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Box Lacrosse – Canada’s National Summer Sport
Lacrosse has long been referred to as the fastest game
on two feet. The sport is characterized by intense
action, strategy, finesse and power. To make long
looping passes at one end of the floor or field and
short bullet like shots at the other end; to catch a
pass over the shoulder while running at full stride; to
hit the top corner at the net while in full flight; or
to stop a shot aimed low through a maze of players
requires a range of skills unsurpassed in any other
sport. The promotion of speed, stamina, sportsmanship
and team play in lacrosse provides excellent cross
training for other sports like hockey, basketball and
soccer. The wide open nature of the game makes it a very
good spectator sport.
Box Lacrosse, which is similar to hockey and
basketball, is the most common form of lacrosse played in Canada. The game is played in a “box”, which is a
hockey rink with the ice surface removed (usually a
concrete floor). Our home arenas in Surrey are
Cloverdale Arena and North Surrey Recreation Centre.
Practices are held in outdoor boxes – in Surrey we use
boxes in Cloverdale Athletic Park, Unwin Park (Newton),
Royal Kwantlen Park (Whalley) and Holly Park
(Guildford).
The game involves two competing teams of 6 players (five
runners and a goaltender) each. Despite the “look” of
the players and the fact the game is divided into three
periods, it is actually more similar to basketball than
hockey in that all 5 runners are involved in both the
offence and the defence, as opposed to hockey which has
“forwards” and “defencemen”. It is a full contact sport
(except in younger ages) which involves speed and
coordination. As in basketball, a team has 30 seconds
after it gains control of the ball to get a shot on
goal; failure to do so results in a turnover of
possession. As in hockey, the intent is to score a goal
into a net (smaller than hockey), line changes occurs
“on the fly” and many of the rules employed in hockey
apply in lacrosse. One notable difference is interference – if a defending player without the ball is
interfered with by an attacking player, the play is
stopped and possession of the ball goes to the defending
team. If an attacking player without the ball is
interfered with by a defending player outside of the 24’
dashed line, the play is stopped and shot clock reset.
Modified rules in younger age categories include:
players rotated in 3 minute shifts; when the ball is turned over, the attacking team must clear the offensive
zone; shootouts; 5-second possession rule; minimum
number of passes attempted before shot on goal.
Equipment needed is similar to hockey (helmet, facemask,
mouth guard, shoulder pads, gloves, athletic support &
cup), with slash guards, kidney & back protectors,
lacrosse stick, shorts and running shoes unique to the
sport. For more information on equipment, go to
http://www.surreylacrosse.com/equipment.html. Stores like SportChek and Canadian Tire carry a limited
selection of lacrosse equipment. Docksteader
Sports (South Surrey), Ice Level Source for Sports
(Richmond), Mad Dog’s Source for Sports (Langley) and
Mountain Edge Lacrosse (Port Coquitlam) carry a wider
selection. Surrey Lacrosse provides game uniforms &
shorts, as well as goaltender equipment.
Box Lacrosse programs officially start in April and end
in late June, with Provincial Championships in July or
early August. Players will have at least one game and
one practice a week, with younger players generally
scheduled earlier in the day and older players later in
the evening. Games and practices will be held
throughout the week, with days and times varying on the
schedule established by the Lower Mainland Minor
Lacrosse Commission for minor divisions, and the BC
Intermediate Lacrosse League and West Coast Junior
Lacrosse League for senior divisions.
For more information on box lacrosse and in particular
the Surrey Lacrosse Association, go to
http://www.surreylacrosse.com. |
