SPRING STREET SCHOOL LACROSSE TEAM 2002

Eat lasagna, raise money for la crosse team

RESCHEDULED FROM March 20
Spring Street School's la crosse team is hosting a fund-raising dinner 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 2 in the San Juan Island Grange Hall.

Vegetarian and non-vegetarian lasagna will served. Suggested donation is $5 children and $10 adults. Proceeds will pay for new equipment.

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Spring Street students roar into lacrosse

posted 03/19/02
"Ice and ibuprofen," a coach tells Spring Street School students at the end of a practice. The bruised and breathless Dragons didn't finish a grueling soccer scrimmage, they practiced the oldest sport played in North America -- lacrosse.

"I definitely feel like we've got something pretty cool going on," Coach Christian Folk said.

After playing the field sport in physical education classes, the Spring Street students asked to field a club team and the school's staff rewarded their enthusiasm. Folk, Brendan Cowan and Jesse Berube volunteered to coach and the team joined Washington State High School Boys Lacrosse League at the junior varsity level.

The Dragons will play five or six road matches. They hope to play a couple of home games this season but need a home field.

Canadians adapted lacrosse into an organized field sport after seeing Native American Indians play it. Combining elements of other sports, including hockey and soccer, the object of lacrosse is to pass a hard, small rubber ball ball from one player to another until someone slings the ball into a goal. Players toss the ball to each other using sticks with net baskets on one end. Lacrosse is played on a football-sized field in four periods.

"It's a unique sport," said freshman Zack Lundgren. "It takes a lot of athleticism."

"It adds the roughness of hockey or football and the endurance of soccer," Lundgren added. "It's fun. It's rewarding to play."

As of last week, the Dragons listed 11 players on their roster. Ten players make up a lacrosse team. "We're going to be one fit group at the end of the season," Folk said.

None of the Dragons competed in lacrosse before this season. That fits with national trends. Traditionally an East Coast and Canadian sport, lacrosse is gaining popularity across the United States.

The number of high school and youth teams increased by 65 percent in the last dozen years and is considered one of the fastest growing team sports here, according to U.S. Lacrosse.

Most of the Dragons are freshmen or sophomores. An eighth-grader even competes. "We should have a really good team in a couple of years when these guys mature," Folk said.