CHANGE MY LOCATION
Local
California News
Multimedia News
Baltimore needs to expand its proud lacrosse tradition, advance the sport
SEE THE LATEST ON THIS STORY
Related Topics: BALTIMORE
BALTIMORE (Map, News) - After the final shot was taken at Towson University’s Johnny Unitas Stadium on Sunday night, there was little debate that the best women’s college lacrosse team calls Chicago home. The Northwestern Wildcats avenged their only loss of the season with a 10-6 win over Penn to claim their fourth consecutive National Collegiate Athletic Association championship. The final drew a record 6,125 spectators to the Towson stadium. On Monday afternoon, a record 48,970 packed Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., to watch Syracuse defeat Johns Hopkins, 13-10, in the men’s championship.
Instead of bemoaning the lack of fans at the women’s championship or the loss by the Johns Hopkins men, there are plenty of reasons this week to celebrate the role of the Baltimore region in the past, present and future of lacrosse. It is also a time for Baltimore to look for new ways to advance the sport and its regional connection.
Lacrosse is not the Preakness. And it’s not the state sport, as jousting got the early claim to that designation. But lacrosse is part of Baltimore’s soul, and the region should retain the pulse of the game.
First a bit of history: Native Americans first played something like lacrosse, although some varieties involved hundreds of players mostly banging each other with sticks and never touching the ball.
The more civilized version — well, the modern version — is more like the game formalized in 1867 by Canadian dentist W. George Beers, according to U.S. Lacrosse, the national governing body of the sport, which has its headquarters in Baltimore. The game spread south, through the Northeast and into New York. By 1880, seven U.S. colleges were competing in an organized league.
But not until 1893, when students at Johns Hopkins University organized a team, did the game gain wider attention. Baltimore so embraced the sport that it grew beyond the college campus, and leagues were established for lots of age groups. The women’s game was developed in Scotland and began in the United States at Baltimore’s Bryn Mawr School, according to U.S. Lacrosse.
These days Maryland kids often get their first sticks before their first tricycles. College coaches flock to the state for showcase camps and recruiting tournaments. And lacrosse has deep roots in the business and political communities, where former players maintain connections far stronger than academic degrees.
Maryland teams have enjoyed plenty of attention in national rankings and won an impressive number of national titles. On the men’s side, Hopkins has nine Division I titles and eight runner-up trophies. Maryland has two wins and seven second-place finishes. Towson and UMBC won Division II titles in 1974 and 1980, respectively. Salisbury has eight Division III championships, including its 19-13 title win over Courtland State on Sunday. And Washington College has one Division III win and seven other finals appearances. Navy has been to two D-1 finals and Loyola one. All of these schools continue to demonstrate the power this region has to develop young players and draw top players from other areas.
On the women’s side, Maryland has nine championships and five second-place finishes. Loyola lost to the Terrapins in the 1997 final. Salisbury has reached the Division III title game twice.
This is an excellent time for Baltimore lacrosse interests to reaffirm their connection with the sport (and make sure New York doesn’t steal their thunder).
There are some obvious steps, like helping to boost attendance at next year’s Women’s Final Four, which will return to Towson.
Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte Hiller called Johnny Unitas Stadium “the right size for our sport right now. Hopefully we’ll grow to bigger venues like Foxborough Stadium, but right now, this is where we’re at, and hopefully next year we can pack this stadium.”
Still, some online critics consider the attendance disappointing, second-guessing prices, times, the venue and parking charges. These issues should be reviewed as part of a bigger look at drawing more fans next year and establishing long-term connections with the event.
The bigger step, though, is for area lacrosse leaders to share their sport with a wider audience. Despite many advances, lacrosse is still linked to affluent schools and neighborhoods. Colleges, high school and club teams have opened up opportunities to others by donating equipment and sponsoring clinics, camps and scholarships. But far more needs to be done. This should become a greater priority for the city fathers and mothers of lacrosse. Once Baltimore does this, it will truly be the hometown of lacrosse.
- Correction: Lewin Carlton Powell’s name was misspelled in last week’s column.
Comments from Examiner Readers
4:21 AM MST on Mon., Jul. 21, 2008 re: "Jousting: An age-old tradition is alive and well in the land of pleasant living"
Report as inappropriate
7:41 PM MST on Sat., Jul. 19, 2008
re: "Jousting: An age-old tradition is alive and well in the land of pleasant living"
Report as inappropriate
3:21 PM MST on Fri., Jul. 4, 2008
re: "Superstars not needed for family sports fun"
Report as inappropriate
1:27 AM MST on Fri., Jul. 4, 2008
re: "Superstars not needed for family sports fun"
Report as inappropriate
4:37 AM MST on Fri., Jun. 13, 2008
re: "Stressed out? Out of shape? Go for a run"
Report as inappropriate
9:46 AM MST on Mon., Jun. 2, 2008
re: "Baltimore needs to expand its proud lacrosse tradition, advance the sport"
Report as inappropriate
10:24 AM MST on Fri., May. 30, 2008
re: "Baltimore needs to expand its proud lacrosse tradition, advance the sport"
Report as inappropriate
10:51 AM MST on Fri., May. 9, 2008
re: "History vanishes into the night"
Report as inappropriate
11:49 AM MST on Wed., Apr. 23, 2008
re: "Who’s No. 1? We’ll probably never know"
Report as inappropriate
6:42 AM MST on Wed., Mar. 26, 2008
re: "Sometimes life’s lessons are the hardest to learn"
Report as inappropriate
9:02 PM MST on Wed., Feb. 13, 2008
re: "A sad tale everyone should take to Hart"
Report as inappropriate
7:28 AM MST on Tue., Oct. 23, 2007
re: "Let kids be kids first"
Report as inappropriate
5:47 AM MST on Tue., Oct. 23, 2007
re: "Let kids be kids first"
Report as inappropriate
7:51 AM MST on Wed., Oct. 10, 2007
re: "Parents need to be positive or silent"
Report as inappropriate
Examiner Reader said:
Thank you for a wonderful article and capturing the spirit of an equine sport we love. Vicki Betts, President, Maryland Jousting Tournament Association
6 agree | 4 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Effie- What fun to read- What a great Maryland tradition that is being kept alive-Thanks this was fun to read.
5 agree | 4 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Attila the Hon said:
Please disregard the previous comment. He didn't even explain himself. Pretty gutless, I think. It's great to see a Baltimore-area newspaper columnist finally show some love for Crystal Palace Baltimore. I always look forward to the Examiner's refreshing coverage of this very highly deserving team. Puts to shame The Sun which almost always ignores Palace and deserves its declining readership. Keep up the good work. GO PALACE! UPSET NEW ENGLAND!
12 agree | 9 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Worst. Column. Ever.
10 agree | 15 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
The Undertaker said:
People in this country are too fat, lazy, and stupid.
11 agree | 11 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
"These days Maryland kids often get their first sticks before their first tricycles. College coaches flock to the state for showcase camps and recruiting tournaments. And lacrosse has deep roots in the business and political communities, where former players maintain connections far stronger than academic degrees." Laugh out loud. This is a paragraph supporting lacrosse? In truth it is an indictment of all that is wrong with the sport. Kids SHOULD get trikes before sticks. Most lacrosse families consist of semi-talented white athletes (who couldn't compete in other sports) pushed hard by parents who live vicariously through them, and hope to achieve greater social status through their "Excellent play". So sad.
11 agree | 11 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Please don't say the l word around baseball people.
13 agree | 12 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
This Annapolis woman, who has taken Rafael Alvarez spot on page six is BORING. BRING BACK ALVAREZ, he is from Baltimroe, where we who live in BALTIMORE can read about our town.
11 agree | 11 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Examiner Reader said:
Bravo! I totally agree! With a daughter on the John Carroll team, I know they'd welcome a game to determine the mythical "champion"! What a blast that would be.
11 agree | 12 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
A Mother of Boys said:
Thank you for your insights on the life lessons for this young man. He has carved a hard road for himself, and forced the grown ups around him (parents, coaches, authorities) to make hard choices about his future. We, like you, are praying that he gets a second chance, and makes the most of it. That's another life lesson.
12 agree | 11 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
examiner reader said:
This guy should be hillary's running mate
73 agree | 56 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Not...paying attention said:
The writer actually points out the fact that children know the score and are competative. She is correctly trying to make the point that youth sports should be about learning the fundamentals of the game and sportsmanship. For young children, the experience should be FUN. Winning is much less important to most 6-7 year olds than their parents. Most children would much rather play in the game than watch their "team" win. Children who enjoy the experience will be much more likely to develop a passion for the sport and a commitment to self development. This provides a much stronger mental foundation for the player when they hit High School and College when sports are rightly focused on winning and losing. It is a shame that children no longer experience the sand lot version of sports where parents are no where to be found. Yes, we kept score but it was forgotten as soon as we started the next game. We played because it was FUN!
104 agree | 128 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Not said:
"But those wonderful first years of athletic participation are not the time to teach kids that sports are all about winning." They do not have to be taught this. Kids keep score on everything competitive and naturally seek to win. This mamby-pamby false protectiveness of children is precisely the kind of crud that is counter intuitive for chidren.
120 agree | 127 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree
Don said:
I'm glad I am done with all of that sports stuff, and competition dance is even worse....been there, seen it done it. Its no small wonder why older people have grey hair.
142 agree | 140 disagree
Vote on this comment: I agree or I disagree