China Lacrosse Tournament Summer 2006
Lacrosse is ever growing. It is the fastest growing sport in the United States. It is growing world wide with National teams in Australia, England, Japan and of course, Canada.
I personally have played the game in Beijing, China with some college teammates and ex-pats. The Chinese team even though equipped with bucket helmets and sub par equipment really grasped the game, and in the next ten years or so could compete on an International level. The biggest battle the Chinese face is like any start-up high school or college program here in the states, financial support,
time and dedication by players and coaches, etc.
Although the game is growing at a rapid pace here in the states there are some roadblocks that will stall the growth of the game. The east coast bias of the sport needs to be the first to go. Everyone knows the best Lacrosse athletes mostly come out of states like Maryland, New York, etc.
But let’s not fail to realize the contributions that other states have made at the college and professional level. Steven Brooks of Syracuse for example. I have played against Brooks in some indoor games this past winter in Chicago, and like most people know the guy is SICK! And he is from the North Shore of Chicago. The guy went onto become a First Team All-American and now plays professionally for the Chicago Machine .
The more the game grows the more players like Brooks become the rule, not the exception. The sooner we reward high school players from other parts of the country with the opportunity to take their game to the
next level the better it will be for the game as a whole.
That’s all for now… don’t want to vent all my opinions on my
first blog. Thanks for reading!
