Originally Posted by CageSage
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Many of these games are affected by the ref's too much. I wish they would put the whistle away a bit and not be such a big part of the outcome of the game. I do think it is importtant to protect the players but they need to let them play a bit. I can't tell you how many times I have seen a girl lose the ball and immediately grab her head looking for a call(and usually get it). It seems the better actress you are the more calls you get. In addition it also seems that whenever a girl falls down whether it is incidental or on her own most ref's will give her the ball back! It is frustrating to watch and it is starting to promote drama queens. I also can't stomach watching some of the ref's take 3 minutes off the clock to move a girl 4 inches half way accross the field! It would be great to see the girls ability and execution dictate who comes away with a victory!
While many readers will not like this answer, one reason why the game is called more tightly with the girls as opposed to the boys is that protective headgear (helmets) is not worn by the girls. Now, the female headgear vote "failed" earlier this year - so nothing changed. However it has always seemed obvious to us that standing in front of a thrown lacrosse ball at short distance should itself be enough reason to introduce helmets.

My point was not about whether they should wear head gear or not. It was about how the game is being called. i personally don't think head gear will solve much. The boys still get hit in the head a lot and there are plenty of penalties given out for it. Right now there are no helmets and the ref's have to call the game under the current rules and guidelines. They have the ability to keep the whistle to themselves unless they feel the game is getting dangerous. Awarding players for pretending to get hit or dramatically falling down is rediculous! In hocky if you "take a dive" the penalty is on that player. I would love to see that rule put in! For now I would be satisfied if the ref's tried a bit harder not to be part of the game and let the girls play to see which team is actually better. As it stands now I think they actually play lacrosse about 25 of the 50 minutes.