Information please! my daughter is interested in playing boys lacrosse, is that allowed? When do they have to make the move over to girls if they even have to. Thank you
With regard to youth lacrosse, it would be up to your local league. I do not know of any town league on Long Island that has said no and there is a precedence which would be hard to ignore. Currently, there are girls playing or have played at Rocky Point, Sachem, Bayport Blue Point and Mt. Sinai. Travel lacrosse has also warmed to the idea since your money is as green as anyone else's.
As for the switchover, there are a couple of things to consider in New York State:
1) Does your school offer girls lacrosse? If no, she can play boys lacrosse with no questions asked.
2) According to New York State, any girl may play a boy's sport if the girl's sport is not competitive enough for them. I'm paraphrasing here because I don't have time to look up the exact wording. This is subject to the approval of the Athletic Director of your daughter's high school and you would most likely need to be able to demonstrate the need with this very subjective rule.
3) There is always the end run. "My daughter identifies as a boy." BOOM. That will send educators scurrying. Probably not a great idea if it's not true.
As to the benefits, which another poster said in their opinion there aren't any, who cares? Does your daughter really want to play boys lacrosse? If she does, let her play and worry about the other stuff later. It's a game. Games should be fun for kids. Games could even be fun for adults (shocking!) It isn't going to hurt her game. Look at Lasota at Northwestern who grew up playing box lacrosse with the boys. Box lacrosse is a savage game. She seems to be doing okay. If your daughter has got a stick in her hand, she's getting better. The more fun she has, the more likely she'll have a stick in her hand.
So, if your daughter is going to have fun laying the lumber and taking hits in return, you should let her. Forget the naysayers, it's not their child. It's about your child and what she wants to do. People are so tied up with "benefits" and trying to get an edge, they forget about kids and FUN. I've seen many girls playing boys lacrosse, the ones who are having fun are plainly evident. And so are the ones who don't want to be there and their parents are making them. Don't be that parent.
