I have watched the girls game evolve (or devolve based on your opinion) over the last decade. The size, speed and strength of the girls has increased dramatically. The girls game is FAR more physical and violent today than it was just a couple of years ago. There's no turning back. It's only going to continue to get more physical and violent. We have to look forward and protect the players and helmets are a must in my opinion.
Let's face it, I hate to admit it, but lacrosse is the new soccer with all the bad stuff that goes with soccer. Crazy sideline parents,crazy coaches, trainers everywhere you turn, money, money, money, pressure on the kids. Our cottage sport has grown up and it's a little sad to see.
Excellent posting.
The "cottage nature" of lacrosse was lost with $1500+ tournaments and $2000 summer training bills. Still more expensive by a factor of two than soccer, Long Island is a recognized pipeline of lacrosse talent (along with Baltimore). With that recognition came increasing fees, increasing attention, and over the last five years specifically, more intense competition.
Increased competitive focus (and scholarship dollars), particularly for the girls, has led to an influx of players who are raising the bar on overall fitness, athleticism, and physical prowess. The intensity around winning will further increase on Long Island should girls programs be able to successfully mount challenges to the Yellow Jackets program.
The genie is now out of the bottle and we recognized this on Back of THE NET (soccer) about five years ago. We launched Back of THE CAGE specifically to get in front of the information sharing that this market required.
While this all sounds negative, there is one area where lacrosse still "excels" over soccer here on Long Island. While more expensive, the more flexible scheduling, availability of individual showcasing opportunities, and a large number of good training organizations have made lacrosse a more attractive option than it was just five years back.
