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History
Lacrosse is a
game of Native American origin. French Missionaries coined
the term "le jeu de la crosse" in reference to the
similarity of appearance of a Catholic Bishop's staff ("Crossier")
and the stick or racquet used to play the game. The
game was played for multiple purposes by the various Native
cultures and had many names. "Lacrosse" is a spiritual
and medicine game, especially to the Iroquois, and was
played to rid a settlement of sickness and to resolve
disputes between disputing factions.
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The version of
lacrosse that is played today most closely resembles the
Iroquois version.
 On June 4, 1763
the Ojibwa and Sauk played a game of lacrosse or Baggatiway
(Little Brother of War") to honor the King of England's birthday
outside the gates of Fort Michilimackinac. The game was a
ruse to lull the soldiers and settlers in the fort into letting
their guard down. It worked! The Ojibwa and Sauk
eventually attacked and sacked the fort by throwing the ball
over the wall several times. Eventually, the soldiers
opened the gate of the fort to make retrieving and returning the
ball easier. When the gate was opened the players attacked
with weapons that had been hidden previously in nearby
vegetation.
Today, lacrosse is
the fastest growing team sport in the United States with over
1,200 high school teams, 400 college teams and many parks and
recreation and club teams for both boys and girls.
Lacrosse requires the athleticism of basketball, the physical
toughness of ice hockey and the endurance of soccer. The
men's version of lacrosse can be highly physical. However,
the women's game does not allow nearly the same amount of
contact. There are many opportunities to continue playing
lacrosse after high school and college. There are
professional indoor and outdoor teams and hundreds of club teams
made up of post-collegiate players. In addition, there are
many tournaments and jamborees for players of all ages
throughout the country and even in other nations. Today
lacrosse is played in over 25 nations. Every four years
the world championships are held to determine which nation has
the best lacrosse players. |
