Lacrosse in Modern Days National Sport of Canada
Women’s Lacrosse
The rules of women’s lacrosse games are very different from men’s lacrosse games, especially in equipment and the degree of permissible physical contact. The rules of women’s lacrosse also vary greatly between the United States and all other countries, playing by the rules of the International Lacrosse Federation (FIL). Women’s lacrosse does not allow physical contact. The only protective equipment worn is a mouthguard and eye protector. In the first part of the twenty-first century, there were discussions about the requirement to wear a head covering to prevent concussions. In 2008, Florida was the first state to mandate the wearing of a headscarf in women’s lacrosse. Cane screening is allowed in the women’s game, but only at certain levels of play and within strict rules. The women’s lacrosse game also does not allow players to have a pocket or loose net on the lacrosse stick. Women start the match with a “draw” instead of a showdown. The players stand and the ball is placed between the head of the sticks while their stick is horizontal at waist height. At the whistle, players lift their sticks in the air trying to control where the ball goes.
Lacrosse in Modern Days National Sport of Canada, the first women’s lacrosse game was held at St Leonards School in Scotland in 1890. It was introduced by school principal Louisa Lumsden after a visit to Quebec, where she watched the gameplay. The first women’s lacrosse team in the United States was established at Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1926.
The difference between men’s and women’s Lacrosse
The number of players and lines on the field is different from men’s lacrosse. There are 12 women’s lacrosse players and players must adhere to certain limits that do not exist in men’s play. The three specific boundaries are the 8-meter “fan” (26 feet 3 inches) in front of the goal (11 meters [36 feet 1 inch] internationally) 12m (39ft 4in) (8m [26ft 3in] internationally) A semicircle surrounds the 8-meter propeller and the downfield drag circuit, which is used in draws to start quarters and after goals. The goal circle is also placed near the finish line in the women’s lacrosse game compared to men. In the women’s lacrosse game either on the offensive side or defensively, the players, as well as the goalkeeper, cannot get inside the goal circle; This becomes a “violation of the circle of purpose”. However, at the ladies’ group level, a new rule has been established allowing defenders to pass through the target circle.
The 8-meter fan in front of the goal circle has some limitations. Defenders cannot stand inside the 8-meter fan for more than 3 seconds without being within a short distance of the attacking player they are guarding. This is very similar to the three-second rule in basketball. A three-second violation results in a player from the other team making a free shot against the goalkeeper. If you are an attacker trying to shoot the ball at goal, you are not supposed to shoot while the defender is in “shot space.” To make sure you, the defender, are safe, you want to drive with your lacrosse stick and once you’re away from you, you can be in front of it.
Intercross
Intercross, or soft stick lacrosse, is an unrelated form of lacrosse with a standard set of bases using modified lacrosse equipment. The cross stick is different from the normal lacrosse stick, the head is made entirely of plastic rather than leather or nylon pockets in traditional lacrosse sticks. The ball is bigger, softer, and hollow, unlike the lacrosse ball, which is solid rubber.
Intercross is an adult competitive sport popular in Quebec, Canada, as well as in many European countries, especially in the Czech Republic. Overall, teams consist of five players on each side, and the pitch is 20 meters (66 feet) in size and 40 meters (130 feet) in length. Adult targets are the same size as a lacrosse box, 4 feet high or 1.2 meters wide. The international governing body, Fédération Internationale d’Inter-Crosse, hosts the World Championships twice a year.
Soft stick lacrosse is a popular way to introduce young people to the sport. It can be played outdoors or indoors and has a sophisticated curriculum for physical education classes.
Lacrosse Internationally
Historically lacrosse has been played for the most part in Canada and the United States, with small but dedicated lacrosse communities in the United States Kingdom, and Australia. However, lacrosse has recently begun to thrive internationally, with teams set up around the world, especially in Europe and East Asia.
Lacrosse World organization
In August 2008, the International Men’s Governing Body, the Lacrosse International Federation, merged with the International Federation of Lacrosse Women’s Associations to form the International Lacrosse Federation (FIL). FIL changed its name to World Lacrosse in May 2019. There are currently 62 Member States of World Lacrosse.
Championships
Lacrosse World sponsors five world championships: the Lacrosse World Men’s Stadium Championship, the Women’s Lacrosse Women’s World Cup, the Lacrosse Inner World Championship for Lacrosse Square, and the Lacrosse World Under-19 Men’s and Women’s Championship. It takes place every four years.
The World Lacrosse Championship (WLC) began in 1968 as a four-team invitation tournament sponsored by the Lacrosse International Federation. Until 1990, she entered the United States, Canada, England, and Australia only. With the game expanding internationally, the 2014 Lacrosse World Championship was competed by 38 countries. The United States dominated WLC. The United States team won nine of 12 titles, while Canada won the other three.
Lacrosse in Modern Days National Sport of Canada
The Women’s World Cup began in Lacrosse in 1982. The United States won eight of ten titles, while Australia won the other. Canada and England have always finished in the top five. The 2017 tournament was held in England and participated in 25 countries.
The first indoor lacrosse World Championship (WILC) was held in 2003 and was contested by six countries in four locations in Ontario. Canada won the tournament by beating the Iroqua Nationals 21-4 in the final. The 2007 tournament hosted by Onondaga Nation included 13 teams. Canada dominated the competition, winning four gold medals and not losing a match.
IROQUA is a national men’s team representing the six countries in federal trials in the international Lacrosse field competition. The team was admitted to FIL in 1987. It is the only First Nations team accredited to international competition in any sport. The national team finished fourth in 1998, 2002, 2006, and third Lacrosse World Championships in 2014. The indoor team won silver at all four Lacrosse World Championships. In 2008, the Iroqua women’s team was admitted to the International Boxing Federation as Haudenosaunee citizens. They finished seventh at the 2013 Lacrosse Women’s World Cup.
Lacrosse in Olympics
Lacrosse Field was a sports medal in the 1904 and 1908 Summer Olympics. In 1904, three teams competed in games held in St. Louis. Two Canadian teams, Winnipeg Shamrock and a team of mohawks from the Iroquois Federation, as well as the local St. Louis Amateur Athletics Federation team representing the United States, participated. Winnipeg Shamrock won gold. The 1908 Games were held in London, England, with only two teams representing Canada and Great Britain. The Canadians again won gold in one championship match at 14-10.
In the 1928, 1932, and 1948 Summer Olympics, Lacrosse was a show sport. The 1928 Olympic Games in Amsterdam included three teams: the United States, Canada, and Great Britain. The 1932 Games in Los Angeles featured a three-game exhibition between an All-Star Canadian team and the United States. The United States represented John Hopkins at both the 1928 and 1932 Olympics. The 1948 Games included an exhibition by the All England team organized by the English Lacrosse Federation and the Group Lacrosse Team of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute representing the United States. This exhibition match ended in a 5-5 draw.
Efforts were made to include Akross as a show sport at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, and the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, but were not successful.
One of the obstacles to lacrosse’s return to the Olympics is inadequate international participation. To consider the Olympics, sport must be played on four continents and in at least 75 countries. Lacrosse is played on all six continents, but as of August 2019 when Ghana joined, there are only 63 countries playing the sport.
For more Information please visit https://www.lacrosse.ca/content/History-of-Lacrosse
