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Difficulties In Women's Lacrosse

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Women’s lacrosse does not allow body contact and requires more finesse than the men’s version of the game. Actually, the field lacrosse game played by women today closely resembles the game that Native Americans played because it lacks protective gear and strict boundaries (Vennum). Three attackers, five midfielders, three defenders, and a goalkeeper take the field at a time. High school games last fifty minutes, and college games are played for an hour (“Women’s”). Instead of a faceoff, women’s lacrosse utilizes a draw. Like the faceoff in men’s lacrosse, the draw is done at the beginning of each quarter and after every goal. Two midfielders (one from each team) line up across from each other at the midfield line with the other midfielders …show more content…

Once a player gains possession of the ball, her team will set up offensive plays to try to score. Checking another player results in a penalty; however, defenders may use their stick to hit the ballcarrier’s stick in attempt to knock the ball loose. Since women cannot check each other, they are not required to wear as much protective equipment as their male counterparts. Women only wear mouth guards and goggles. Goggles worn by women’s lacrosse players are the same type used by field hockey players. Goalies in women’s lacrosse wear the same equipment as goalies in men’s lacrosse. With the exception of the goalie’s stick, the pockets of women’s lacrosse sticks are shallow in relation to the ones used in men’s lacrosse. This feature makes it difficult to control the ball and is one reason why women’s lacrosse requires more finesse than men’s (“Women’s”). While women’s lacrosse is undoubtedly more difficult than the men’s game, there are still many players who excel at the sport. Beginning in the spring of 2016, there will be a chance for post-collegiate players to participate in semi-professional lacrosse in the United States through the UWLX, or United …show more content…

Typically referred to as box lacrosse or indoor lacrosse, this variation of the sport became popular in the 1930s (Hoyt-Goldsmith). An ice hockey rink covered with turf serves as the primary playing surface (“Overview”). Although if turf is not available, the ice rink can be drained and the concrete underneath will provide a suitable playing surface (“Box”). Indoor lacrosse combines various elements from the sports of ice hockey and basketball to generate a physical and fast-paced game (“Indoor”). The game is played with positions similar to those in ice hockey. Each team has one goalie, one center, two forwards, and two defensemen on the floor at a time (Hoyt-Goldsmith). Both men and women can play box lacrosse (Davidson). Unlike the field versions of the game, men and women playing box lacrosse have the same rules and equipment. Box lacrosse players use an ice hockey helmet fitted with a box lacrosse mask instead of a field lacrosse helmet (“Box”). Men’s field lacrosse equipment can serve as the basis of indoor lacrosse equipment, but players must also wear bicep and kidney pads (Davidson). Players who excel at box lacrosse may progress onward to play in the National Lacrosse League, or the NLL for short. Currently, the NLL consists of nine teams that play in cities throughout the United States and Canada. NLL games consist of four quarters, each lasting

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