WORK|OUT European Students’ Review

sports

LACROSSE

A new sports craze is catching on in Europe. Here is how it works.

| Jackie Mark (BERLIN). Heads turn as we board the train from Berlin, a group of 15 girls on our way to a lacrosse game. People tend to stare at our equipment: the lacrosse sticks — a meterlong pole, culminating at one end in a plastic oval with leather strings that looks something like a butterfly net. Most people, thinking they are the very first to come up with such a witty question, jokingly ask us if we are in fact going butterfly catching. Used to answering questions about our sport, which is widely popular in the USA but has just recently begun to develop in Europe, we try our best to explain the game.

   “Lacrosse” — French word, American sport. It was first played by the Native Americans for fun and to train for combat; French settlers began to document the rules in the 17th Century. We play on a soccer field, 11 players and a goalie on each side. The hard rubber ball is about the size of a tennis ball, which makes the men’s game a high-contact sport — players wear about as much padding as American footballers, which is necessary because they mercilessly swing their sticks at each other, not just at the ball. The women’s game, however, is based more on stick-handling skills and agility, and while we are allowed to hit each other’s sticks, there are a lot of rules to prevent anyone from getting hurt. So many rules, in fact, that the best way to learn about lacrosse is to simply watch a game. What most spectators find amusing is that each time a whistle is blown, all players have to stand still until the referee explains the latest penalty. A well-played game of lacrosse, however, is 60 minutes of fast-paced action, as players scoop the ball off of the pitch, pass in the air to their teammates, and gather in a fan-formation around the opponents’ goal to run picks and plays in order to score.
   There are three lacrosse clubs in Berlin: BLAX (Berliner Lacrosse Verein), VfK Berlin and Victoria Lacrosse Berlin. Together, these organisations support five men’s and women’s teams, which compete during the season (September-May) within the German lacrosse league. German lacrosse is well-organised, consisting of four geographical regions whose best teams meet at the end of the season to determine German national champions. This June, Berlin’s players fared extremely well, as our team BLAX Women won the German championships and the BLAX Men took 2nd place behind Hamburg. Aside from regular season play within the German lacrosse league, teams often host tournaments and parties across the country and throughout Europe. One of the largest local events is the Berlin Open, a 12-year tournament tradition. At this year’s Open in July, 26 European men’s and women’s teams met in Berlin three days of intensive play and parties. Upcoming events are: the 1st European Boxlacrosse Championship in Prague (28th August—3rd September) and the Madrid Lacrosse Club’s 3rd International Tournament (9th—11th September).
   Interested in picking up a stick and trying one of the hottest new sports in Europe? Most lacrosse organisations gladly accept new players throughout the year. Sticks up and have fun!

| The official website for the International Lacrosse Federation: www.intlaxfed.org

| write to the author: jacquelinemark04@fulbrightweb.org