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Community Corner

Looking for a New Sport for Young Girls? Try Lacrosse.

This fast-paced, competitive game is quickly growing in popularity.

By Aaron Skomial

When I tell people that my daughter plays lacrosse, they say, “That’s a rough sport.”  The problem with that response is that most people think that the girl's game is played just like the boy's game. The truth is, the only thing that is similar is the stick and the season.

The girl's game is played very differently and it requires much less safety gear. Girls wear goggles and a mouth guard, while boys wear helmets, pads, gloves, and a mouth guard. The boys need all of this extra protection because their game is rough and body contact is guaranteed.

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A typical score for a lacrosse game is 16-10. The game moves quickly and has a lot of similarities to basketball, hockey, and soccer. Scoring is frequent and the pace of the game is very exciting.

The school season runs from March until June. There are various summer travel teams in the metro Detroit area that travel to places like Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Virginia to face the best competition the sport has to offer. If you have a daughter who is looking for a spring sport or a change of pace, lacrosse is the sport for her. 

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Hartland currently has a program for middle school and high school girls. The program is trying to grow and get more girls interested at the elementary level.  The need to grow the program and give girls an alternative sport is very important. Lacrosse is fun, exciting, and it just so happens to be the fastest game on two feet!

has a varsity and junior varsity program. The program has been successful and it continues to generate competitive teams at both levels. New players are always welcome even if they have never played before.

The varsity program finished 13-4 last season and the JV program finished 12-1.  The varsity program made it to the regional finals and lost to the eventual state champion in sudden death over time. 

Women’s lacrosse in Michigan has grown at feverish pace. In 2005, Laxpower.com had eight high school teams registered in Michigan on their website. Laxpower.com currently has 67 teams registered in Michigan. Women’s lacrosse is growing and the opportunities at the collegiate level have followed. In a five year period, women’s collegiate lacrosse has grown 30.3%. That translates into more athletic scholarship opportunities for girls.

If you are interested in learning more about this sport please contact the following people:

Eric Pankowski:  hartlandgirlslacrosse@gmail.com  (Elementary and Middle School)

Aaron Skomial:  hartgmslax@yahoo.com  (High School)

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