Lacrosse

Lacrosse is the oldest sport known to man and is the oldest sport that has been played in America. It is often referred to as " America's only true sport". Lacrosse originated way before Columbus arrived in America .It is believed that the Indians were the first to play this sport . Back then it was a brutal sport played often to the death of the opposing team . The sticks were often used as clubs to attack the opponents . Thousands and thousands of warriors would come toplayon acres of field .

It is thought that lacrosse was played by the Six Nations of Iroquois throughout New York and Lower Ontario . Even though settlers arrived in 1492, it wasn't until 1840 that they picked up the game of lacrosse . The Indians didn't call the game lacrosse, they called it Baggataway named after the creator , Sod Gui-Ya-Di-Sa-A who promised the Indians that they would always have a game even after death .

The name lacrosse was first used when the French settlers linked the netted sticks to the Bishop's croix or cross , hence the name "lacrosse" . When the French Canadian's took over, the Canadian Lacrosse Association was formed . The first set of rules was not established until 1867 by the National Lacrosse Association . Eastern universities in the United States held regular matches as early as 1881 . The first intercollegiate lacrosse was not formed until 1884 . This was all a long time ago . Now lacrosse is getting bigger and bigger every year . Lacrosse went from being a tough and brutal game to a game of skill and finesse .

Modern day men's lacrosse has many differant rules and regulations . It is played with 10 men on the field from each team(three attackmen, three midfielders, three defencemen and a goalkeeper). It is played on a 110 yard field . There are four 15 minute quarters and occasionally a 2-5 minute sudden death overtime. There is sometimes body or stick checking which is sinply hitting your opponent with your stick or body . You can only check your opponents above the knees and from the front . Illegal checking results in a 1-3 minute penalty .

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