First and foremost, welcome! We hope you and your child(ren) have a rewarding experience with the sport of lacrosse. Please give us feedback if there is any additional information that would be helpful to you as you begin!

America's First Sport

Lacrosse, considered to be America's first sport, was born of the North American Indian, christened by the French, and adapted and raised by the Canadians. Modern lacrosse has been embraced by athletes and enthusiasts of the United States for over a century.

The sport of lacrosse is a combination of basketball, soccer and hockey. Anyone can play lacrosse--the big or the small. The game requires and rewards coordination and agility, not brawn. Quickness and speed are two highly prized qualities in lacrosse.

An exhilarating sport, lacrosse is fast-paced and full of action. Long sprints up and down the field with abrupt starts and stops, precision passes and dodges are routine in men's and women's lacrosse. Lacrosse is played with a stick, the crosse, which must be mastered by the player to throw, catch and scoop the ball.

Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing team sports in the United States. Youth participation in the sport has grown over 500% since 1999 to nearly 250,000. No sport has grown faster at the high school level over the last 10 years and there are now an estimated 200,000 high school players. Lacrosse is also the fastest-growing sport over the last six years at the NCAA level, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are more than 500 college club programs, including nearly 200 women's teams that compete at the US Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates level.

Native American Heritage

A sport with deep spiritual roots that originated with Native Americans, lacrosse is more than just a game for Native peoples and gifted to them by the Creator.  Native American lacrosse was played throughout modern Canada, but was most popular around the Great Lakes, Mid-Atlantic seaboard, and American South. Traditional lacrosse games were sometimes semi-major events that could last several days, with as many as 100 to 1,000 men from opposing villages or tribes participating. Some games were played to settle inter-tribal disputes, while other times lacrosse was played to toughen young warriors for combat, or for recreation, or as part of festivals, or for religious reasons. Ultimately, it was always for the pleasure of the Creator. Modern day lacrosse descends from and resembles the stickball games played by these various Native American communities.

Current Equipment:

Both boys and girls love the game of lacrosse, but their equipment needs are different. Go here for details regarding necessary equipment!

The Lacrosse Ball:

All levels of play should only use certified lacrosse balls for games and practices. The lacrosse ball is the solid rubber ball that is used, with a lacrosse stick, to play the sport of lacrosse. It is typically white for men's lacrosse, or yellow for women's Lacrosse; but is also produced in a wide variety of colors.

As of January 1, 2014 there is a NOCSAE (National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment; abbreviation is pronounced "KNOCK-see") standard for any lacrosse ball used in competition.   Certified lacrosse balls meet the NOCSAE performance standard, ND049. Verification of certification for lacrosse balls can be checked online at the listing maintained by the independent Safety Equipment Institute (SEI).