Lacrosse gaining ground in Flagstaff

In its sixth year, Flagstaff Fusion Lacrosse League is fielding five teams this year, from Tyke (the equivalent of novice and pre-novice in hockey) to Midget, including one all-girls novice team. Novice in lacrosse is equivalent to atom in hockey.

League President Curtis Hrdlicka says that the teams average 12 players, with 15 on the girls team, but can actually have up to 18 runners and two goaltenders each.

Hrdlicka says Flagstaff Fusion plays box lacrosse, an indoor version of the game, typically on a cement arena surface, although two of the teams in their association have turf floors. The outdoor men’s and women’s fields are generally much larger.

Teams have been practising since the end of March, and now have one practice and one game per week, with six home and six away games.

The all girls team, however, has no equivalent in the Wheatlands Lacrosse Association, where Fusion plays, so they play tournaments and exhibition games only.

Lacrosse uses a stick with a basket/net on the end, and a hard rubber ball. Players capture the ball in their stick’s cradles and run towards the opposing net. The ball can also be passed to teammates to move it down the field.

Teams are allowed to possess the ball for only 30 seconds at a time to take a shot on a net that’s similar to a hockey net. Different things can reset the 30-second clock during play. Novice and tyke players do not have a shot clock. A score is when the ball is shot past the goaltender into the net.

Goalies have a protected area to fall back into to enable player development, and the different age groups play different game lengths: novice play three 15-minute straight periods while peewee play two 15-minute periods and one 20-minute period, for instance.

Contact is allowed in lacrosse; Hrdlicka describes it as “plant and push,” with contact allowed above the waist and below the neck only.

He says that for hockey players, there’s not much in additional equipment required for lacrosse. Players can use their hockey helmets, gloves, shoulder pads, and elbow pads; added to that they need regular running shoes, a mouth guard, optional kidney protectors, shorts, and a stick. They can also choose to wear slash guards on their wrists and upper arms. The league actually purchases goalie equipment to try and encourage players to take up the position without the risk of paying for more specialized equipment.

Fusion holds one big fundraising raffle per year, and does smaller fundraising events throughout the year to help subsidize the cost to play. “We’re trying to remain competitive with soccer and baseball,” he says.

Hrdlicka thinks that people in the region are gradually becoming aware of lacrosse. Fusion is able to pull players from all of Flagstaff County, and from Viking.

“The first year we had five teams, but by the third year, we only had one. It was hard. Then last year we had four teams, now this year we have five. More than 60 kids are playing lacrosse this year!” Next year Fusion hopes to build a peewee and novice team.

He thinks it helps that Fusion tries to bring in Alberta Lacrosse to area schools to teach students the rules, and that helps to attract new players, too.
In Wheatland, teams from Lakeland, Vermilion, Wainwright, Lloydminster, and Flagstaff play one another.

The Wheatland region has one Midget A team, with two Flagstaff area players, and that coach allows prospective coaches to sit in on practises, which he holds throughout the league on a rotating schedule.

Fusion has five head coaches this year, and each coach has two to three assistants. Last year Hrdlicka coached three of the four teams. “People are nervous about taking it on because they are unfamiliar with the game,” he says, “but I’d rather see them succeed, and we’ll bring every tool available to us to help.

“I’ve gone from knowing nothing to head coach and president in three years, and I’m comfortable, but still taking classes so I can help others.”

Hrdlicka says Fusion is always looking for new officials to learn the game. “It’s an opportunity to make some money,” he says. “Hockey officials pick up lacrosse rules really fast, but even all-new officials pick it up quickly.”

He says Alberta Lacrosse sends evaluators out regularly to help officials out. He adds that there are lots of opportunities to learn lacrosse, through coaching clinics for those interested in volunteering. There have been two clinics in the Wheatlands Association, and there are more offered by other leagues all the time.