Tag Archives: women

The Fastest Sport on Two Feet

Lacrosse is a team sport created by the Native Americans as early as the 12th century.  When the Native Americans played they would have 100-1000 men on a field that is roughly three kilometers long.  These games could last up to three days (day and night) and could result in many deaths.  Many pre-game rituals were associated with war.  Players would decorate their bodies with paint and charcoal.  The first lacrosse sticks were made of wood, had no netting, and they looked like a giant wooden spoon.  I believe that would result in a hard time catching the ball, considering the ball was also made of wood.  However, there was another type of stick, it was more advanced, and featured a net made of wattup or deer tendons.

Lacrosse is becoming more popular every year, and of course, as the sport becomes more popular, the equipment advances.  The Native Americans would play with no protective equipment, but now equipment is essential.  There are arm pads, shoulder pads, gloves, chest pads,  and a helmet. The girls do not wear any pads except for goggles.  Another thing that advanced is the lacrosse ball. Instead of being wood, the balls are now solid rubber.  In my opinion the stick is the part of the game which advanced the most.  The sticks are made of many different alloys (mixture of metals).  Brands like Brine and STX have found ways to make these shafts lightweight, so the shaft does not slow you down.  The heads are now made of plastic, and companies are creating different shapes to improve your game play in different areas of play.  The girls have the same sticks as the guys except they have a smaller pocket (where you catch the ball).

“Lax” is a team sport which means you get to meet many new friends.  While playing lacrosse you will also learn many life lessons such as cooperation and sportsmanship.  These lessons will help you throughout your life.  Playing lacrosse will help you maintain a healthy body.  Every practice you are forced to run three laps around the field and then stretch before you start playing.  The coaches always make sure you stay hydrated throughout practice, which is good because you are supposed to drink eight glasses of water each day.  Then, when you get to high school and you want to play lacrosse, you are only allowed to play when all your grades are above a C, so lacrosse also encourages you to keep your grades up.  I think of lacrosse is a guideline for how I should live my life.

If you are the slightest bit interested in this video please give lacrosse a try.

~Mike Shalagan

First Defensive Player of the Year at JMU?

Nikki Newman, #30, a 6’ 2” Junior at James Madison University (JMU), plays for the women’s basketball team. Nikki is one of the three team captains; playing Guard and Forward. In her college career so far she has received many awards. In her 2009-2010 season as a freshman she received the JMU Athletic Director Scholar Athlete, JMU Team’s Most Improved Player Award, and was among CAA leaders in blocked shots (11th). In her sophomore season 2010-2011 Nikki again was among CAA leaders in blocked shots (10th), and rebounding (20th). She was also second on the team in steals and third in assists and blocked shots, and got the school record for games played by a sophomore (34/tied). More recently, her current season as a Junior 2011-2012 Nikki was named All-CAA Defensive Team of the Year, and named Conference (CAA) Defensive Player of the Year. She is the first player named Defensive Player of the Year in the schools history.

Recently, JMU’s Women’s Basketball team has been playing in the WNIT tournament. They are currently in the semifinals, they will play Syracuse on Wednesday the 27th. Now back to Newman; not long ago Nikki made a amazing shot from WAY behind the 3 point line, draining it! And is now a ECAC Play of the Week Nominee. There was 6 seconds on the clock and they were down by 3, and Nikki tied it up bringing JMU to Overtime. During Overtime JMU scored 14 points winning the game with 84-76 vs. Wake Forest.

~Jenny Vignola

The History of “Fockey”

When most people think about sports they think about baseball, football, and soccer.  But what about field hockey?  Although baseball and football are extremely popular, they are not Olympic sports.  However, field hockey is.  All of these sports are highly recognized but field hockey is not.  Why?

According to World’s Most Popular Sports, field hockey is voted in at a number three.  I believe that it should be ranked higher because it is played in over 116 countries worldwide, whereas number two being cricket is played mainly in just India.  To go along with this, field hockey has been in the Olympics, for men, since 1929, and for women since 1980.  Field hockey is both a sport for men and women of all ages.  Field hockey consists of two teams on a field with eleven players participating on each side.  There are five forwards, three midfielders, two defenders, and a goalie.  The object of the game is to score points by shooting the ball at your opponents goalie, following by the rules of course.  Field hockey is an enjoyable sport that I believe if more people knew about it, they would fall in love with it.

~Nicole Salamone