirement is because they believe in the “gladiator effect.” The gladiator effect is the mentality of playing harder because you are protected. Ann Carpenetti, the managing director of U.S. Lacrosse said it perfectly, she said, "Changing the culture of the game -- changing the nature of the game -- is a concern. Increasing the physicality of the game is a concern. People play with a greater sense of invincibility when they have protection." This is why the stress of the purity of the game is so high. If the girls play with more aggression because they are better protected, the game will increasingly get more like the boys because of the violence, and could possibly lead to changing of the rules. This statement is based on opinions and has no facts to back it up.

#8- Practice begins

“Practice makes perfect,” is a saying we have all heard in our lifetime. Or perhaps, “practice makes permanent.” Both of these sayings are true and have been used to inspire teams and coaches and players everywhere. Practice is at the heart of life. It is what we put ourselves through to learn how to do something new, and the thing about practice is that it doesn't come in one sit down, it comes in several. Practice is at the heart of lacrosse, it is key! Without it there is no lacrosse. There is no teamwork, there is no skill, there is no plays or improvement made on the team. The thing I love most about practice is that it is a chance to mess up and learn around your team. It is where you can see what works together and personally and what doesn't. It is a beautiful thing. Practice isn't typically something that your knowledge can be expounded on because it is done so many different ways for different sports and coaching styles. But it is something that is a huge part of the game of lacrosse, so I feel like it is worth mentioning. Practice how you play. This is crucial! If we can learn to practice how we play, and play like we practice this can up our game and up our improvement. Practices are meant to be energetic and fast paced like a game would be, so when you get into those situations you know how to react. If practices are lazy, then the chances of you playing with skill and aggression in a game are low, and based on luck. Sometimes you don't even realize what kind of practice you need! In games the passes are faster, quicker and sometimes not right to you, so you have to have the agility and speed to be there and catch that. The list could go on and on of what specific things would be beneficial in practice and games, but the jist of it is learn as much as you can in practice, and mess up as many times as needed so in games the mistakes are less and the skill level is higher and you play better overall. My senior season of lacrosse started yesterday! The first practice of the season. Obviously not a practice without flaws. The whole team is rusty and out of shape. The first practice is one of my favorite times. This is the case because it is a chance for all of us to start new that season, with high aspirations and goals. We have optimism for the upcoming season!! We believe that we can take division 2 state! The coach believes in usIt is also a really good time for us to all see our flaws and work our hardest to get back into our groove of the game. For some of us it has been months since we have picked up a stick, and you would be surprised how after 2 or 3 hard practices it can come back like it is second nature. In our practices we go for a run around the field, then we do dynamic stretching and go right into our drills. We do passing shuttles, ground ball drills, and shooting drills. Because of the repetition of doing this every practice it helps us to really progress in it and the repetition drills it into your brain which creates that “second hand nature” feeling. Some of the plays that we run that are most beneficial to our team are out shooting drills. We feed the ball from the bottom of the goal into the offensive player with a defender on them. It turns into a one on one shooting opportunity to score. It teaches us to get open for the feed and dodge defenders to shoot. It also teaches us how to feed the ball correctly and defend someone in a one on one situation. Another drill we do is something called dog fights. It is when two girls are lined up side by side and someone rolls the ball forward and whoever can get to the ball first through a ground ball wins. This is so crucial in games because the ball is on the ground just as much as it is in the air, and if you can't get a ground ball you will not be a successful player or a successful team. It is equivalent to not being able to catch the ball, what kind of player would you be if you couldn't do that.

#7- contradicting an analysis

In my analysis, I will be arguing the article from the New York Times, “Not Everyone Says Headgear Is Right Fit for Girls’ Lacrosse.” In this article Bill Pennington talks about how women's lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the country, with many injuries occurring to the head, such as concussions. This is causing a debate within the lacrosse associations about if women should be required to wear headgear or not. From an outsider's perspective it seems like a no-brainer, but it is causing worry to coaches, players, and officials. The debate is if required headgear will change the game of lacrosse forever. Pennington has done his research and gets his facts from coaches opinion of the game to sway the outsiders stand. “Some of the sport’s longest-tenured coaches and officials worry that the headgear, though optional for now, will lead to more aggressive play and will ultimately ruin the nuanced spirit of the game, which has been played in North America for about a century.” He gets quotes from the coaches to get their point of view across, that if headgear is allowed it will take the game down a slippery slope to more aggressive play and change the game of lacrosse forever. He uses the rhetorical device of pathos to evoke a connection from the pity of the coaches. Pennington then goes on to say, “The idea that athletes will play rougher if wearing extra padding is known as the “gladiator effect” and dates to at least the early 20th century, when it was suggested that college football players were hitting with more ferocity because they had begun to wear leather helmets.In 1986, Massachusetts high school officials required that girls’ lacrosse players wear hard ice hockey helmets. The experiment ended after several years, and the consensus was that offensive players were more likely to instigate contact with opposing defenders, and vice versa.” He also got a quote from a coach that thinks the game could be totally lost and treated more as the boys game. “A lot of us coaches talk about where things are going and what might happen to girls’ lacrosse,” Fronckowiak said. “And we’ve all agreed that if they change too much, it will be time to leave the game, because it’s just going to be the boys’ game. The beauty of our game will be gone.” There is some contradiction in the article from other insiders who say although headgear is added, lacrosse is lacrosse. “Our game is not going to change because the rules aren’t going to change,” said Carter Abbott, the head coach and athletic director at the Pingry School in New Jersey. “Headgear or no headgear, it’s about training coaches to teach the game the right way. It’s about educational programs for game officials.” He does not mention any solutions to this problem among the lacrosse culture, considering the matter is out of his hands. Pennington collected great data from the coaches he got quotes from, and his article has great grammar and flows well. He collects data as well from the companies that would be selling the headgear. I do not agree with this article because I think that the rules of the game will not change because of headgear, nor do I think that girls will start to be playing with more aggression. I feel like some of the quotes from these coaches are overdramatic, they are not thinking about the safety this will bring to the game.

#6- Coaching

Coaching. What is a team without a coach? What is life without organization? What is learning without teaching? What is discipline without rules? Coaches are the head of the team. The reason for the team. Our lacrosse coach is in charge of making plays for us, putting us in our right positions, organizing practice, etc. He is the reason are team comes together and can learn to work together. The coach sees things from the sideline of games that players don't. He can point out your flaws and weaknesses so you can work on them and he can also point out your strengths so you can emphasize them. Bob Naradelli said this, "I absolutely believe that people, unless coached, will never reach their full potential." Coaching is no easy task. In a world today, coaching is crucial to young kids just learning to play a sport and take in those wins and losses. It is hard because no matter what you do you will not please every player or every parent. Coaches have to have the patience and compassion to deal with all the politics in sports as well. An article in the New York Times by David Bernstein says this about coaching, “Coaches can be enormously influential in the lives of children. If you ask a random group of adults to recall something of significance that happened in their fourth or fifth grade classroom, many will draw a blank. But ask about a sports memory from childhood and you’re likely to hear about a game winning hit, or a dropped pass, that, decades later, can still elicit emotion. The meaning that coaches or parents help young people derive from such moments can shape their lives. But today’s youth coaches often struggle to provide sound, evidence-based, and age-appropriate guidance to players. Part of the problem is that of the 2.5 million American adults who serve as volunteer coaches for youth sports less than 10 percent receive any formal training. Most become coaches because their kid is on the team ― and they basically improvise. I did this in soccer and, through my over-eagerness, almost destroyed my then-6-year-old son’s delight for the game." This part of the article talks about how coaches have such an impact on young youth. There is a lot of pressure to know what to say to young kids in those crucial learning moments. Even now, I as a senior in high school, look up to my coach and his integrity. Our coach always respected us as players, and with that we needed to show respect to him in return. He also taught us how important sportsmanship is. No one likes to play against a dirty team with no mercy. We've been in the situation where we are losing so bad to a team and they just keep scoring on us and running all over us, it is no fun. But we have also been in those situations where we are the ones that are dominating the other team, and our coach pulls us aside an makes us play fair and smart and kind to the other team. I have always respected him for that and have learned how to treat other teams how I would want to be treated. What are some other things that make a great coach? A great coach is a valuable commodity. At any level, from that of our youth to national teams, a great coach can be the difference between disappointing performance and the highest levels of success. A great coach also guides athletes to better lives off the field, and serves as another type of educator in life. While the players on the field and other support staff are obviously extremely important, the role of the coach, whether they be the head honcho or a volunteer assistant, cannot be overlooked. So what makes a great coach, and is there anything that makes someone a great coach within the sport of lacrosse? Well, here’s the kicker… let’s just get it out of the way now: A great coach in lacrosse is probably going to be a great coach in any other sport, and vice versa. Coaching is only tangentially about Xs and Os. It’s much more about the players on the field, and how they feel.” (https://laxallstars.com/what-makes-a-great-coach/)

#5- History

Lacrosse, like any other sport has history. I think it to be one of the most interesting. “Lacrosse was started by the Native American Indians and was originally known as stickball. The game was initially played in the St. Lawrence Valley area by the Algonquian tribe and they were followed by other tribes in the eastern half of North America, and around the western Great Lakes.The Native American games were seen as major events, which took place over several days.They were played over huge open areas between villages and the goals, which might be trees or other natural features, were anything from 500 yards to several miles apart. Any number of players were involved. Some estimates have mentioned between 100 and 100,000 players participating in a game at any one time. The rules were very simple, the ball was not to be touched by a player’s hand and there were no boundaries. The ball was tossed into the air to indicate the start of the game and players raced to be the first to catch it.The original wooden balls were later replaced by deerskin balls filled with fur and the sticks developed over time to become more sophisticated implements, the netting made from deer sinews. In preparation for a game players used paint and charcoal to decorate their faces and bodies. Games of lacrosse were played for a number of reasons. It was considered a sport that toughened up young warriors for war but it was also a game played for recreation and for religious reasons. It was not unusual for bets to be placed on the outcome of games. French Jesuit missionaries working in the St. Lawrence Valley in the 1630s were the first Europeans to see lacrosse being played by the Native American Indians. One of them, Jean de Brébeuf, wrote about the game being played by the Huron Indians in 1636 and it was he who the named the game “lacrosse” A demonstration of lacrosse was given by the Caughnawaga Indians in Montreal in 1834. As a result, interest in the game of lacrosse began to develop in Canada. A Canadian dentist, Dr William George Beers, was responsible for founding the Montreal Lacrosse Club in 1856 and a decade later he drew up rules which included reducing the number of players, introducing a rubber ball and a redesigned stick. By 1860 lacrosse had become Canada’s national game and in 1867 exhibition games were played in England. In 1876 Queen Victoria watched a game being played and remarked that “The game is very pretty to watch.” In 1883 a touring team from Canada and and a team made up of Iroquois natives visited Scotland.” During this tour promotional literature was distributed to the spectators pointing out the benefits of emigration to Canada. By the turn of the century lacrosse was becoming more popular in several countries and in 1904 and 1908 lacrosse was played in the Summer Olympics. (http://filacrosse.com/origin/) How crazy is that that lacrosse was started here in North America by indians. I especially found it cool that it was something used to prepare the younger boys for battle. I find that funny because now a days with all the gear that the boys wear it makes sense. The sport is very physical and very fun.