Women's lacrosse fighting to preserve game's charm

Lacrosse, the oldest sport in North America, claims its origin in the 1400s. Originally played between villages or tribes with teams as large as 1000 competitors and up to a half-mile separating the goals, games often extended over the course of two or three days.

Since then, the sport has changed and evolved, including the introduction of women's lacrosse to the United States in the early 1900s. Although men's and women's lacrosse were governed by the same rules until the mid-1930s, gender differences soon mandated a divergence in methods of play. While men's lacrosse began to add protective equipment and change the field positions, the women's game adhered to the established rules and setup.

Women's lacrosse technically remains a non-contact game. While body checking and aggressive, forceful stick blows are common in men's lacrosse, any body contact in women's lacrosse is considered a foul, and non-objectionable checks are referred to as "controlled taps."

While men's lacrosse players are armored with helmets, gloves and shoulder, arm and rib pads, women's lacrosse players are currently only required to wear mouthguards and goggles. The justification for this lack of protective equipment is that regulations mandate a seven-inch, protective "bubble" around a female player's head into which an opponent's stick or body is prohibited. Yet, many players find the strong instinct to go for the ball regardless of its relation to the head and body irresistible and therefore bend the safety rules. This can also be a stratagem for a weaker team when playing a more skilled one.

As the women's game continues its rise in popularity, intensity and, most importantly, physicality, many feel that the current system can no longer encompass the game's reality. Collegiate lacrosse is currently under the guidance of U.S. Lacrosse rules that apply to all levels of the sport, from youth leagues to Division I programs. Collegiate representatives are actually a minority on the existing rules committee. This summer the NCAA proposed the formation of a Women's Lacrosse Rules Committee with the goal of making further distinctions between high school and collegiate lacrosse.

"College coaches should have a more direct voice into the rules," Princeton women's lacrosse head coach Chris Sailer said. "The hope is that we would be able to effect rule changes much more expeditiously, without the worry of the implications for other lacrosse groups." One of the points that this committee would address is the growing, pervasive level of physical play. As an added benefit of NCAA written rules, the committee can appropriate money to educate and train officials. A real concern in women's lacrosse entails an increasing shortage of quality officials as the game has spread beyond its traditional environs. Teams are worried about the inconsistency in calls from one region to the next. Better rules and training would eliminate much of this variability and ensure that an appropriate level of physicality is strictly enforced.

"I'd like to see a more liberal use of the [yellow] card," Sailer said. "Maybe we could even institute stricter penalties. I'd like to think that within the league we could clean up the game to the extent that we don't need any more protective equipment than there is now. I think that we'd all like to keep the game the way it is. We need to fine-tune the rules accordingly to keep the emphasis on clean play and skills, rather than increased physicality."

Part of the draw of women's lacrosse is the tremendous emphasis on fundamentals such as cradling, footwork, proper positioning and marking. Rather than counting on a well placed, pancaking body check to prevent an opponent from handling the ball, players need to develop better skills. Allowing the sport to become overwhelmed by physical power would detract from the finesse that currently characterizes its charm, strategy and playing style.

"The challenge is for the coaches, officials and players, all of us together, to control the game," Sailer said. "We definitely don't want to create a situation in which players feel comfortable checking more violently or putting themselves and others in danger."

It remains to be seen if the creation of an NCAA Rules Committee and more consistent officiating will prevent the disintegration of the traditional women's game, but such actions are crucial to reduce the sport's increasing physicality.