Team Insight

A sure sign that a sport is catching on is the increased opportunity for its athletes to play at higher levels. That's where girls' lacrosse is these days. UÊÌÊÌiÊÜiÃÌÊiÛiÃÊ1°-°Ê>VÀÃÃiÊ reports that it had 161,000 youth girls registered as players in 2016. UÊ iÝÌÊ>ÌÊ}ÊÃVÊiÛi]Ê -ÊÀi«ÀÌÃÊÌ>ÌÊ}ÀÃ½Ê lacrosse is a top 10 sport, with 93,473 girls playing from (increasingly) coast to coast. There are 25 states that have girls' varsity lacrosse, but only three of them are west of the Mississippi River — Minnesota, Colorado >`Ê >vÀ>°Ê/iÊÌ«ÊwÛiÊÃÌ>ÌiÃÊ>ÀiÊ iÜÊ9À]Ê iÜÊ Jersey, California, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. Virginia and Maryland are two other states where the sport has an avid player base. UÊÌÊÌiÊVi}>ÌiÊiÛi]ÊÌiÀiÊÜiÀiÊ££]ÇÇ£Êvi>iÃÊ who played collegiate lacrosse in 2016-17. UÊÛiÊ}iÀÊÕ«ÊÌiÊ>``iÀ]ÊÌiÀiÊ>ÀiÊÜÊ«ÀviÃ- sional playing opportunities in lacrosse for women qÊÌiÊ7i½ÃÊ*ÀviÃÃ>Ê>VÀÃÃiÊi>}ÕiÊ7*®Ê >`ÊÌiÊ1Ìi`Ê7i½ÃÊ>VÀÃÃiÊi>}ÕiÊ178®°Ê /iÊ7*]ÊÜVÊ>ÃÊÃÌ>`ÃÊvÀÊ7iÊ*ÕÀÃÕ}Ê i>`iÀëÊÌÀÕ}Ê>VÀÃÃi]Ê>ÃÊvÛiÊÌi>ÃÊpÊ *>`i«>ÊÀi]Ê >ÌÀiÊ À>Ûi]Ê iÜÊ9ÀÊ}Ì]Ê iÜÊ}>`Ê >`Ê>`ÊÌiÊ1«ÃÌ>ÌiÊ*À`i]ÊÜiÊ ÌiÊ178]Ê>ÊÃi«ÀÊi>}ÕiÊvÕ`i`ÊÊÓä£x]Ê>ÃÊ vÕÀÊpÊ >ÌÀiÊ,`i]Ê ÃÌÊ-ÌÀ]Ê}ÊÃ>`Ê -Õ`Ê>`Ê*>`i«>ÊÀVi° UÊ>Þ]Ê1°-°Ê>VÀÃÃiÊ>ÃÊLiiÊÃiiVÌi`ÊÌÊÃÌÊ ÌiÊÓäÓ£Êi`iÀ>ÌÊvÊÌiÀ>Ì>Ê>VÀÃÃiÊ®Ê 7i½ÃÊ7À`Ê Õ«]Ê>ÌÊ/ÜÃÊ®Ê1ÛiÀÃÌÞÊvÀÊ ÕÞÊÇ£Ç]ÊÓäÓ£°Ê/>̽ÃÊL}ÊiÜÃÊvÀÊÌiÊëÀÌÊÊÌiÊ1°-° ÛiÀÞÊÞi>À]ÊÌiÊ}ÀýÊ>VÀÃÃiÊLÕÃiÃÃÊ}iÌÃÊ>ÊÌÌiÊ bigger and a little better. "More than 50 percent of our lacrosse business in ÕÀÊ>ÃÊ ÕÀVÊ6À}>®ÊÃÌÀiÊÃÊÌÊ}ÀýÊ>VÀÃÃiÊ teams and girls represent about half of our lacrosse Ã>iÃÊÊÕÀÊ iÌiÃ`>Ê>ÀÞ>`®ÊV>Ì]»ÊÀi«ÀÌÃÊ P.J. Sports' Michael Galipo. "We sell everything in >VÀÃÃiÊpÊÃÌVÃ]Ê}}}iÃ]ÊÕvÀÃÊ>`ÊiÌð» ÊÌiÊÃÕÌÊÀ`>ÊVÕÌÞÊvÊÕ«ÌiÀ]ÊÌiÀiÊ>ÀiÊ as many young girls playing in the local recreation lacrosse program as there are girls playing recreation softball. ºÊÀiViÌÊÞi>ÀÃÊÊ>ÛiÊÃiiÊ}ÀÃÊi>Û}ÊÃvÌL>Ê vÀÊ>VÀÃÃiÊ>`ÊLÞÃÊi>Û}ÊL>ÃiL>ÊvÀÊ>VÀÃÃi]»Ê says Medallion's Kevin Licata. ºÃÊ>ÊÀiÃÕÌ]ÊÕÀÊ>VÀÃÃiÊLÕÃiÃÃÊvÀÊLÌÊLÞÃÊ >`Ê}ÀÃÊ>ÃÊ«Vi`ÊÕ«°ÊÀÃÊ>ÀiÊLÕÞ}ÊÌÃÊvÊÃÌVÃÊ >`ÊiÞiÜi>À]»Ê>ÌÕ}ÊvÀÊvÌÜi>ÀÊ>ÞÊ}ÀÃÊ>ÀiÊ simply wearing soccer cleats on the lacrosse field. Q 26 Team Insight / March 2018 teaminsightmag.com GIRLS' & WOMEN'S SPORTS / LACROSSE STICKING TO IT Lacrosse is one of the hottest sports for girls in 2018. Protectives are a controversial issue for girls' lacrosse, with a growing push to mandate helmets at some levels. OF NOTE ... One of the big issues in the sport of lacrosse is the topic of girls wearing helmets during competition. In 2015, a new performance stan- dard was approved for headgear worn by females playing lacrosse. The standard, officially known as ASTM F3137, took effect on January 1, 2017, but there was a stipulation, according to Caitlin Kelley, senior manager–women's game, at U.S. Lacrosse. "To be clear, the rules state that headgear use remains optional, eyewear is required," she says. "Headgear is not required. There is no mandate or plan to man- date the use of headgear by U.S. Lacrosse or the NFHS." The only stipulation in the rules, she adds, "is that if headgear is worn, it must meet the ASTM standard." For the most part, girls playing lacrosse in the U.S. don't wear any kind of headgear, but there are two geographic exceptions. Florida is the only state (high school athletic) association that requires headgear, according to Kelley. "There may be other teams or leagues that do, but the only league that we have worked with that requires it is the New York City Public School Athletic League and they required it last year." Michael Galipo says he does have helmets for girls' lacrosse sitting on his shelves, but they haven't been moving very well. "I bought three girls' lacrosse helmets to sell, but I haven't sold them," he says. "The girls don't want to wear them." "In Florida, I'm only selling lacrosse helmets to girls who play high school lacrosse because it's man- dated," adds Kevin Licata. Q

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