“GOAL” the team chants after the ball is slammed into the net. That may sound pretty boring, but that’s only one part of lacrosse.

 Lacrosse is a mix between field hockey and soccer, and involves some running (depending on the position), if that’s not your cup of tea there are always other positions like a goalie, which doesn’t have much running and is one of the most valuable players.

Usually, the game starts with two players facing off, the ball gets thrown up and the players have to use their sticks to fight for the ball or attempt to catch the ball, even if that means taking a ball to the face. 

Once a player gets the ball they then head to the opposite team’s side, in search of scoring, and starting the game off strong. The other team tries to prevent the team with the ball from scoring, usually ending up in an interesting face-off.

Scoring, catching, passing, shooting, and blocking are all crucial but easy skills to learn and perfect. All of these skills help endurance, reflex, and speed, which can be useful in real life too, like outrunning a kidnapper or catching something that dropped.

Girls and boys lacrosse is a little bit different, boys usually have a lot of gear while girls don’t, due to girls lacrosse being reffed differently. Girls lacrosse also has a bigger field than boys lacrosse and has 12 players on the field compared to boys lacrosse, which only has 10 on the field.

Lacrosse is a fairly new sport to the state of Iowa, with the first-ever club started in 2009 in West Des Moines. Since then many smaller programs have popped up around the state and in colleges. Even Cornell has a lacrosse team! 

Speaking of colleges, scholarships are available, most usually cover around 30% of a typical athlete’s annual college costs according to https://scholarshipstats.com/lacrosse. Grants can also be applied for, to help cover equipment costs.

A recent survey was sent out to all Mount Vernon High School students to gauge their interest in the sport, 35 out of 80, or 44 percent, responded saying they would be interested. This would be enough for a full boys and full girls lacrosse team and could create a great atmosphere for students to play in.

Lacrosse is a unique sport that intrigues people. It’s not every day a person hears about someone playing lacrosse. So why not change that? Mount Vernon should have a lacrosse program, many students are interested in lacrosse. Maybe Mount Vernon could lead the way and be the first lacrosse club in the area… before Solon.