Even though it’s been around for centuries (yes, really), lacrosse seemed to materialize with a generous following of fans out of the blue in the last decade. Reporting for the Spectator in 2002, the closest lacrosse games we could find were a few on a forgotten field in Coral Springs with a scarce smattering of fans and die-hard parents. My first in-person experience with lacrosse was watching the Coral Springs Tomahawks…and it was amazing!
Fast, fierce, and a little bit violent, it held a resemblance to hockey complete with the occasional bloody nose but without the ice and dangerous blades. Plenty of checking, passing, screaming fans and accurate shooting quickly made lacrosse a lasting favorite for our entire staff, especially our photographer. At the time, I remembered only occasionally hearing about the game, first played by Native Americans. Having grown up in Parkland, I’d never heard of the game on any nearby fields, but can recall overhearing about college competitions on an occasional newscast.
In fact, most of my own peers believed that lacrosse was more of an Ivy League game and, when the last century’s annals of lacrosse history are studied, it was! The United State Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association began its annual championships in 1881, with Harvard achieving the top honor. Between Harvard, Princeton and Yale, the competition was fierce for the first ten years until finally schools like NYU, Johns Hopkins and others became more formidable opponents. Although those days began just 100 years prior, my graduating class still thought of lacrosse as a sport for rich snobs in the most lofty echelons of society. We envisioned Biff playing while Buffy sipped lemonade under her parasol.
That history has become history! Now that we’ve discovered how much fun lacrosse is to play AND watch, it’s gone from Ivy League to hometown leagues. Watch more games with EPL?? live online. A few years ago Florida high schools made it an official sport and kids who’d never had the opportunity to play became enamored with a unique game that is far more fun than sitting on the couch between soccer and football seasons. Teamwork, action, a little checking and a lot of fun will keep this a favorite for most every player’s lifetime.
Unfortunately, the Tomahawks folded just prior to lacrosse coming into its heyday here at home. They were a little before their time…but now we have the Coral Springs Chiefs and the Parkland Redhawks, two amazing and fast-growing leagues headed up by some of the most experienced and well-rounded lacrosse enthusiasts in South Florida. Pack up the kids, grab some sticks and head out to the fields…and don’t forget the lemonade.
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