The Future of Lacrosse

STICKING POWER

WRITTEN BY MEGIN POTTER | PHOTOS PROVIDED

Predominately played on the East Coast, lacrosse is now the fastest growing sport in schools and colleges across the country. Lacrosse is a relatively low-cost, high-energy, full-contact sport where the ball is always moving. Shots are clocked going faster than 100 mph, and lots of goals are scored in every game.

THE HIDDEN EXPENSES

As interest in lacrosse has grown, some veterans of the sport see this popularity bringing with it hidden expenses. “The focus is growing the number of participants, not growing the game. They modified and messed with the traditional aspects of the game,” said Brent Coye, a 1991 graduate of Saratoga Springs High School, who played lacrosse on the Nazareth College 1992 National Championship Team. Coye has also coached lacrosse at Union, Skidmore, and Hudson Valley Community College. “A soccer mom mentality has taken over in the last few years that’s limited the smash and grab pace of the game. It’s supposed to be fast, up and down. That’s what gets people saying, ‘Holy Cow! Lacrosse is cool!’” he continued. Now working as a security contractor, Coye continues to coach lacrosse privately, preparing his players for highimpact collisions like he experienced. “It was a very tough game in the ‘90s and early 2000s when I played. Your metal was going to get tested. If you weren’t ready to get hit, you weren’t ready to play. The lacrosse player was an anomaly; unique, and part of a certain clique. You had to have a certain coordination between the upper and lower body and not everyone had it. You’re running with the ball and the stick. You have to pass, shoot and catch on the run. It’s not just something you can pick up and do if you’re used to playing another sport.”

ANCESTOR APPROVED

Invented by the Iroquois nation, lacrosse is a game that reflects the value of coming together as a team to achieve a goal. The Iroquois believed that if they played well, it would please the Creator and He’d look favorably upon them. Handmade wooden sticks were presented to a young boy as a symbol that he was entering into manhood. Upon their death, some players were even buried with their sticks.

“One thing I do like, is that finally the Native American community is getting recognition for the creation of the sport. In lacrosse, an obligation to history is deeper and required, more so than in other sports,” said Coye. Adopted by European settlers to the continent, early reports compared lacrosse to everything from baseball and field hockey to badminton. According to the Lansingburgh Historical Society archives, one of the earliest exhibitions of lacrosse in the United States was played in Saratoga by the Indians of the Six Nations of Canada in August 1867. It was followed by a game at Rensselaer Park in the Village of Lansingburgh in October. The “savages” are lithe and active and throw a great deal of spirit into their play, thus rendering La Crosse more exciting than so simple a game would be expected to prove. They are all well-formed, athletic fellows, and run as gracefully and as rapidly as reindeers. - Troy Daily Whig. October 17, 1867. Shortly after this report, the “Mohawk Club of Troy,” one of the earliest American lacrosse teams, was formed.

PASSING DOWN THE TRADITION

Despite lacrosse’s long history, it was baseball that earned the title of “America’s Pastime.” The names of great players, like Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle, remain so well-known they are woven into the fabric of the sport. By comparison, it is a challenge for those interested in lacrosse to name even one of its superstars. Twenty years ago, Coye wanted to help change that. With a $50,000 investment, he formed Under the Helmet Productions to make a 32-minute film, “Only

the Strong Survive.”

This video focuses on the history, precision movement, and strategy that made the game what it is today. It features clips of brutal plays and interviews with Team USA stars Tim Soudan and Charlie Lockwood, Cornell University Coach Richie Moran, and Herkimer County Community College Coach Paul Wehrum. At the time, a line of posters, equipment and apparel was also released. Coye is now planning to re-release the film on DVD and as a digital download. He is currently looking for an internet-savvy intern to help bring this project to fruition and to introduce lacrosse to the next generation of players in a new way. For more information, find Under the Helmet Productions on Facebook or UnderTheHelmet.net. SS