January 1995
Vision Statement
The vision of the Saskatchewan Lacrosse Association is to provide our membership with quality and proactive service. Collectively, the Board of Directors and membership will increase awareness and promote participation in the sport of lacrosse in Saskatchewan. Working cooperatively and creatively, we will encourage an environment that fosters the equitable development of athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers at all levels.
January 1995
Why play lacrosse?
The sport of Lacrosse is a combination of basketball, soccer and hockey. Anyone can play Lacrosse - the big or small. The game requires and rewards coordination and agility, not brawn. Quickness and speed are two highly prized qualities in lacrosse. An exhilarating sport, Lacrosse is fast-paced and full of action. Long sprints up and down the field with abrupt starts and stops, precision passes and dodges are routine in men's and women's Lacrosse. Lacrosse is played with a stick, the Crosse, which must be mastered by the player to throw, catch and scoop the ball.
Wayne Gretzky about Lacrosse:
If a sport has a high point of the year, it must be the first week of spring. When I was growing up, I used to love this time of year. It was when I put my hockey equipment away and I was absolutely ecstatic to see the end of the hockey season. One of the worst things to happen to the game, in my opinion, has been year-round hockey and, in particular, summer hockey. All it does for kids, as far as I can tell, is keep them out sports they should be doing in the warmer weather. I could hardly wait to get my lacrosse stick out and start throwing the ball against the walls and working on our moves as we played the lacrosse equivalent to road hockey. All the good hockey players seemed to play lacrosse in those days and everyone of them learned something from the game to carry over to the other - things athletes can only learn by mixing up the games they play when they are young.
— Wayne Gretzky, National Post, March 2000
Youth who play Lacrosse in Saskatchewan have the opportunity to:
- Build self-esteem.
- Put a stop to the never-ending pressure to fit in and be part of the crowd.
- Be physically active.
- Create an avenue to make friends, learn to work as a team and become a leader in their community.
With a history that spans centuries, Lacrosse is the oldest sport in North America and CANADA'S NATIONAL SUMMER SPORT. Rooted in Native American religion, Lacrosse was often played to resolve conflicts, heal the sick, and develop strong, virile men. To Native Americans, Lacrosse is still referred to as "The Creator's Game". The evolution of the Native American game into modern Lacrosse began in 1636 when Jean de Brebeuf documented a Huron contest in what is now southeast Ontario, Canada. At that time, some type of Lacrosse was played by at least 48 Native American tribes. Canadian dentist W. George Beers standardized the game in 1867 with the adoption of set field dimensions, limits to the number of players per team and other basic rules.
There are two types of Lacrosse offered in Saskatchewan starting at age 6 and up:
Box Lacrosse which is played as a contact sport in an arena or an outdoor box from Mini-Tyke up to the professional league you can view on television called the National Lacrosse League (NLL).
Field Lacrosse which was the game the settlers developed after watching the First Nations people play the game. It is played internationally and is extremely popular in US colleges, which means the opportunity for scholarships
Contact your local community Lacrosse association or the Saskatchewan Lacrosse Association to see how you can start playing Canada's National Summer Sport!
