Lacrosse – Canada's National Summer Sport

"What? I thought ice hockey was Canada's sport?!" say many people when I mention that lacrosse is Canada's game. The game of lacrosse is even older than ice hockey and is indigenous to North America. The roots of the sport lie with the indigenous people of North America and it has been played in many forms for several hundred years. It's a rough and tumble sport, asking no less that 110% from its competitors.

Today in Canada and around the world, lacrosse is played by thousands of people. In March 1994 lacrosse was proclaimed Canada's national summer sport by the members of the Canadian Parliament. The sport is a vital part of Canada’s culture and history and has contributed much to the development of organized sport in Canada.

What is lacrosse?

At the national and international level many people play field lacrosse, which is played on a field 100m x 55m. Men’s teams play 10 per side, while the women play 12 per side. Its compliment is indoor or “box” lacrosse.

Box lacrosse is a uniquely Canadian form of the game and is played on a standard sized arena floor. It features 6 players (goaltender and five runners) of an 18-20 player team on the floor at one time. Box lacrosse has a lot of similarities to basketball such as the shot clock and five-on-five offence and defence action. According to the Canadian Lacrosse Association, some 47,000 men and women play this form of lacrosse in Canada.

A newer form of the sport, which is also played co-ed (men and women play) and is non-contact, is called Inter-crosse and this form of lacrosse is growing quite rapidly around the world. Some 250,000 people in Canada play inter-crosse, and it is played in 45 countries.

The long history of lacrosse

The history of lacrosse is a long one! I can only suggest that you read the excellent article about the history of the sport on the website of the Canadian Lacrosse Association at http://www.lacrosse.ca/nationalsport.asp. Let’s focus on the here and now!… If you want a good review of lacrosse terminology, go to the home pages of the National Lacrosse League (www.nll.com) and click “Lax101”.

Present day

Lacrosse went through a huge revival in Canada (and the United States) in the late 1980's and early 1990's and has been commercially successful in terms of media exposure and merchandising. The National Lacrosse League was formed in 1987 and features 11 professional teams in three Canadian and eight American cities. The Toronto Rock has claimed the NLL's Champion's cup five times in the last seven years. (www.torontorock.com). The upcoming season welcomes a new team, the Edmonton Rush. Many of the NLL's players are Canadian and play for teams based in the States.

Lacrosse on the world stage

Currently the world outdoor championships are held every four years. The 2002 World Championships were held in Perth, Australia, with the USA defeating Canada 18-15 in the final. In a hard-fought battle for the bronze medal Australia beat out the Iroquois 12-11.

The 2006 World championships will be held in London, Ontario, from July 13-22. See more at http://www.2006worldlacrosse.com/. The 2007 Indoor Lacrosse World Championships were awarded to Halifax, Nova Scotia, affirming the deep roots the sport has in Canada. The indoor (=box) championships will be held from May 14-20, 2007 (http://www.worldindoorlacrosse.com/).

Women have made their mark on the sport as well. Generally they play field lacrosse, which is non-contact and has much more focus on ball handling and passing skills. The 2005 IFWLA (International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Associations) were held in Annapolis, Maryland. Australia came out on top, winning only their second world championship, the last one being in 1986. Rounding out the top four were the United States, England and Canada.

In the women's game, the USA is the powerhouse. Formed in 1972, the International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Associations (IFWLA) aims to promote and develop the game of lacrosse around the world. The inaugural members were England, Wales, Scotland, Australia and the United States. This membership has expanded to include ten teams at the international level. See more at http://womenslacrosse.org

Find out more on the net: http://www.lacrosse.ca (Canadian Lacrosse Association), http://www.nll.com/ (National Lacrosse League) and http://www.tsn.ca/lacrosse The Sports Network - Canada).

Carmen Boudreau-Kiviaho