As a hockey player, I love the cold weather. Whenever the twenty degree weather and snow hit the homeland, my fellow Long Islanders look at me with the evil eye. To be fair, I agree, there is not much that can be done during this weather. Other than hitting the outdoor ice, building snow forts and shoveling, it is probably not wise to do anything when you are exposed to the elements for too long. So my apologies to every NCAA institution that started their season this past weekend or is about to begin this upcoming one. Simply put, this is not lacrosse.
When we think of lacrosse, we picture men and women moving up and down the field at a hastened pace in comfortable conditions with crowds all around to bask in the electricity. That energy is frozen over on a Saturday afternoon in usually windy stadiums in frigid temperatures with few bodies using their breath for warmth instead of screaming obscenities at opponents or cheers for the home team. Even this winter has tested the limits of my love for the weather. How can we expect new fans to start following the full season instead of the occasional championship weekend or May Madness?
Lacrosse is not a winter sport, but it is being played as one now. Coaches are trying to jam as many games onto the schedule to get their team into a groove entering the postseason. Look at how many weekday games occur between now and the end of March. Usually the weaker opponents are played following the weekend against a tougher, ranked opponent. Consequences that we have seen from this are exhausted players working on three days rest, little preparation, making the chance of injury more likely. The only teams not affected by this are the southern teams who can offer good conditions all year round without being barraged by winter storms named Maximus or another Polar Vortex.
How can we make it appeasing for the coaches, officials and fans? Do what the Ivy League does and start at the end of February or start of March. The weather will not be too bad, at worst two weeks of tough conditions before it starts to warm up. Schools can attract the student body to the majority of their games in more ideal conditions and the sport can play at optimum conditions. What is another benefit by pushing the schedule back? It moves championship weekend into June, allowing young players to attend more easily instead of choosing between that or a recruiting weekend.
We should all be excited for the start of lacrosse again. It is starting to (slowly) surface onto the national stage in the sports scene. We all want what is best for the game we love. But in its best interest, we should enjoy it in its natural habitat. Coaches, let us hockey players enjoy our ice time. Do not risk your players’ health in unfamiliar territory under challenging elements. Championships are not won in a foot of snow.
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According to the Wall Street Journal, participation in youth sports is down roughly 4% from 2008 to 2012. This comes from a variety of statistics and data from youth leagues, school organizations and industry groups. Basketball and football saw the highest decline in their sports.
The recent revelation of concussion and mental damage has played a big role in football’s decline. Another reason cited from the report is single-sport specialization. By only focusing on a lone sport for 365 days, seven days a week, players are drained of all the joy that comes with their sport.
The lone game that is an exception to this report is lacrosse. The WSJ says that youth participation in organized play increased 158% from 2008. Taken from the report:
“There are a few rising stars in youth sports. By one estimate, from the SFIA/Physical Activity Council survey, 770,000 youth participated in organized lacrosse in 2012, up 158% from its 2008 estimate. The sport uses many of the same skills as football, though with less contact, and may be gaining some participation from football’s losses.”
These are great numbers as we continue to see more youngins’ and schools become a part of the fastest growing sport. We have seen Georgia, Texas, and parts of the Midwest become expansion states that have produced talent as of late.
