Shall I compare thee to baseball?
Thou art much tougher and more exciting.
Rough checks do shake the attackmen of May,
and summer's camps are all too short a date.
Sometime too fast the shot of middie's hum,
And often is cocky complexion dimm'd;
And every last second overtime declines,
By pick or dodge, changing course unharmed;
But thy 4-month season shall not fade
Nor lose possession on a sloppy groundball;
Nor shall the goalie brag thou wander'st in his crease,
When it's time to ride and clear:
So long as attackmen can shoot or long-poles can check,
So long lives lacrosse, and this is life to me.

                                                - Steven from Sterling, VA


Thanks for the great response! We got over two hundred "I Love Lacrosse" letters. We could not possibly print them all, so we picked the best parts of the best letters and included them below, in sometimes very abridged form. These letters just confirmed what we already knew. Lacrosse is more than a sport. It is a passion and a life-long romance. Young players are often aflutter with the nervous excitement of a first love. Many teens fall hard for the game and exhibit signs of "crazy love". Most of the older players have settled into a more stable long-term relationship with the demanding but rewarding game.
You'll see what we mean. Enjoy!

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
When I string my head,
Thanks to Stick Tech I know just what to do!
-Steven B. Sterling, VA

I love lacrosse because it was in my first game that I also met the girl I love today and for whom I wish to win these heads. It was my first game, four years ago and I had a perfect cut across the gap through the defenders. The middie passed me the ball, I cut to catch it , turn and shoot and my ball gets deflected by the goalie. The goalie turns out to be this girl, since her school didn't have a girl's team. She even stepped out of the crease to lay me out. And yes she knocked the wind out of me and when I asked her why she did that and why she was still on me, she said, " I wanted you to see me more up close. Meet me on the sidelines after the game, I'm Amy." The rest of the game just whizzed by and she still has been the only goalie I never could score on. It was like she knew where I was going to shoot. I could not fake her out. I still play lacrosse everyday and she helps me practice. I found love through the facemask. And this is why I love lacrosse.
- Myles

I love lacrosse so much. It gives me something to look forward to every day. When I get home from school I go out play lax. Today I couldn't even see the lax balls cause of the snow outside. Yeah. Snow. When I get home from my lax games I go outside and play some more. I've been doing it forever and I don't know how I don't get bored. I love it too much. I don't know why but I don't know why I have to breathe either except for one reason, it keeps me Alive.
- Conor

Before I found out about lacrosse I was playing baseball and trading poke'mon cards. I mean how sad is that? I wasn't very athletic, until I discovered lacrosse, that is. Lacrosse has taught me so many life lessons. It really pointed my life in the right direction. I owe lacrosse so much. I have become the person I have always wanted to be thanks to lacrosse. I love lax so much.
- Charlie

I love lacrosse because of what the sport has done for my life. I was introduced to lax the summer of my 8th grade year and fell in love with it. My high school started a team my freshman year and I was a starting attack from then all the way through senior year. Lacrosse has taught me so much about myself, it has taught me to follow something that you love. That's exactly what I had done after I graduated. The year after I graduated, my high school was in need of a coach, so I stepped up and took the position. I have been coaching since then and this year will be my 3rd consecutive year coaching. I love the game so much and I want to pass on my passion of the game to other kids who are curious about Lax. Lacrosse is my life and it makes me so happy to see lacrosse exploding in the Chicago land area. The growth of the sport is amazing and I hope that it will be as big if not bigger than football and baseball in America.
- Tyrus

I love lacrosse because of that feeling you get when you first step on the field in the spring. That feeling deep in your stomach that says that this is your home, this is where you belong. The smell of the freshly cut grass, the first checking of the sticks, the first goal which makes you think that all your effort you put in the off season between working out at the gym and playing indoor, to braving the freezing temperatures to have a catch with a friend or when friends feel it is to cold jogging down to the nearest school to throw the ball against the wall. This whirlwind affect that rumbles inside me when I first field, the feeling of camaraderie after the first breakdown, the feeling that your teammates even thought they may all come from different social and demographic backgrounds are all your brothers, the feeling that you belong, the feeling that a sport can unite so many different people for one main goal. That is why I LOVE lacrosse! Good Luck to everyone this spring season!
- Eddie

Why do I love lax? Well, after playing lacrosse for over three years, I've come to realize that the main reason I love lacrosse, is because it gives me the freedom to express myself on a new level. It comes down to the smallest details. You can see it in everyday play, not only do you see a great sport where people get to be athletic and have fun, but you also see the creativity that goes on in each and every game. Whether it's in a dodge or a play or just the style of play of each team, creativity is everywhere in lacrosse. Every shot, every move, every goal has its own flair to it. Lacrosse is a sport where you can lose yourself in the game, and just do your thing.
- Phil

Lacrosse is my sport. I play it with aggression and control, scaring the ball out of the attackman's stick. My stick is an extension of my body ready to be used in the most efficient way possible. I love the unique style with which every other lax lover plays with. Nothing is impossible when I am on the field.
- Billy

What can I say about lacrosse? I love it. Lacrosse has only been in my life for 6 years, but it has with no doubt changed my life in so many ways. I might as well begin at the start. At 12 years old, I really didn't have much going for me. I was overweight (at '5 "5, I weighed around 190 pounds), wasn't really that good at sports, and I didn't really have any friends. After failing at swimming, soccer, basketball, and baseball, I really didn't think I would be good at anything. That's when my gym teacher, Coach Jay, recommended I try the lacrosse program which had just barely finished its 3rd year. So I joined the team and started out as a goalie, and eventually became a defender. That season I lost 25 pounds, and now I am at a healthy weight, but loosing weight isn't why I love lacrosse. That season changed me. I became more confident in myself, after that season, enough to even ask out a girl I had liked that summer. Of course she turned me down, but that confidence I had gained, allowed me to keep trying, and well she never became my girlfriend, but she did become one of the best friends I've ever had. Lacrosse helped bond with my fellow players, and for once I had friends that I actually saw outside of school. Without lacrosse I don't know what my life would be like now, but I know for a fact it wouldn't be what it is now. Don't get me wrong, the game and the culture of lacrosse can never be replaced by anything else, but I love lacrosse even more because of what it has brought to my life.
- Cameron

I love lacrosse because it has given me something to look forward to in my life. It gave my father, my brother and I something we share. My father died at the end of my first year and for the past three years I have been playing every game with all my heart. Though my dad never played, he was the main reason I started to play. So I love lacrosse because it keeps me alive and it keeps my family together.
- Andrew

Much like the love between two human beings, the love between a man (or woman) and lacrosse is a love/hate relationship. From the outside, it may appear masochistic at best, but we live it and breathe it, day in and day out. You love the game, the tingle of your fingers before the first face-off of the year, the feel of your gloves (even the smell, I admit it), the taste of sweat in the fourth quarter, and even the pain of big hits and missed checks. You hate the long hours of exhausting conditioning in the pre-season, the banality of wall-ball, and the feeling in the pit of your stomach after a tough loss, but once you put on that uniform, it makes it all worthwhile. This is a love that compels men, who are fresh out of college, and have dedicated the last 8-10 years of their life to a game, to continue playing for little or no pay at the professional and club level. Lacrosse is the fastest, most physically and mentally demanding sport. Lacrosse players are warriors on the field, and to question their love of the game is simply unheard of. I entered this contest primarily because over the Christmas Holidays, I introduced my young cousin, Erica, to the game of lacrosse. She is a natural athlete and when she picked up the stick, you would've thought she'd been playing for a year. I want to get her a lacrosse stick of her own so that she may join a league down in Florida.
- Jacob

                 

At our london tournament in 2005, love bloomed from the most unexpected meeting and E-Lacrosse, in small part, was responsible. It was the second year of the Tournament in London and the second year of sponsorship by UK Lacrosse, the European Warrior distributor. UK Lacrosse also fields teams in European tournaments - really good teams, always loaded with some foreign talent and some of the best English players. One of the UK Lacrosse owners Erik Foust, was a transplanted Detroit, Michigan gun who had come over to Manchester, England as an LDO (Lacrosse Development Officer) for the Poynton team where he met his business partner Keith. At the tournaments Erik coached and played, usually leading the team to victory. But when the party began the evening before the 2005 London Tournament a deformed looking and very depressed Erik arrived with some pretty evident bad news. He had been shooting around a couple days earlier without a helmet on and cranked one up from pretty close in that had come off the pipe too fast to react. It shattered his orbital bone and he was not going to be playing, but would be, instead, the hideous and grumpy coach. He looked worse than this picture taken two days later. E-Lacrosse sponsored the Hero's team in the tournament that year and on the team was a very funny and cute young player named Kyle Rutkowski. She was an All American at Boston University and even an USA team development player who had played and won 3 MD state titles at Mt. Hebron. She was quick with a joke and even climbed along the ceiling of the team bus, acting like a monkey, to everyone's delight. It was on that same bus ride that the team elected to skip the detour to the hotel and showering after two games played, in favor of a Fabreze spray down on the bus en route directly to the garden party. And while Kyle could be a comedienne, her training was in medicine and having suffered a similar injury a year earlier, noticed and commented on Erik's malady at the garden party. No one can figure how the Fabrezed and eye-black smudged girl and the guy with the gaping wound for an eye fell in love that night but they did. They were inseparable from that point, until, well… They were married in Detroit on February 18th 2006. Erik moved from Detroit to Baltimore where he teaches elementary school, is the head coach at Wilde Lake High School and plays club lacrosse. Kyle plays for Hero's, is a PA at Johns Hopkins Hospital and coaches at Seton Keogh High School. Kyle and Erik's first lacrosse baby, Logan Aiden Foust was born August 17th. A True Lacrosse Love Story!

                 

IF LACROSSE WAS A GIRL, THESE GUYS WOULD BE STALKERS

Lacrosse is not just a game to me, but a lifestyle. That lifestyle of lacrosse truly is "Eat, Sleep, and Play Lacrosse" for real. If lacrosse was taken out of my life, I would surely die a few days later. During the off-season, when the temperatures of the frigid prairies are too cold, I move indoors. Not just to the indoor box game, but into the house that I live in. Whenever I get a chance, I'll be shooting balls against the coach in my living room. Occasionally, when I am testing a newly strung head, a ball will stray off course through a window. I might have to pay for it but it comforts me to know that I still have my stick and ball. I love the game of lacrosse the most on the earth and I will continue to love it for the rest of my life.
- Dustin

Lacrosse is only the greatest sport ever. It has speed, big hits, quick moves, solo efforts, and team work!! I've yet to watch a lacrosse game that didn't have 1 big play after another, each and every possession is as exciting and full of thrills as the one before. And don't even get me started on playing Lax... From the adrenaline rush of being on the field during that first face off to the sheer joy and heart stopping suspense as an opposing player gets shut out from 3 feet off the crease by your miracle worker of a goalie, lacrosse runs the gambit of emotions like no other sport can. Only a lacrosse player can appreciate the feeling of a perfectly executed fast break, or the anticipation of a time and room shot when Man-up offense works just right, or the one shot, maybe in a hole season, that hits a corner so perfectly the *ding* stays with you even as you leave the field. Only a sport so perfect, only Lacrosse.
- Randy

Lacrosse is my life, and lacrosse means everything to me. I live in a place where lacrosse isn't on TV a lot, so when it is I have an amazing day. In my opinion lacrosse is the best sport in the world. Lacrosse is very old, and it is a game of respect, and full of innovation, teamwork, true dedication, heart, and drive-In lacrosse you depend just as much on yourself, as you do your team. You bond with your team thought games, and the season, you depend on them and they depend on you for the assist, the goal, the feed. You work together all season long. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter what the score was, or how hard practice was, it is the team you know like the back of your hand. I still do not know why lacrosse isn't as big as baseball or football because it has been around way longer and is an extremely exciting game to watch as well as to play. Since lacrosse is growing so fast, maybe one day it will get the fame it needs, and maybe one day it will even be on espn. I LOVE LACROSSE!
- Kyle

The game of lacrosse is my life. You know you love a sport when you love to go to the practices, and I love lacrosse. The reason I love lacrosse is because, its fast, its physical and you have to be smart to play the game. Also the people that play the game aren't idiots; they want to do something with theirs lives. People who are pro right now all have other jobs. They play for the love of the game, and so do I. If I were a pro right now, I'd be going around the U.S. trying to spread the game to cities where people have never even heard of lacrosse. The reason I love lacrosse is simply because, lacrosse is lacrosse, and it's the greatest game in the world. Nothing comes even close. That's why I love lacrosse.
- Mike

Why do I love lacrosse? The real question should be why don't others? Lacrosse is the greatest. No other sports can compare to it. Football can try all it wants but it'll never be a competition. It's that feeling you get when you score, when you knock someone over, when you get the ball. It's those feelings that let you know you're still alive. That's why I love lacrosse. Those who don't will, in time.
- Tony

I love Lacrosse. I carry my stick everywhere, even in the house. I love the thrill of playing, teamwork, scoring a goal, feeding, fighting for a ground ball, winning a face-off, taking it away on defense, running full speed down the field. I love stringing my stick just to my likings, and stringing someone else's stick just the way they like. I love watching game film, and seeing how the pros and collegiate guys do it, and then practicing what they do. I love getting away and playing wall ball for hours working on my skills. I love going out and shooting all day. Chasing em' down and shooting again. Everything about the game appeals to me. I love lacrosse.
- Tony from Saugerties, New York

I don't think there's ANYTHING else in the world that I love more than lacrosse. I could never stop playing lacrosse. I'm 16 years old and ive been playing lacrosse since I was 6 years old. Lacrosse is my life. End of story. I may repeat some things in this email 2 or 3 times but that's probably because my heart is beating so fast because I'm just thinking about lacrosse. I was born in a hotbed for lacrosse in Niskayuna, New York where I learned to love the game, the skills and mind set of the game. I am a finesse player with great stick skills and the right and left hand are both strong. I am a natural righty but my lefty skills are growing rapidly. I live, eat, and sleep lacrosse and think about it where ever I am. My basement is dedicated to lacrosse with inspiration painted on the walls, a cleared out area which I use to throw and shoot on the concrete wall. To strengthen my skill I go to camps in the summer, leagues in the winter, and live with my stick in my hand. Ok I have to get back to work stringing some sticks then I'm going out and throwing the rock around.
- Mike

Man, I don't even know where to start but the reason that I love lacrosse is because I was part of the first team of our high school, last year a group of guys and I started a club and later on the school got us to play for them so now here we are, just when we are going to start a new season, I can't wait, the rush, the speed, and the aggression combined all together makes a great sport. If I lose an arm there is no way I'm going to quit playing, I just toughen up and grab my stick and put in twice the effort. That's why I love lacrosse baby!
- Rod

I Love lacrosse because its fun just to get together and play. In a school of about 1700 kids, it's awesome that 40 some freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, can just get together become a tight knit group of friends that knock the snot out of each other. So that is what lacrosse is really about see? Getting together with good friends and just having fun, being kids. It's just a bonus that we beat each other up with no repercussions.
- Zack

I am a sophomore at Lakeridge High in Oregon. It wasn't until Lakeridge won the Oregon state championship that I realized how much I loved the sport, and how badly I needed it. Now I love the sport of lacrosse; it is my passion, my hobby, and a part of my life. I have never been so committed to anything. This year Lakeridge will be trying for a 3-peat at the state championship, and there is nothing I would truly love more than to be a part of that team. I may or may not have the skill, but I do have the heart. There is nothing that I love more than the fast paced, action based, team united sport of lacrosse. Here at Lakeridge, lacrosse is a family. From the parents, to the coaches, to the players, everyone helped Lakeridge win seven out of the last ten state titles. I write this letter to you to show not just my love of the game, but also to show the love for the game that the entire Lakeridge community has. This school loves this sport.
- Ben

From that first moment on, I was hooked, as most us are. After that it was hours and hours on end a day practicing, shooting, wall ball, stick skills, all day. It became an obsession. School season started. It went by in a flash. It had many parallels to other sports, but something was different. The game was obviously a blast, but it's also the culture. The people of lax make it what it is. I don't think that I would enjoy it near as much if the people of lacrosse weren't generally the people they are. Look at the World Games this year. We had people from half the world away, talking about life, trading jerseys, and hanging out, all brought together by the wondrous sport of lacrosse. No other sport is like that in my opinion. If there is one, I'd like to know, because as of now, there is nothing as good as lacrosse. It's as good as it gets. Period.
- Dylan

I love lacrosse because it is fun to play and I enjoy the time I spend doing it! All my family members are huge lacrosse fans and we all love to throw the ball around. When I play I feel like the coolest person on earth and I love encouraging all my friends to play so we can pass the ball around! Lacrosse is the best sport ever invented! We should ALL play! I also love lacrosse because it is fun looking at all the different sticks and stringing things! It makes me feel great to play lacrosse!!
- Annie

I go to Eastport South Manor High School and live on long island which shows I have been brought up around lacrosse. My sisters even both play the sport too! I have been playing lacrosse as a middie for almost 4 years. Lacrosse is my favorite sport and I love playing it in the spring with my friends. We are practicing very hard and our program is on the rise. I currently am a freshman and an honors student. I love lacrosse for many reasons. I love practicing with my friends hanging out with teammates and coach. It's being outside, running around and having fun. It's a contact sport and very physical. I love staying healthy and fit keeping my game at its peek and getting better. I love the fast paced excitement of the game, shooting the ball over 80 mph! I also have been to many camps Peak Performance-Yale-Million-etc. top 20 and enjoy buying stuff from Olympic den ha! If you guys are true fans/players you know what I'm trying to say - THIS SPORT ROCKS!!! (baseball sucks)! I am a big fan of this sport and hope I showed enough reasons and dedication for you to see how and why I love lacrosse. I appreciate the chance to win.
- Brian

I have been playing Lax for about seven years now. I reside in the cold state of Maine, but go to college in Connecticut. I Love this sport. I revolve around it. Every ware I go I try to tell people about it just for my own pleasure. I have loved the sportsmanship that I see in games I play in or even when I watch. I Love it when my buddies and I just hang out throwing around on some vacant wall or to each other. I wish that lacrosse was more known in the sports business, and actually be featured on networks like ESPN, not only games but full reports. I'm in college now as a freshman and was hoping that after I graduate to be a youth league to high school coach, or I would love to work for a company as a spokes person or product development. I want the rest of my life to revolve around lacrosse and what the sport has done for me.
- Shane

I have been playing lacrosse for six years now. I've learned to play all positions except for goalie so far. I love to throw those slap checks and take-away checks playing defense but at the same time it's great to try a fancy split dodge and rip one past the posts playing attack or midfield. This is what motivates me to pick up my stick and play some wall ball or shoot on my net no matter how early or late it is. Even though cuts and bruises will come along I love to make that one good play to get my team cheering and the team parents clapping. This is why I love lacrosse.
- Derek

THE BEST OF THE REST

Why do I love lacrosse you ask?
It's simple.
Where else can I get that rush of blocking a shot?
Where else can I feel the joy of hitting a 90mph shot?
Where else can I find myself holding a 6 foot pole and being encouraged to hit someone with it?
There's more.
How else would I have gotten off the couch to go outside?
How else would I have developed a talent for something new?
How else would I have discovered a passion I never knew I had?
But then there's this.
Who else would be crazy enough to protect the cage?
Who else would be cool enough to dive across the crease for one last shot?
Who else would be competitive enough to demolish anyone attacking my crease?
But most importantly.
Would I have ever met my incredible teammates?
Would I have ever learned not only about lacrosse but about life from my coaches?
Would I have ever developed into the respectable person I am today?
For me, lacrosse isn't just a passion. It's a way of life.
That is why I love lacrosse.
- Jake

Why we love lacrosse
It's a part of our life, a part we will never let go of.
We are living the dream.
When we tell people we are going to reLAX, we stress the lax part.
We will play lacrosse even when it's so cold we can't feel our hands.
No matter how bad a day we have, we can always turn to lacrosse.
Lacrosse is our destiny and mission from God.
We know what the air-Gait is and have tried it at least twenty two times.
Our stick is an extension of our arm.
Its' a brotherhood and family.
It's the fastest sport on two feet.
No matter how bad we are at other sports,
we dominate on the lacrosse field.
Lacrosse is growing everyday, and will soon dominate all other sports.
We can proudly sleep with our lacrosse sticks.
If we can't find a ball in the house, we can find 10 in the backyard.
We can play BLAST lacrosse on the playstation all day long.
We wear knee highs and shorts in the winter and still get respect.
- unsigned

I think those 2 sticks would be perfect for me because of the reasons why I love lax. I played lacrosse in college and started dating this girl after I graduated who had never heard of the sport. Our first trip together was to Baltimore to the final four in 2004. When getting back from Baltimore I realized this was the woman I wanted to marry because of how amazing the trip was and how lax bought us together even closer. we married September 2005 and just recently had a little baby girl 3 weeks ago who already has her first stick up on the wall waiting for her to get a little bigger than the 5 pounds she weighs in at now, so we can go play catch in the back yard. Lacrosse is the one sport that has brought this family together and will be a part of our life's forever. And without lacrosse who knows where id be. oh yeah and by the way, it was my wife's idea to name her Christmas present 2 years ago, a male poodle, Lax. Now she loves lax too. So I really can't think of a better way to spend a valentines day then to throw the ball around with my wife using those 2 sweet heads that you guys dyed.
- Andy

I love lacrosse for multiple reasons. First off, without lacrosse, I wouldn't be nearly in the shape I'm in today. Second, all of my good friends through out high school and now in college I have met through lacrosse. Third, lacrosse helped me get chicks in high school. Finally, the number one reason I love lacrosse is because without it, I wouldn't be where I am today. Right now I'm playing lacrosse at the Air Force Academy getting ready for a great season against teams like Duke, Notre Dame, Ohio State and UMBC. Getting recruited is the only reason I got into this school and now I can fulfill my life long dream of becoming a pilot; all because of lacrosse.
- Jeff

This is the first year my school has had a legit varsity program and I just started playing a few months ago. I'm obsessed. I find myself sitting watching TV messing around with my stick for hours on end. I finally talked my girlfriend into going out for the team and she's doing great. She has the lax bug just like I do; she's been practicing for hours everyday and is always nagging me to go throw with her. We're having a great time with it. I just wish I had started earlier.
- Jeff from SoCal

I love lacrosse because it is much more exciting and interesting than baseball. I think lacrosse is the best sport ever created, even though I've only played it for one year. I think you can participate in lacrosse, no matter what position you play, unlike baseball where you can just stand around for the whole time. I played lacrosse for the first time last year and it was the best thing I've ever done. I love lacrosse because it trains you for any other sport you play and for live, with discipline and being able to trust you "teammates" in life. Lacrosse is my favorite sport and always will be. It will always have a place in my heart and I will continue to love, play, watch, enjoy and learn form it.
- Murf

I love lacrosse because its a game that has tradition as well as new and upcoming ideas, whether its a reflex sidewall held on by a band or head that is onset and the shaft is bent to make the stick offset while people today still use the pockets of the past such as pita and traditional and also a game where you can express yourself in either the way you string your stick or the tactics you use to play what's not to love about lacrosse?
- Mike

Lacrosse. The greatest sport in the world, bar none. There must be something about the combination of athleticism, stick skills, and the entire rewarding experience that sucks you in. This game just has everything that people playing sports want to do. It's also the most demanding physically and mentally. I tell you this all out of personal experience, which I think is the easiest way to explain to you WHY we all love this sport, so much.
- unsigned

I love lacrosse and am one of the best players on my 7th grade A team. I am the only African-American player in the whole program and with a new head I can do much better in California. Maybe in high school I can make California a good lacrosse state like Maryland. I am 13 years old and I know how to string with only 2 years experience playing lacrosse! Now I love lacrosse. It's my favorite sport now - even over football!
- Kendrick

The reason why I love lacrosse so much is because I pretty much sucked at wrestling and it's the sport that makes me multi-task and run around to help my ADD and I'm actually good at the sport, plus it helped me get a job. They gave me a job after I explained to them how expensive it was to play lacrosse in high school. So that's why I love Lacrosse
- Josh

Before I first started playing lacrosse, there weren't any sports that really stood out. They were fun but didn't give the adrenaline rush that lacrosse brings. When we step on the field there is nothing that compares to the feeling of scoring a goal or giving a punishing hit. Lacrosse is by the far the best sport for people who love to have fun. It is also the fastest sport on two feet, keeping the spectators on the edge of their seats.
- Jesse from Hendersonville, NC

I love lacrosse because it combines all the great things of other sports the speed of hockey, the hitting in football, and the footwork of soccer it is just overall the greatest sport there is.
- Chris

Lacrosse originally was used to settle disputes between warring Native American tribes. In my case I play it as a way to have fun and blow off steam. I love it so much that I took charge to start the first lacrosse program at my college, Northampton Area Community College in Bethlehem, PA. This season will be our first season and so it just feels great knowing that I will have helped in the growth of the sport that I love so much.
- Joe

I love Lacrosse because it is so fun and it is my first, and only, sport. I love the whole game, the style, just everything. I play defense, which is the best position ever, and been playing for quite awhile. I love playing defense on the attack and middies because I love to see their faces when I hit them and steal the ball away from them, it's awesome. I also love stuffing and picking off passes from them, as well as shots. Stringing and dyeing heads is another thing I love to do. Lacrosse is probably the best sport ever. I LOVE LACROSSE!
- Ryan

I am 10 years old. I love lacrosse. Whenever you're playing a team, if they make one mistake, you're on the rush back down to the other team's net trying to score a goal. I also like how much hitting there is in the game and it's a big momentum changer. I also play rep soccer, rep hockey, and other school sports but lacrosse is the one I would chose over all of them because it has a little bit of everything.
- Zack

The reason that I love lacrosse is that it has given me hope for a better future. Lacrosse has been such a huge part of my life that it is even one of the main reasons why I think I will be able to function in the real world. Lacrosse has made me want to get good grades in school so that way I could play lacrosse in the spring and even in college. I would really love to get these heads. It would be amazing if I could win a contest in the sport I love so much.
- Bradley

Why do I love lacrosse? It's going out onto that field and reaching the physical limit. It's that feeling the night before a game; the anxiety and excitement. It's walking out onto that field and feeling that's where I truly ought to be. It's that feeling I get when I'm on the sidelines, feeling the call of the game; and then walking out onto the field and becoming part of the game. It's running until I can barely breathe, but still running all the same. It's that feeling after the game, knowing that there was nothing more I could have done; no ounce of strength I held back; no single moment where I stood back to save some energy. I love the game because of the pure human emotion that goes into it; the passion for the game, the adrenaline rush, and the raw determination. That's why I cry after that last game; that's why we all cry. I love lacrosse because for those few months a year, it becomes a part of me.
- John from Cincinnati, OH

I just started playing a couple years back and now my girlfriend plays lacrosse and it's something we both love. Also I love the game because of the intensity and heart you have to put in to be a great player. I also love lacrosse because I was never any good at other sports and now I am really pretty good. I am a freshman playing on the varsity team at my high school. Lax = Love!
- Zach

I am hooked on the sport, the different heads, the stringing, see what they come out with next, reading the power rankings, and going to games. I try to make it to as many games as I can and play is ever league that I can, and it just goes to show that how the lax world makes everybody connected somehow, also my girlfriend is my biggest fan and she had never been to a game until she saw me play, and now she is crazy about it. I made her a pink and black stick for last years Valentine's Day and she always has it.
- Brian

So basically I love Lacrosse! End-o Story-o. Everything about it is good. It's intense, athletic, and mostly importantly FUN! Lacrosse is a game that has so many positive things about it. It's unique because all athletes playing must have the same talents such as coordination, throwing, catching, and dodging, and running. It is a well rounded sport! I guarantee every athlete out there will find something in it to enjoy! That's why I love lacrosse! It's all good!!
- Mitch from Las Vegas' Bonanza High School

The reason why I love lacrosse is easy. It changed my life. I started last year my first time ever playing. I was able to start the whole season and play almost every minute of every game. I have been able to meet more people and work out while having fun. The main reason why I love lacrosse it's the best sport on two feet!
- Go COUGARS!

I love lacrosse because of all of the teamwork, hitting, adrenaline rushes and tons more. I like being that person who stops the breakaway or the person to make the awesome hit or the goalie to make that amazing save to win the game. I just love lacrosse and that is why I want these sticks soo bad for me and my valentine so please E-Lacrosse send me those sticks! I need the help a lot. If you did you would make my lacrosse experience even better than it is now. THX! I LOVE LAX!
- Cole

I didn't start playing lacrosse until I was a sophomore in college. I started playing because the ice hockey team stopped playing pick up roller hockey, and I needed something to do. I played 3 years and made the all-stars my senior year. I returned to play in one alumni game, and put the game away for a few years. This school year, some of my 8th graders (I teach at a catholic k-8 school) were telling me about playing lacrosse with the kids from high school. So I started throwing the ball around again with the 8th graders and their parents. Next thing I know, I'm looking to coach. So I started looking on lacrosse websites for coaching openings. I'm now the head coach for a first year Catholic High School's Girls' team. The progress that they've made since December is amazing. I love watching and growing with them as a team and as a coach. This sport has once again given me something worthwhile to do with my spare time!
- Bill

Of all the sports in the world, lacrosse is the best. Everyone may have their own opinion, but they can't say, "Indians played my sport hundreds of years ago." Lacrosse has been around a LOT longer than baseball, or football. Plus, in the opinions of all my family members - me included - it's WAY more fun to watch. Non-stop sport action with six-foot metal poles swinging through the air and rubber balls going 100 miles per hour is by far the best thing to hit ESPN. Not to mention, most of the colleges that have top lacrosse teams also have great academic programs. UVA, Hopkins, and Princeton are all great examples. With history, intensity, and prestige; what's not to love about lacrosse? It's an awesome, exhilarating sport. I LOVE LACROSSE!
- Matt

Lacrosse has given me many things throughout the past four years I have played it, pleasure, pain, the joy of victory, the sorrow of defeat and most importantly, a passion that has motivated me to improve myself both inside and out. When I began playing lacrosse, I was out of shape and shy. Every practice was the worst experience of my life and I couldn't enjoy a game because I was too busy huffing and puffing on the way down to the goal. That was the summer of my eighth grade year. The day after my first game, I made a decision that changed my life. I committed to run on a consistent basis. I started running around the block, which turned out to be exactly a mile. After I got used to running an entire mile, I started timing myself. This grew into a lifestyle. Soon, my diet changed. I began to lose weight. Then I entered high school lacrosse. High school took it to the next level. I realized that being in shape wasn't the only requirement, stick skills were also a must. I learned and mastered the art of wall ball. Everyday during gym, I got special permission to go throw on the wall. So I was on the wall every day, rain or shine, hot or cold. People laughed at me, especially the upperclassmen on the team. I was the slowest guy on the team and I could barely handle the ball. Coach told me to give up. That never crossed my mind. I realized that I had developed a serious passion for this sport. Soon, I began to improve. I was stuck on third string defense because of my speed. Sophomore year came and the coach realized my stick skills were on par with the best of the varsity, but my speed still held me back. I was the starting defenseman on junior varsity. That was the year lacrosse pushed me to mature as a leader. I had to head the defense. Low self-esteem had to be replaced with a spine. After fall ball, I had developed the confidence to lead my team. This carried over into other area in my life. In church and Boy Scouts, I started becoming more of a leader and was given leadership positions. Lacrosse had taught me integrity early on. Never cut corners, on or off the field. That was the best lesson lacrosse taught me. I even coached a youth league team! Two years earlier, I would never have even considered it! I will have a passion for this sport as long as I live. I love to coach, play, and live lacrosse.
- Brandon

I love lacrosse. Lacrosse first came to me as a way to play team sports again after my doctor told me I could no longer play rugby, it was a huge shock for me as I was playing at a very high level and it was what my life revolved around. After two years away from team sports of any kind and losing any semblance of fitness and sports in my life a friend introduced me to lacrosse at university. I was bitten by the bug straight away. Lacrosse kick-started my life again for me and showed me that life is there to enjoy and the best way to do it is in this sport! I love lacrosse, I eat sleep and breathe this game of ours, and it is ours, so enjoy!
- Giles from Swansea, GBR



SHARE YOUR LOVE FOR THE GAME!

Give to the U.S. Men's and Women's National Teams!

US Lacrosse and the U.S. National Team Programs always need your help. The vital funds donated by readers ike you are necessary to ensure proper training, transportation, housing, meals, equipment and medical supplies for the official party of players, coaches, managers, trainers and other support personnel. Furthermore, your contribution will go toward the National Teams Program, including future teams, and the Ambassador Program, which will showcase the U.S. Team players in events around the country through May 2009. Donations are tax-deductible. Show your love for the national lacrosse community today! Donate here!


Give to Winners Lacrosse!

The Washington Inner City Lacrosse Foundation (WINNERS Lacrosse) is a non-profit organization that spreads the history, values and skills of the sport of lacrosse to greater Washington metropolitan area youth. WINNERS Lacrosse's programs include clinics, coach training, starting and supporting teams and summer camps offered in partnership with Washington D.C.'s Center City Consortium Schools, Alexandria Department of Recreation, School Without Walls S.H.S. (DC Public School), East River Family Strengthening Collaborative, DC Police Boys and Girls Club, Washington Middle School for Girls, Washington Jesuit Academy and the Tenley Achievement Program. This is a great way to give back to kids through your love of lacrosse! Donate online!


Give to the John Mack Memorial Fund

Binghamton High School junior John Mack fell unconscious shortly after he was checked with a lacrosse stick during a game last year. He died two days later. Mack had been playing lacrosse since he was five years old and had no known medical problems. He said the blow that felled his son was not unusual. In March 2004, 22-year-old Cornell lacrosse player George Boiardi died after he was struck in the chest by a ball during a game against Binghamton University. It stopped his heart. A defibrillator may not have saved either young man but each would have had a better chance of survival if one were present. So the Mack family started the John Mack Memorial Fund to honor John's memory. The fund raises money to support academic and lacrosse scholarships and the provision of defibrillators and defibrillator training to sports clubs/teams throughout the area. Their goal is to raise over $30,000 for this cause. Donate now! Make checks payable to John Mack Memorial Fund and mail them to John Burtis, Vieira & Associates, CPAs, P.C., 5 Leroy Street, Binghamton, NY 13905.


Volunteer locally!

Give something back to the sport that has given you so much? There are volunteer opportunities with US Lacrosse helping to promote and develop the sport of lacrosse. There are always a wide variety of positions at the local and national level from membership to marketing, officiating to office duties. There's an easy online form that matches your level of interest with the needs of the national organization and local chapters. Sign up now!


Give to Attawapiskat Lacrosse!

Attawapiskat is a fly-in only Cree reserve on James Bay. There are 20 boys on the lacrosse team and each year they make a trek to Toronto to play some lacrosse. Where they live, there are no teams for them to play against, and they even had to make their own nets in the local shop. So by coming south, the boys get a chance to see a Toronto Rock or Buffalo Bandits game, go to Six Nations and get some coaching and actual full field scrimmage time, as well as practicing in facilities that actually have lacrosse lines painted on the floor. There are 8 boys back from last years team, and 12 new ones. Making a donation to this team will give you a real sense of personal impact. Your dollars equal them playing lacrosse. They could not have done the trip last year without the generous contributions received. And the leadership keeps a good accounting. The approximate cost per boy is $1850, and they have been hard at work fundraising, doing raffles, bake sales, running canteens in the arena and doing hockey pools. But in such a small community, there is only so much money they can raise on their own. So help get these boys to Toronto. It is really the trip of a lifetime for them and for many of our readers who travel to camps every summer that should speak volumes. Show your love for the game. Make the difference.

Donations can be made via bank transfer to The Toronto-Dominion Bank, Acct. # 166 - 5212240, Name: Vezina Lacrosse or by Cheque to: Vezina Lacrosse, 430 Ginger Downs Mississauga, Ontario, L5A 3A7. For more info, contact Kellee Preece