What is the origin of lacrosse. How did Native Americans use lacrosse. Why is lacrosse called the Creator’s Game. How has the perception of lacrosse changed over time. What are the medicinal properties of playing lacrosse.
The Etymology and Historical Roots of Lacrosse
Lacrosse, a sport with deep cultural significance, has a fascinating etymology that reflects its Native American origins. The term “lacrosse” entered American English around 1850, derived from the Canadian French phrase “jeu de la crosse,” meaning “game of the hooked sticks.” This name refers to the distinctive curved sticks used to throw and catch the ball during play.
The French word “crosse” may have evolved from a Gallo-Romance term “*croccia,” which in turn stems from the Proto-Germanic “*kruk-” (the root of the English word “crook”). However, the Native American origins of the game predate this linguistic evolution by centuries.
Native American Roots
In Ojibwa, an Algonquian language, the verb “baaga’adowe” means “to play lacrosse,” highlighting the game’s indigenous roots. Native American communities in the eastern woodlands of North America devised lacrosse as more than just a recreational activity. It served multiple purposes within their societies, including:
- Settling disputes between tribes
- Strengthening alliances
- Teaching important life lessons
- Providing spiritual and cultural experiences
Why is lacrosse often referred to as the Creator’s Game? This name reflects the spiritual significance of lacrosse in Native American cultures, where it was seen as a gift from the Creator and played for their amusement.
The Evolution of Lacrosse: From Traditional to Modern Game
While lacrosse has ancient roots, the modern form of the game as we know it today began to take shape in the mid-19th century. In 1860, the rules and structure of lacrosse were formalized in Canada, marking a significant transition from its traditional form to a standardized sport.
How did this standardization impact the game? The codification of rules allowed lacrosse to spread beyond Native American communities and gain popularity among non-indigenous players. This led to the establishment of organized leagues and competitions, paving the way for lacrosse to become one of the fastest-growing sports in America.
The Changing Perception of Lacrosse
As lacrosse evolved and gained mainstream popularity, its perception among players and spectators also shifted. Originally viewed as a spiritual and cultural practice, lacrosse has increasingly been seen as a competitive sport with potential for personal achievement and recognition.
This shift in perspective has both positive and negative implications. On one hand, it has led to increased participation and visibility for the sport. On the other, it risks overshadowing the rich cultural heritage and deeper meaning of lacrosse for Native American communities.
The Cultural Significance of Lacrosse in Native American Communities
To truly understand lacrosse, it’s crucial to recognize its importance in Native American cultures. Far from being just a game, lacrosse holds deep spiritual and social significance for many indigenous communities.
Spiritual and Cultural Aspects
In many Native American traditions, lacrosse is seen as a gift from the Creator, imbuing the game with spiritual meaning. Playing lacrosse is often considered a form of prayer or thanksgiving, connecting players to their cultural heritage and spiritual beliefs.
Social Functions
Lacrosse serves several important social functions within Native American communities:
- Conflict Resolution: Games were sometimes used to settle disputes between tribes, offering a non-violent alternative to warfare.
- Alliance Building: Intertribal lacrosse games helped strengthen relationships and foster cooperation between different communities.
- Teaching Life Skills: The game was used to instill important values and skills in young people, preparing them for adult life.
- Community Bonding: Lacrosse games were (and still are) important social events, bringing communities together for celebration and shared experience.
The Medicinal Properties of Lacrosse: More Than Just a Game
One of the most intriguing aspects of lacrosse is its potential for healing and personal growth. Many players and communities view lacrosse as a form of medicine, offering physical, mental, and emotional benefits.
How can playing lacrosse be considered medicinal? There are several ways in which the game contributes to overall well-being:
- Physical Health: The fast-paced nature of lacrosse provides excellent cardiovascular exercise and improves coordination and agility.
- Stress Relief: Engaging in the game offers an escape from daily stresses and anxieties.
- Mental Focus: The strategic elements of lacrosse can help improve concentration and decision-making skills.
- Emotional Outlet: The game provides a healthy way to express and manage emotions.
- Social Connection: Being part of a team fosters a sense of belonging and community.
These medicinal properties align closely with traditional Native American views on holistic health and well-being, emphasizing the interconnectedness of physical, mental, and spiritual health.
The Modern Lacrosse Experience: Balancing Competition and Culture
As lacrosse has grown in popularity and become more competitive, particularly at the collegiate level, many players find themselves grappling with the balance between the sport’s cultural roots and the pressures of modern athletics.
The Pressure of Performance
For many young players, the dream of playing Division I lacrosse can become all-consuming. The focus on scholarships, statistics, and individual success can sometimes overshadow the joy and cultural significance of the game.
How does this pressure impact players’ relationships with the sport? As illustrated by Lindsay Schuster’s experience at West Point, the intense focus on performance can lead to burnout and a disconnection from the original love of the game. Schuster describes waking up each day with the sole motivation of not failing at practice, a far cry from the joyful, spiritual experience lacrosse was intended to be.
Rediscovering the Essence of Lacrosse
Despite these challenges, many players find ways to reconnect with the true spirit of lacrosse. Schuster’s journey at Columbia University demonstrates how adversity (in her case, an ACL injury) can lead to a renewed appreciation for the game’s deeper values:
- Community and Teamwork: The support of teammates becomes a crucial source of strength and motivation.
- Resilience and Grit: Overcoming injuries and setbacks builds character and mental toughness.
- Joy and Playfulness: Rediscovering the fun aspects of the game, like trying trick shots without fear of failure.
- Perspective: Understanding that lacrosse is more than just a means to an end, but a valuable experience in itself.
Lacrosse as a Metaphor for Life: Lessons Beyond the Field
The journey of a lacrosse player often parallels the journey of life itself, offering valuable lessons that extend far beyond the playing field. What are some of the key life lessons that lacrosse can teach?
Resilience and Adaptability
Lacrosse, with its fast-paced nature and constant shifts in momentum, teaches players to bounce back from setbacks and adapt to changing circumstances. This resilience is a crucial skill in navigating life’s challenges.
Teamwork and Communication
Success in lacrosse requires seamless coordination among teammates. This emphasis on collective effort and clear communication translates directly to success in personal and professional relationships.
Balance and Perspective
As players like Lindsay Schuster have learned, finding the right balance between competitive drive and enjoyment of the game is crucial. This lesson in maintaining perspective applies to all areas of life, from career ambitions to personal relationships.
Cultural Appreciation
Understanding the rich cultural heritage of lacrosse can foster a deeper appreciation for Native American traditions and the importance of preserving cultural practices. This awareness can lead to greater cross-cultural understanding and respect in all aspects of life.
The Future of Lacrosse: Honoring Tradition in a Modern Context
As lacrosse continues to grow in popularity, the challenge lies in maintaining a connection to its roots while embracing its evolution as a modern sport. How can the lacrosse community honor its Native American heritage while fostering the game’s growth?
Education and Awareness
Increasing education about the cultural significance of lacrosse can help players and fans develop a deeper appreciation for the game. This could include:
- Incorporating lessons about lacrosse’s history and cultural significance into youth programs
- Collaborating with Native American communities to share their perspectives on the game
- Promoting Native American lacrosse players as ambassadors for the sport
Inclusive Growth
Ensuring that the growth of lacrosse includes and benefits Native American communities is crucial. This could involve:
- Supporting lacrosse programs in Native American schools and communities
- Creating pathways for Native American players to compete at higher levels
- Incorporating traditional elements of the game into modern competitions
Balancing Competition and Culture
Finding ways to maintain the cultural and spiritual aspects of lacrosse within the competitive modern landscape is a key challenge. Possible approaches include:
- Encouraging players to reflect on the deeper meaning of the game
- Incorporating traditional ceremonies or practices into game day routines
- Emphasizing the medicinal and community-building aspects of lacrosse alongside competitive goals
By embracing these approaches, the lacrosse community can ensure that the sport continues to thrive while remaining true to its rich cultural heritage. As players, coaches, and fans work together to honor the past and shape the future of lacrosse, the game will continue to offer valuable lessons, healing properties, and joyful experiences for generations to come.
Etymology, origin and meaning of lacrosse by etymonline
1850, American English, from Canadian French jeu de la crosse (18c.), literally “game of the hooked sticks,” from crosse “hooked stick,” such as that used in the game to throw the ball. This French word is, perhaps via a Gallo-Romance *croccia, from Proto-Germanic *kruk- (see crook (n.)). Originally a North American Indian game; the native name is represented by the Ojibwa (Algonquian) verb baaga’adowe “to play lacrosse.” Modern form and rules of the game were laid down 1860 in Canada.
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The Meaning of Lacrosse and the Power of Perspective
The Meaning of Lacrosse and the Power of Perspective | USA Lacrosse Magazine
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The Meaning of Lacrosse and the Power of Perspective
Fri May 19 2023 | Lindsay Schuster | College
College Women Columbia
PHOTO COURTESY OF COLUMBIA ATHLETICS
Lindsay Schuster is a graduating senior and member of the Columbia women’s lacrosse team.
Lacrosse, a game devised by Native Americans in the eastern woodlands of North America, is simple yet complex. With just a stick and a ball, Native American communities gave birth to what’s now one of the fastest-growing sports in America.
Lacrosse serves a greater purpose for Native Americans. It’s a cultural and spiritual experience — one that was used to settle disputes, strengthen alliances and teach lessons pertinent to adulthood. The Creator’s Game also fulfills a healing function. It’s as an escape, an outlet and a medicine.
It is essential to acknowledge the originators of the game and recognize why the sport was even played in the first place. Unfortunately, our society has come to view lacrosse, and sports in general, as a means to an end: scholarships or impressive statistics.
While I had tremendous passion for lacrosse growing up, it fueled a large part of my identity and, therefore, my pride. That isn’t necessarily harmful, but I got so lost in my dream of playing Division I lacrosse, I found it caused me to confuse my love for the game with a desire for what the culture viewed as success.
I lost my original love for the game. My attitude went from fun-focused lacrosse to an unrelenting goal-focused drive. Why did I play the game in the first place?
While playing in college is rewarding — and those who want it should strive for it — we must remember that lacrosse is much more than a means to an end. It really is a medicine. Even in this highly stressed culture we live in, lacrosse can still be medicinal. We all need healthy ways to decompress, to come out of the traffic.
For me, playing lacrosse switches my gears — my brain hemispheres. I find it to be a glorious distraction from my responsibilities, always returning me to my stressful world refreshed.
I wish I grasped this concept at an earlier age, but that is why I share it with you today. From a very young age, I put lacrosse on a pedestal. I wish I realized how fleeting it would be. And I wish I was more prepared for how difficult it would be to ride the highs and lows of the game. I entered college with the intent to be the best, but life did not pan out that way.
I am thankful, though.
My first year at West Point, my passion for the sport dissolved. I woke up each day with the motivation not to fail at practice that day. That was the goal. I was completely disconnected from the origins of the sport and its medicinal properties.
It was not until my junior year at Columbia that I finally realized that the sport was offering my life a lot more than tangible success. I tore my ACL upon transferring to Columbia, which made my transition harder yet ultimately rewarding.
While I was unable to physically engage in the sport, I showed up each day for my team. Or so I thought. Now seeing clearer, it was I who needed them. They were my metaphorical crutch.
Through lacrosse I discovered the power of teamwork and community, as well as the sport’s ability to inculcate within me resilience and grit. My team became a support system unlike any other, and I felt an insatiable hunger to play again rise within me.
As I mended my ACL, I realized that I was also repairing my perspective.
I woke up each day excited for a few hours of focused fun with my best friends, playing lacrosse. In practice, I threw BTBs, twizzlers and other tricks because I was not paralyzed by a fear of failure. I did not play with a goal in mind. I just played because I wanted to.
Although my college lacrosse experience did not go as planned due to COVID-19, transferring and my injury, I would not change a thing.
I want to leave you all with this: College lacrosse is a high-pressure environment that demands mental fortitude and perseverance. You may not play as much as you had hoped or perform as well statistically, but within this sport, there are so many other, more profound rewards.
Take lacrosse off the pedestal and find balance. You perform better when you are free. Enjoy your experience and remember what the sport does give you. That is, lifelong friendships, unparalleled discipline, an uncanny ability to overcome adversity and healing. Enjoy the journey, not the outcome.
Lacrosse was not created with the intent to burn you out and make you miserable. In fact, the exact opposite reigns true. Whether you are just entering college or in your final year, I implore you to push yourself, be creative and enjoy every moment. It will certainly guarantee you moments of frustration and discouragement. They are inevitable. But remember, you can choose your perspective without letting such moments overpower you or govern your lacrosse experience.
I see now what I learned in lacrosse I am more importantly taking with me to the field of life.
Lindsay Schuster is a senior attacker for the Columbia women’s lacrosse team. She graduates this spring with a degree in political science.
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Murashov about Shesterkin’s words about lacrosse: “I see no reason to ban it – it’s spectacular.
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Sergey Murashov commented on Igor Shesterkin’s opinion about lacrosse-style goals.
– Igor Shesterkin recently suggested sending off fielders for attempting lacrosse as it is disrespectful to the goalkeeper and his cause.
– I don’t know what the disrespect is.
In hockey, all means are good. If it doesn’t cause any injury, why not? I don’t see the point in banning lacrosse. It’s spectacular.
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Now there is no obvious trend, there are just certain nuances in how goalkeepers play when attacking from the corner: someone plays with the skate for the post, someone goes into reverse./cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/570851/bkaraluns.jpg)
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Evan is going with Rebecca and Pete is meeting me after he gets back from his lacrosse game in Chicago.
Evan goes with Rebecca and we meet Pete when he gets back from his lacrosse game from Chicago.
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