Lacrosse in the Midlands
Photo Credit: Photo By Cameron Farrell
Lacrosse players Chris Troyer and Tom Tartar set up for a face-off
October 16, 2009 • By Spencer Marsh
Filed under Sports
ANNOUNCER #1: -and he’s Carrying the Pizza down the field setting up for a dip and dunk but the defender has DE-sticked at midfield.
ANNOUNCER #2: It’s anybody’s bullet at this point.
ANNOUNCER #1: It looks like they might call in a FOGO for the face off
No you are not eavesdropping on some alternate universe cross between a sporting event and fast food delivery, but the sport is not something you see every day in the South. Lacrosse is a sport that very few have heard of and even fewer have played. With a history that spans centuries, lacrosse is the oldest sport in North America.
Lacrosse is played on football size field with ten players on each team. The object is simple. Score as many goals as possible by using your Crosse (stick with a small pocket net on the end). Players can pass the ball or simply shoot when they feel they have the shot. It’s something like a combination of hockey, soccer, and football. There’s lots of body checking and the games usually last under an hour.
While lacrosse is primarily played in the North, a new wave of enthusiasm is taking the south faster than Sherman burned Atlanta.
“Southern lacrosse is drastically improving. Virginia, North Carolina, and many other southern teams have climbed the rankings in college lacrosse. In high school, 9 teams have also gotten into the top 100, the most ever,” said Boy’s team coach Jeff Troyer.
High schools aren’t the only ones interested in lacrosse.
The SEC recently sanctioned lacrosse as a sport for its conference this year and the ACC, Big 10, and Big East already have collegiate teams.
Chapin started a boy’s lacrosse last year, known as the Lake Murray Lacrosse team. The Lake Murray team became the Irmo lacrosse team this year, which has players from Chapin, Irmo, and Dutch Fork.
Chapin will also have a girl’s team this year, but they are still trying to find a coach.
“I’m really excited for the new season for District Five because lacrosse is really growing in this area. We’re going to have a really good boy’s team, and hopefully a good girl’s team over at Chapin too,” said Coach Jeff Troyer.
Although the game has changed exponentially over the years, the heart of the game has stayed the same. Dave Bates, a longtime player, said, “I’ve been playing lacrosse for over 30 years, and even since then, the game has changed. But I still love the game, no matter what happens to it.”
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