Guilford girls lacrosse using success to build the sport
GUILFORD, Conn. — Back-to-back championships are a feat teams can only dream of. Yet, it has become a reality for Guilford High School鈥檚 girl’s lacrosse, as they are the back-to-back defending class M champions. Seldom teams have been able to dominate a sport like Guilford has with their female lacrosse. Even though lacrosse is recognized as a top 15 most popular sport in the world by outlets such as sportsbrief.com, many people don’t truly know the intricacies of the sport.
Lacrosse is America鈥檚 oldest team sport. Originating in the early 17th century, Native Americans played in what is now known as New York where games included anywhere from 100 up to 1,000 men using wood sticks with net baskets or pockets attached, and small, deer hide-wrapped balls. Deer tendons formed their nets. Native Americans played the game barefoot, with no protective equipment and a loose set of rules. Once discovered by European settlers, they established more strict rules for the sport. It was then adopted and modified by Canadians in the mid-1800s who created the first physical rulebook.
Lacrosse was introduced in the Olympic games in 1904 and was last played in 1908. The Canadian team came out as the victor in both instances. Lacrosse was also held as a demonstration event at the 1928, 1932, and 1948 Summer Olympics. There is growing hope the sport will be added back to the Olympics in 2028.
As the sport stands today, the rules are relatively simple. There are 10 players to a team, one of which is a goalie and the rest are evenly distributed between defenders, attackers, and midfielders. Up to four players are able to wield a long stick that measures 40 to 72 inches while every other player uses a stick that is 10 to 30 inches smaller. The smaller sticks are thought to be better for attacking. Being divided into 15-minute quarters, every quarter starts with a 鈥渇ace-off鈥�. This is where two opposing players lay their sticks on the ground parallel to the mid-line, the two heads of their sticks on opposite sides of the ball. At the whistle, they scrap for the ball, often by “clamping” it under their stick and flicking it out to one of their teammates. Then the goal is simple, score in the opposite goal more than the other team scores on your own.
Guilford has an in-depth youth lacrosse program that offers indoor winter sessions for non-ideal weather. The program contains kids from kindergarten to 8th grade and is meant to allow new lacrosse players an opportunity to become familiar with the sport and current players a chance to develop their skills. Guilford continues to show their dedication to growing the sport of lacrosse which was proven by its back-to-back championships.
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