Volume #10 with Ben Michael
On February 27, 2010 I had the privilege of watching a Boston Blazers’ game. It was my first time watching an Indoor lacrosse game in person. It was exhilarating! The crowd was into it and the players were into it. It was a great experience. The players are athletic; you have to be to play lacrosse. When I was sitting in the press level, I couldn’t help but wonder about the differences of indoor and outdoor lacrosse.
The Boston Blazers are a very diverse lacrosse team. There are a lot of players with a lot of different skills. A lot of players played in division one colleges. For example, the Blazers’ leading defenseman, Mitch Belisle, played at Cornell College. Also, the Blazers’ former team alternate captain, Jack Reid, played at the University of Massachusetts. All in all, if they didn’t play division one, then they played in very competitive and skilled club leagues.
The rules of lacrosse are different for indoor and outdoor, but the philosophy and ideas of the game are the same. If you are not very familiar with lacrosse, games have four quarters that are 15 minutes each. It’s easier to score in lacrosse than you’d think. At the professional level, shots on net are thrown at the speed of 90 to 100 miles per hour. Those fast shots are hard to react to. The speed of the shots on net are the same for both indoor and outdoor leagues. It is very hard to be a goalie.
Penalties are pretty common in lacrosse. There will generally be five to ten penalties during a game; sometimes there are more. Lacrosse is known as the fastest sport on two feet. There is almost never a break; that is why lines have to change on the fly. Lines in lacrosse refer to the people you go out onto the field with. In outdoor lacrosse you have two other people on your line. When you are playing indoor lacrosse, you only have your partner, either your defense partner, or your forward partner.
Lacrosse is a very intricate sport; there are a lot of little rules and things that can make the game difficult to understand for first time viewers. Lacrosse is not for your average person. It is a sport for the person who loves intensity, passion and talent. In men’s lacrosse, at any level, you have to be as good with your off hand, as you are with your dominant hand. It takes a lot of practice and takes years to develop the skill. This aspect of the game is a lot like riding a bike; once you learn, you never forget.
Indoor lacrosse, also known as box lacrosse, is a lot different than outdoor lacrosse. Indoor lacrosse is actually a lot more physical than outdoor lacrosse. The reason for this is a box lacrosse field is the size of a regulation NHL hockey rink. There is a lot less room and you run into each other a lot. Indoor lacrosse has 10 people on the field, two forwards, two defenders and one goalie. Having ten people on the field is a lot more crowded than it seems.
On the other hand, an outdoor lacrosse field is the size of a football field. There is a lot more running involved. In outdoor lacrosse there are three attack men (forwards), three midfielders and three defensemen. Defensemen in outdoor lacrosse have longer sticks than any other person on the field. In indoor lacrosse they all have short sticks. The regulation size for high school, NCAA, professional leagues and club leagues is 30 inches. Your stick can’t be more or less than 30 inches if you are a midfielder, attack, forward, or defenseman for indoor lacrosse.
Another difference between indoor and outdoor lacrosse is the goalie pads. For indoor lacrosse, the goalies wear almost the same exact equipment as hockey goalies. These are very big pads compared to the outdoor game, where the pads are almost non-existent. They wear nothing compared to the goalies in the indoor league.
The skill level of the athletes for indoor and outdoor lacrosse needs to be the same; most indoor lacrosse players played outdoor lacrosse in college, or play for a professional team in the spring. Some of the best lacrosse players in the world play indoor lacrosse.
The game of lacrosse will always be amazing. The Blazers’ were a thrilling team to watch. There was never a dull moment. If you love lacrosse, you’d love watching the Boston Blazers. They are a bunch of highly skilled and high profiled players. The skill level of the Boston Blazers’ is unbelievable. Everyone should go and watch.
Ben Michael is a senior at Ipswich High School
The Blazers Beat is a student reporter program which provides high school students access to the Garden on game nights. Students will receive a media credential for a game of their choice, access to the post-game player and coach press conference and can write a game recap which the Blazers will help to publish with their local papers. For more information, contact Krista Olson, Marketing & Event Operations Manager at krista@blazerslacrosse.com.