Lacrosse.

Lacrosse. I INTRODUCTION Lacrosse, field game played by two opposing teams, with a ball and a special netted stick, or crosse, with which the ball is caught, carried, and thrown. The game is considered the oldest sport to have originated in North America. II FIELD AND EQUIPMENT Men's lacrosse is played on a field 60 yd (55 m) wide and 110 yd (100 m) long, including 15 yd (14 m) of clear space behind each goal. There are no specific boundaries for women's lacrosse, but a field of 120 by 70 yards (110 by 64 m) is preferable. Each goal consists of two poles 6 ft (1.8 m) tall, with a 6-ft (1.8-m) crossbar at the top. A pyramid-shaped netting, open at the front, is attached to the poles and crossbar and is fastened to the ground at its apex, 7 ft (2.1 m) beyond the goal line. The lacrosse ball is made of hard rubber, generally 7.75 to 8 in (about 20 cm) in circumference and 5 to 5.25 oz (about 145 g) in weight. Men and women players carry a stick, or crosse, that measures from 40 to 72 in (102 to 183 cm) long for men, and 36 to 43 in (92 to 109 cm) long for women. The stick is hooked on top, with strings woven of rawhide, gut, clock string, or linen cord strung diagonally across the hooked portion to form a network. Players in field lacrosse today use a stick that has an aluminum, graphite, or wood handle; only the goalkeeper's crosse may exceed a width of 10 in (about 25 cm). III PLAYING THE GAME Men's lacrosse teams have 10 players; women's teams are composed of 12 players. A popular form of the game, called box lacrosse, is played in Canada by teams of 6 players on a hard, enclosed surface of 90 by 180 to 200 ft (27 by 54 to 61 m). In the American version of men's field lacrosse, playing time is 60 minutes (college) or 48 minutes (high school) divided into four periods, or quarters, with each team being allowed two time-outs per half. Two-minute rest periods separate the first and second and the third and fourth periods; a 10-minute interval separates the second and third periods. The women's game is two 30-minute halves (college) or 25minute halves (high school), with a 10-minute rest period between the halves. Men's teams include a goalkeeper, three attack players, three midfield players, and three defenders. Women's teams are composed of a goalkeeper, three offensive players, five midfielders, and three defenders. Substitutions are permissible. The uniforms commonly worn are jerseys and shorts (or skirts in women's lacrosse) and cleated shoes. Protective equipment for the men includes helmets with steel-wire face guards, light shoulder and arm padding, and gloves similar to those worn in ice hockey. The object of lacrosse is to send the ball, using the crosse, into the goal of the opposing team. In general, the rules are as follows: Each goal counts as 1 point, and the team scoring the most goals is the winner. If men's teams are tied at the end of 60 minutes, they play four-minute sudden-death overtime periods until a goal is scored. In women's play, two three-minute overtime periods are contested to break a tie. The team scoring more goals during those periods wins. If the score is still tied, the game continues in sudden-death format. The game is started by a face-off, or draw. In the men's game, two opposing players in the center of the field, their backs to their own goals, hold their crosses on the ground, with the ball placed on the ground between them. At a signal from the referee, they draw their crosses toward themselves, the faster of the two picking up the ball. The women's game begins with the ball held between the sticks of two opposing players in the air. At the referee's signal, the players try to gain possession of the ball. The ball is caught, carried, and thrown with the crosse, never with the hand. Only the goalkeeper may defend with hands and body as well as the crosse. The ball may be passed in any direction, backward, forward, or sideways. Long throws, although permissible, are seldom tried; the player usually runs with the ball until it can be passed to a nearby member of the team. In men's lacrosse a player may jar another player out of position or stop that player from running with a body check, if the player is about to receive the ball or is carrying it. A body check may not be made from behind, and the player making the check must keep at least one foot on the ground at all times. A player may also use the crosse as a tool to dislodge the ball from the crosse of an opponent. No physical contact is permitted in the women's game. The ball is in play anywhere within the confines of the field and in the clear space behind the goals. In men's lacrosse, technical fouls (minor infractions of the rules of the game) are punished by suspension of the offending player from the game for 30 seconds. Personal fouls--infractions of a more serious nature, such as tripping or pushing an opponent, an illegal body check, or unnecessary roughness--are punished by suspension from the game for one minute. No time penalties are assessed under the rules of the women's game, but players can be awarded free position shots if the other team commits a violation. For these shots, no player is allowed within 13 ft (4 m) of the player taking the shot. That player then attempts to shoot the ball by the goalkeeper and into the goal or, if the foul is minor, pass the ball to a teammate, who can then take a shot. IV HISTORY Lacrosse descended from a game called baggataway that French missionaries first observed Native Americans playing in Canada during the 1600s. The Native Americans used the game in ceremonies, as training for warriors, and to settle disputes with other tribes. The French missionaries called the head of the stick used in the game la crosse because it resembled a bishop's crosier or cross. Lacrosse is played in more than 20 countries and is the official summer game of Canada. It has been widely played in the United States since the 1880s. Initially, lacrosse was popular mostly at colleges along the Eastern seaboard. It gradually spread throughout the country and was also adapted for high school and athletic club programs. US Lacrosse is the national governing body for the sport. In 1971 the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) began conducting men's lacrosse championships for Division I, II, and III institutions. The NCAA began women's lacrosse championships in 1982 and conducts tournaments for all three divisions. Professional leagues include the National Lacrosse League, a 12-team men's indoor league with teams in Canada and the United States, and Major League Lacrosse, a 6-team men's U.S. outdoor league. The International Lacrosse Federation conducts a men's world championship every four years and the International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Associations holds a women's world championship every four years. Reviewed By: US Lacrosse Microsoft ® Encarta ® 2009. © 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.