If you have ever watched men’s lacrosse and then watched a women’s game, it is safe to assume that the male version of this sport is a lot more of a contact sport than that of women’s. It requires a lot more equipment and gear than women’s lacrosse does, but does that mean that it is necessarily harder? The Raider Wire interviewed four different varsity and junior varsity lady lacrosse players to find out their opinions on the sport that they enjoy most. The questions are asked to the following players as follows:

Many people believe that a lot of the rules surrounding women’s lacrosse makes the sport a “watered-down” version of men’s lacrosse. Do you agree with this opinion? Why or why not?

Senior Kailey Posea, Defense:

“I do agree that women’s lacrosse is somewhat watered down… I think that the rule makers believe we aren’t tough enough to actually make women’s lacrosse a contact sport.Women’s lacrosse is very light on contact where as men’s is not. Sometimes us girls feel like we can’t even breathe without getting called for something aggressive.”

Senior Hailey Yarbrough, Middie and Defense:

“I agree because they treat girls much softer than boys even though we can do the same things, which is shown in the high injury rate on our team. This is due to the lack of protective equipment that the women’s lacrosse rules require.”

Junior Julie Chesne, Middie:

“ I guess you could say that I agree the women’s version is kind of watered down. We have a lot less equipment to wear because the women’s version is less of a contact sport. They have to wear a lot more stuff because they are allowed to make different moves that we are not allowed to make.”

Junior Alexis Anderson, Attack and Defense:

“No, I don’t believe lacrosse is watered down for women in any shape or form; however, I do agree the game is different. They are two different games. The fact that we don’t wear helmets pads or any large equipment is what makes us very different from men’s lacrosse. We can’t have any hitting or a lot of physical contact with one another.”

What are the components of women’s lacrosse that make it so much more different than men’s?

Senior Kailey Posea, Defense:

“We aren’t allowed to run on the inside our defensive side of the crease/goal circle like boys are. Also, every time there is a foul of some sort, the whistle blows and the play stops, whereas in men’s lacrosse the play continues.Since women’s lacrosse lacks contact, we don’t have to wear pads like the boys do… just a mouth guard and goggles.”

Senior Hailey Yarbrough, Middie and Defense:

“ in women’s lacrosse, we are not allowed to stick check, so it make it less of a contact sport than that of mens. In some ways, this rule makes the game easier, but in others it make you more prone to getting hurt due to the lack of equipment that we have to wear compared to the boys’ version of lacrosse.”

Junior Julie Chesna, Middie:

“In women’s lacrosse, we cannot make as much contact. We can check in certain places and guide, but we can’t hit or push our opponents.”

Junior Alexis Anderson, Attack and Defense:

“The running at practice can differ depending on the day, and what we are doing. If we are scrimmaging then it can be anywhere from a Mile or Two. If it’s sprints, it may be more of a short distance day just to speed up our agility.”

How many miles do would you say that you run everyday at practice? How would you compare that to the amount that the boys have to run?

Senior Kailey Posea, Defense:

“I think that since the game of boy’s lacrosse is mostly constant that they probably run on average 2-3 miles and girls only run 1-2.”

Senior Hailey Yarbrough, Middie and Defense:

“There is a lot of running required in the game, and we typically run about 1-2 miles a day, depending on what position that you play.”

Junior Julie Chesna, Middie:

“Depending on what we are doing during that particular practice, I probably run about 3-4 miles. We run before practice, and then we sprint afterward. I would probably say that the boy’s practices are much more harsh than ours . I know personally that the coach is harder on the boys.

Our practice is every weekday except gameday and typically 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm. I think that practice everyday is important because we have games in between them, and we need to prepare for those games to beat our opponents.”

Junior Alexis Anderson, Attack and Defense

“The running at practice can differ depending on the day, and what we are doing. If we are scrimmaging then it can be anywhere from a Mile or Two. If it’s sprints, it may be more of a short distance day just to speed up our agility.”

How often are you required to practice? Do you consider this to be a reasonable amount? Why or why not?

Senior Kailey Posea, Defense:

“Not including weekends, we practice every day that we don’t have a game. It’s very rare that our coach cancels practice. Sometimes I think this is too little just because lacrosse is the type of sport to constantly practice to see progress, but at times, it’s hard to balance school work, a social life and a sport during the second semester of the school year.”

Senior Hailey Yarbrough, Middie and Defense:

We have practice every weekday, except on days that we have games. In my opinion, lacrosse is one of those sports where practice will always make you better. There are some people who could never practice and do just fine during games, but there are also others who could practice constantly and still not be an adequate teammate. It all depends on the player’s worth ethic and dedication.

Junior Alexis Anderson, Attack and Defense:

“Coach Kienle requires us to do five days of mandatory practice at Coal Mountain Park, but I prefer also to do practice on the weekend because it’s always good to keep your stick in your hand and keep your skills up. I don’t think this is too much at all because you want to be the best you can be for your team. The better you do and the more you practice, the more successful your team will be.”

Are there many (if any) rules and/or regulations that women’s lacrosse abides by that men’s does not follow? If so, what are they and do you agree/support them?

Senior Kailey Posea, Defense:

“The number one rule that girls follow, which is constantly brought up, is the level of contact. Checking a certain way or extending your arms too far is an automatic foul.”

Senior Hailey Yarbrough, Middie and Defense:

“In women’s lacrosse, there is no game play after the whistle is blown, and you have to completely stop all movement. With men’s they can still run around after the whistle is blown. Women are also not allowed to stick check their opponents’ bodies, which basically means hit them with the stick to get the ball or move them, but they can check the other players’ sticks at certain lengths from their bodies. With men’s, they are allowed to stick check in certain areas. Another thing is that women have the same sized sticks, and the men have different sized sticks depending on the positions that they play.  Lastly, the equipment that women have to wear is a lot less than men are required to wear which actually causes a lot more injuries.”

Junior Julie Chesna, Middie:

“I believe our rules for girls lacrosse are reasonable, regarding our equipment and the amount that we are allowed to do. I like our rules because if they were not there it would make the game a lot more difficult and dangerous for women to play.”

Junior Alexis Anderson, Attack and Defense:

“The physical contact will be the biggest and most different between boys and girls. Like I said before, that’s the major rule difference between us. Yes, we can defend but it’s hands on the hips, and we can’t extended our arms at all. Because of that, you can’t hit or make that much physical contact. That’s what makes women’s lacrosse so different. It also makes others think that the sport is watered down due to the lack of physical contact, as opposed to the men’s version.

I played boy’s lacrosse before a women’s lacrosse team was made, and at times I wish we had more rules like the guys, but at others I understand why we have the rules that we do. Out of all of the difference between the games, I love women’s lacrosse, and I would never change the game.”

Altogether, each girl has their personal opinions about their version of this growing sport. However, each of them will forever have a love and connection with the game, no matter how much they disagree or agree with its rules. They will all take more than just the concept into their future. They will carry life lessons, friendships and leadership skills into their futures because of the game.