Lacrosse at a "DI" UND?

[GeauxSioux]

I was at a park in Denver last week and saw three guys playing catch with lacrosse sticks. A few days later I was talking to my nephew in Colorado Springs and he told me hopes to play lacrosse in college in a couple of years. It's coming... get on board.

[MplsBison]

I was at a park in Denver last week and saw three guys playing catch with lacrosse sticks. A few days later I was talking to my nephew in Colorado Springs and he told me hopes to play lacrosse in college in a couple of years. It's coming... get on board.

I see high school kids wearing lacrosse tshirts now and then here in the cities.

I also see kids wearing alpine skiing club tshirts.

It's a niche sport.

[LeftyZL]

I see high school kids wearing lacrosse tshirts now and then here in the cities.

I also see kids wearing alpine skiing club tshirts.

It's a niche sport.

So is water polo and equestrian. To me, at least.

Why can't UND be a part of the niche sport? They have the facilities and the opportunity is about as good as it is going to get IMO.

Besides, what's the worst that can happen? In 10-20 years, the program is still struggling and not being competitive, and they are relegated to drop the sport back down to club level where it all began?

[MplsBison]

Because the taxpayers of ND should not have to pay for a sport at a ND university that they don't even play here at a club level, let alone sponsored by the NDHSAA.

[GeauxSioux]

Because the taxpayers of ND should not have to pay for a sport at a ND university that they don't even play here at a club level, let alone sponsored by the NDHSAA.

Not that it really matters, but UND does have a club lacrosse team and according to the standings NDSU has one as well.

UND Lacrosse

[LeftyZL]

Because the taxpayers of ND should not have to pay for a sport at a ND university that they don't even play here at a club level, let alone sponsored by the NDHSAA.

You really need to get off this kick of sports being sponsored by the NDHSAA. It's a non-issue when relative to UND's issues.

If UND chooses to start the program and begins to get recruits from Minnesota, Canada, and anywhere else for that matter, then the NDHSAA will begin/have to look at having lacrosse at the high school.

[The Sicatoka]

Because the taxpayers of ND should not have to pay for a sport at a ND university that they don't even play here at a club level, let alone sponsored by the NDHSAA.

Again ...

Softball is not an NDHSAA sponsored sport, thus, you advocate immediate elimination of NDSU Softball.

[star2city]

Lacrosse growth explodes in Saskatchewan

Manitoba and out-state Minnesota are next.

What's behind this explosion of popularity in an era of Game Boys and IPods?

Prince Albert's Shawn Williams has been president of the Saskatchewan Lacrosse Association for four years and previously served as president of Prince Albert lacrosse for four years. He attributes the increased interest to cheap equipment, among other factors.

"If you play hockey already, you can get into the game for $65 - for the price of a stick," said Williams.

Brad Fetch, the current president of Prince Albert minor lacrosse, concurs. He often fields phone calls from parents looking to get their kids started in lacrosse.

"First thing I come up with is: 'Do you play hockey?' Then your equipment (need) is limited, you're not buying everything," said Fetch.

[Stromer]

Because the taxpayers of ND should not have to pay for a sport at a ND university that they don't even play here at a club level, let alone sponsored by the NDHSAA.

The NDHSAA offers the bare minimum for sports. If we need to base our decisions on that backwoods organization, then we are in serious trouble. The NDHSAA deals with students from ND. While the state universities were created for in state students, that is no longer the case. Out of state students make up a huge chunk of enrollment. If they play a sport, why not offer it? NDSU could create a lacrosse team just as easy as UND could. In fact, they started their club team before the one at UND was started. Heavens forbid we try to give our students some perspective of the outside world. I guess we should just teach them about things that only happen in ND, as that is all the world consists of.

[star2city]

There's a major reconfiguration of the DI lacrosse leagues ongoing. First, the Big East will sponsor lacrosse, so Notre Dame will move from the Great Western Lacrosse League to the BE. It was thought that Penn State might join their Ohio State Big 11 brethren in the Great Western, but instead PSU chose the Colonial. Finally, Quinnipiac, which strangely enough is in the Great Western, will move to the NEC in 2011.

That leaves the Great Western Lacrosse League with the following schools:

Air Force

Denver

Detroit

Bellarmine (Louisville)

Ohio State

Notre Dame -> gone to Big East in 2010

Quinnipiac -> going to NEC in 2011

The GWLL needs one more team!! Geographically, this league has a tighter footprint than our propsed Great West or the Summit.

[dakotadan]

Softball finally gets the go-ahead from NDHSSA

There ya go. UND and NDSU's softball teams are safe from MPLS' chopping block.

[MplsBison]

I actually amended my stance to include high school club teams.

But there are not even high school club lacrosse teams in ND.

But as it stands now, every sport that NDSU and UND offer are sanctioned sports of the NDHSAA. That's how it should be and how it should stay.

No lacrosse, no equestrian, no BS.

[Air Force One]

Alright, I have to get involved in this coversation after reading it for many months. I have a 13 year old that is a budding lacrosse fanatic, saw it on ESPNU and we have also attended a few Swarm games down at the Xcel. He has saved up and purchased his own stick and other equipment when we have been down in the cities for hockey. We have not seen any outlet for youth lacrosse in the EGF/GF area so we contacted the Fargo Lacrosse Club and he is practicing with that group down there. He has said that he would rather play lacrosse in the summer than hockey if we can find a program around here. Maybe even something to do in the fall and spring besides football which he likes but doesn't want to play so he doesn't get hurt prior to hockey (that has already wiped out one of his hockey seasons) and he doesn't care for baseball at all.

Fargo is nice and the group that he practices with are all nice kids that seem to share the same passion for the game my son does as well as the coach but there are only 12-14 kids that show up regularly for practice, some are hockey players like my son, most are not. Like I said, good group of nice folks, but it is in Fargo and 150 miles round trip at $4 per gallon is a bit much. Is there any movement in Grand Forks, particularly with UND club players, that maybe a club could start up here in the EGF/GF area? Is there something that I have not seen or heard about? I don't care if it is in Grand Forks, I will gladly pay non-resident fees. How about southern Manitoba?

Is there something out there?

[GeauxSioux]

You're lucky that you live in EGF, or else MplsBison would give you the "whatfors" for having a kid interested in a non-sanctioned HS sport.

[MplsBison]

Nah.

At that age kids jump wildly from one interest to another.

Which in turn doesn't surprise me that there is little interest even in Fargo.

No doubt that there is a big gap from football to baseball as far as an outdoor sport.

My opinion is that the MLS will capitalize on that gap rather than Lacrosse.

[Bison101]

I watched the entire Army v Navy Lacrosse game on ESPNU the other day and found myself extremely bored for one reason. The athletes on the field did not posess any unique skill sets that made the game enjoyabel to watch. You could take a true athlete off the Basketball team, Football team, baseball, Hockey team etc and they could play Lacrosse. However, the opposite is not necessarily true as they would likley not have the God given gifts that true DI athletes have. Young men that excel at controlling the puck or manuevering on skates, or have the hand eye coordination to hit a 90 mph fastball, or have the ability to crossover dribble and drain 3's, or even Football players who have God given size or the ability to chuck a Football 90 yards....Some Lacrosse players may have these skills but there are no special skills a Lacrosse player must posess other than being a good athlete. What makes the other sports enjoyable to watch is that these guys have a skill level that is above the average person and fan in their sport. Their unique, gifted and fun to watch. Lacrosse is to much like soccer, a bunch of in shape dudes running up and down the field, whats unique about that?

[GeauxSioux]

I watched the entire Army v Navy Lacrosse game on ESPNU the other day and found myself extremely bored for one reason. The athletes on the field did not posess any unique skill sets that made the game enjoyabel to watch. You could take a true athlete off the Basketball team, Football team, baseball, Hockey team etc and they could play Lacrosse. However, the opposite is not necessarily true as they would likley not have the God given gifts that true DI athletes have. Young men that excel at controlling the puck or manuevering on skates, or have the hand eye coordination to hit a 90 mph fastball, or have the ability to crossover dribble and drain 3's, or even Football players who have God given size or the ability to chuck a Football 90 yards....Some Lacrosse players may have these skills but there are no special skills a Lacrosse player must posess other than being a good athlete. What makes the other sports enjoyable to watch is that these guys have a skill level that is above the average person and fan in their sport. Their unique, gifted and fun to watch. Lacrosse is to much like soccer, a bunch of in shape dudes running up and down the field, whats unique about that?

Your first statement answers the question at the end. How many people watch an entire soccer match?

[The Sicatoka]

So, in a fervent attempt to disparage lacrosse, you've pointed out why lacrosse is a sport, classic sport:

You need a team, a top to bottom team, of well-rounded, total athletes.

You can't get away with an overspecialized line-up like basketball (a dribbler, a shooter, a big guy, a rebounder, and a defender and you have a team) or football (blockers, runners, throwers and that's all they do) or baseball (power hitter, slap hitters, average hitters) as they've become today.

You need a team of five skill players:

Run Fast, Run Agile, Toss Accurately, Toss Hard, Catch (what would be called a "five tools guy" in baseball).

Every guy on the team needs to be able to run, catch, and toss.

So yeah, you'd need the best total package athletes from those other sports, because the others would be missing something that's needed in lacrosse.

[star2city]

I watched the entire Army v Navy Lacrosse game on ESPNU the other day and found myself extremely bored for one reason. The athletes on the field did not posess any unique skill sets that made the game enjoyabel to watch. You could take a true athlete off the Basketball team, Football team, baseball, Hockey team etc and they could play Lacrosse. However, the opposite is not necessarily true as they would likley not have the God given gifts that true DI athletes have. Young men that excel at controlling the puck or manuevering on skates, or have the hand eye coordination to hit a 90 mph fastball, or have the ability to crossover dribble and drain 3's, or even Football players who have God given size or the ability to chuck a Football 90 yards....Some Lacrosse players may have these skills but there are no special skills a Lacrosse player must posess other than being a good athlete. What makes the other sports enjoyable to watch is that these guys have a skill level that is above the average person and fan in their sport. Their unique, gifted and fun to watch. Lacrosse is to much like soccer, a bunch of in shape dudes running up and down the field, whats unique about that?

And an Olympic decathalete wouldn't necessarily make a good football, basketball or hockey player. What's your point? If you want a skills competion, go to your archery or shooting ranges. Lacrosse doesn't demand prototypical (or even freakish) body-types for different positions, unlike football and basketball, and American kids love it (unlike soccer).

[Bison101]

And an Olympic decathalete wouldn't necessarily make a good football, basketball or hockey player. What's your point? If you want a skills competion, go to your archery or shooting ranges. Lacrosse doesn't demand prototypical (or even freakish) body-types for different positions, unlike football and basketball, and American kids love it (unlike soccer).

The whole point is that from a fans perspective it is hard to tell a DI Lacrosse game from a JC Lacrosse game. What is so special about a bunch of in shape guys that don't posses any unique skills other than being in shape. You are trying to make the same argument that people use when trying to promote womens basktaball as it is a "purer sport" that is more "funamentally sound." Maybe that is true but it still sucks and is boring to watch. Don't get me wrong, I think Lacrosse is a great sport and I would encourage my kids to play it for the very reason's you outlined above, anyone can play it and excel at it. From a fans perspective...gag me. Sorry, I hate to burst your bubble.

[andtheHomeoftheSIOUX!!]

In response to an above comment, soccer is hugely popular world wide.

[star2city]

In a bit of irony, in the same week that the "Great West" became an all-sports conference with eastern teams, the Great Western Lacrosse League no longer exists. It's teams are being absorbed into the ECAC, even though it's geography will extend to Colorado.

Big Ten Network: Ohio State lacrosse joins the ECAC.

Baltimore Sun

The GWLL was perhaps the easiest conference ever to raid. They had an automatic bid to the tournament and only lost one team

[star2city]

Tampa Tribune: Lacrosse Booming In The South

So Florida will spend $3.6 million for a women's -only lacrosse stadium, yet some schools have an $80 mill indoor stadium suitable for outdoor lax yet don't sponsor it.

If football is the undisputed king in Florida, then women's lacrosse is making a serious bid to become the state's queen sport.

New collegiate programs are being started at the University of Florida and Jacksonville University beginning in 2010.

Once limited to mostly the northeastern section of the United States, the sport of lacrosse is quickly establishing itself in the south. Tom O'Grady, president of the Florida lacrosse camps and girls coach at Tampa Catholic, believes it is only a matter of time - a very short amount of time - before Florida's colleges start dominating the sport.

"The University of Florida is going to be good quick," O'Grady said.

The Gators begin play in the spring of 2010. The school's athletic association finance committee allocated $3.6 million to start building a lacrosse stadium.

[star2city]

New Swarm owner wants Minnesotans on team

What a novel idea new Minnesota Swarm owner John Arlotta has. He actually wants to see more Minnesota-born players suited up on his lacrosse team.

You're thinking, "Well, duh."

It seems obvious, right? But consider the mistakes made in recent years by another fringe franchise across town -- the Minnesota Lynx -- and it is clear that not all owners and sports executives are privy to the drawing power of having homegrown talent play for the hometown team

There have been strides made. The Swarm averaged a respectable 11,000 fans last year and hosted the first playoff game in franchise history.

Last season, 21 of the Swarm's 25 players were Canadian. Only one player, Burnsville native Colin Achenbach, was from here.

"When we can get Minnesota kids, that's a key component," Arlotta said. "But that will take a while because some of the top players are just now getting into college. We'll be looking at them, but there are other kids in the Midwest, too."

The Lynx should be a lesson for Arlotta in what not to do.

They tried to trade up to get Gophers star Lindsay Whalen in the 2004 draft, but not hard enough. Connecticut picked her fourth overall. That the Lynx didn't tell any team in the top three, "Whatever you want, you name it, you got it," to get Whalen was one mistake.

Another, and far more avoidable one, came in the dispersal draft in January 2007. They had a chance to draft the wildly popular former Gopher Janel McCarville with the second overall pick, but opted instead for someone named Tangela Smith.

So while McCarville and Whalen brought unprecedented amounts of fans to The Barn to watch the Gophers and still are deified in the Twin Cities, the Lynx continue toiling in the near-empty Target Center all summer long.

Hmm, the most important metro market for UND growth needs a feeder college program for the Swarm.

[star2city]

North Carolina HS lacrosse is getting a big boost:

North Carolina sanctioning HS lacrosse

Adams, speaking at the NCHSAA Region 6 meeting in Charlotte, said 48 high schools have registered boys lacrosse teams and 42 have girls teams.

Interest is heavy from Wilmington to Charlotte, he said.

"We met with the lacrosse folks that know the most about it, and they said it's getting ready to explode," Adams said. "We'll make a presentation to our board, and ask them to get on top of this to begin with.

"If those schools offering it now on a club basis convert, we'll have enough for 4-A [conferences]."

The sport likely would still be played in the spring, but that would be determined by the board, NCHSAA spokesman Rick Strunk said.

According to U.S. Lacrosse, the sport's national governing body, lacrosse is the fastest-growing high school sport, with about 201,000 high-schoolers playing. Lacrosse participation in high schools grew 18.6 percent from 2006 to 2007, according to U.S. Lacrosse.

But only women's lax benefits on the college level:

Charlotte adding women's sports -LAX - in additon to FCS (later FBS) football - pending approval

To lessen the jump in fees for students to pay for the added scholarships and coaches' salaries, Dubois left open when the transition would be made to the FBS, which would require a larger stadium and likely require a move to a football-playing conference. Dubois also plans to stagger the addition of women's lacrosse, field hockey and swimming to meet federal Title IX requirements.

High Point (NC) becomes fourth DI women's lax team

High Point becomes the fourth school in the state of North Carolina with a varsity program joining Davidson, Duke and North Carolina. In the Big South Conference, Liberty recently announced the addition of women's lacrosse and new league member Presbyterian College also sponsors a team.