Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's)
What is Lacrosse?
Who plays Lacrosse?
When does the season start?
How do I start playing?
Where and when will we practice and play games?
Why do I need to join US Lacrosse?
What kind of equipment do I need?
What kind of “Crosse” should I buy?
Who will provide the uniforms?
Is Lacrosse a contact sport?
How do I improve my skills?
Where can I buy equipment?
How can parents get involved?
What’s the rain policy?
A: Lacrosse was invented by North American Indians who played with sticks made of wood and leather and a rock was used as the ball. The game became a (slightly less dangerous) substitute for warring between tribes to establish dominance. The Canadians also adopted the sport from the Indians in Northeastern America and it is their national sport, not hockey as is commonly believed. Modern lacrosse has been played by athletes in the United States and the British Commonwealth for over a century.
The sport of lacrosse is a combination of speed, and strength and draws from skills found in basketball, soccer and hockey. Anyone can play lacrosse--big or small. The game requires and rewards coordination and agility, not raw strength. Quickness and speed are two highly prized qualities in lacrosse. Lacrosse is fast-paced and full of action. Players run up and down the field with lots starts and stops, precision passes and dodges are routine in both men's and women's lacrosse. Lacrosse is played with a stick, called “the crosse”, which is used by the player to throw, catch and scoop the ball.
Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing team sports in the United States. US Lacrosse reports that its youth membership (ages 15 and under) has doubled since 1999 to over 60,000. The National Federation of State High School Associations reported that in 2001 better than 74,000 students played high lacrosse. With club teams, private schools, and states not yet having sanctioned lacrosse, high school-aged participation is actually much higher. Varsity collegiate participation has grown by one-third since 1995, and collegiate and post-collegiate club teams field thousands of players as well, with NCAA sanctioning play at the collegiate level. For more information please go to the US Lacrosse web site at: http://www.lacrosse.org
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A: According to the 2007 US Lacrosse Participation Survey, lacrosse continuesto be one of the fastest-growing team sports in the country. Since 2001, the firstyear the US Lacrosse Participation Survey was published, the number of activeacrosse players has grown 89.3 percent to 480,627 players in 2007. During thistime period, US Lacrosse instituted a wide array of programs designed to growthe sport at the grassroots level. Programs like the Fast Break Initiative, the YouthEquipment Grant Program and New Start were especially successful in2007,as was the impact from the increased outreach of US Lacrosse regional chapters..
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A: Our Winter/Spring season consists of six weeks of pre-season practices beginning in Mid January. Games begin in early March and run weekly through the league tournament in mid May.
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A: In order to play in the Livermore Phantom Lacrosse Club league, you can register at our on-line registration at www.phantomlacrosse.com. You’ll need a credit card to charge your payment in order to complete your registration. You’ll then need to purchase your equipment. You can also acquire some basic skills training by attending one of the many camps or clinics that are run in the nearby areas.
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A: Our practices will begin mid to late January. As our coaches are volunteer parents and that have careers, we are coordinating with LARPD to get use of lighted fields for evening weekday practices. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of options here – Max Baer and Robertson Park. Both parks normally go through their “rest periods” during this time of year and are closed to local sports teams. In addition, Max Baer field is being completely reconditioned and is currently closed – not expected to open until end of March. The news is not all bad. We have spoken with LARPD and they are excited and very much in support of lacrosse coming to Livermore. LARPD has assured us that, at a minimum, we will be given access to one of the softball outfields at Robertson Park – perhaps alternate between the two softball fields in January and February. They are large enough for full field and we can line for both Boys and Girls fields. We would then move to Max Baer in March. By the end of March, the sun sets later and our evening practices will not require lights. We expect to move to Independence Park at that time for the remainder of our season and believe Independence Park will become our home field. Games will be played on weekends, primarily Saturdays, but some Sundays as well. We will likely host two home weekends in Livermore. However, the schedules will not be established until January. We will post the schedules on our website and on Sportability at that time. If securing lighted field becomes impossible, our back-up plan is to simply try and have one afternoon practice during the week and practice on Saturday mornings. Stay tuned to our website for more information as the season approaches.
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A: The US Lacrosse Association in addition to being the main governing body for our sport also provides insurance coverage for its members. This insurance is required by the Livermore Phantom Lacrosse Club in order to practice or play with our league. The Livermore Phantom Lacrosse Club will enroll you or renew your membership with regular season registration.
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A: Each player provides his own equipment including both protective gear and a
“crosse” or stick. The protective gear required by the league and Livermore Phantom
Lacrosse Club (LPLC) consists of:
Boys:
A black lacrosse helmet with a purple visor.
Mouth-guard (have spares)
Athletic supporter with hard cup
Shoulder pads
Arm/elbow pads
Rib pads (optional but recommended)
Lacrosse gloves
Goalies need additional chest and throat-guard protection (provided by the LPLC)
A “crosse” or stick with a pocket
Cleats (football, soccer or baseball will do) – keep tennis shoes in your bag too.
Girls:
Women’s Lacrosse Stick
Protective Goggles (style to be announced)
Mouth-guard
Cleats
Gloves (Optional for comfort and grip)
Goalie gear is provided by the LPLC
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A:
BOYS
There are three kinds of crosses including: short stick, used by attack and midfield players; long stick, used by defense and midfield players, and a goalie stick. The basic lacrosse skills can be best learned with the short stick, and the club requires all players to start with a short stick. The club has a few goalie sticks that will be loaned to players wishing to try the goalie position. The crosse consists of a head (basket and webbing) and handle. Both the heads and the handles come in a variety of styles and are made from a wide assortment of materials…which means that they come in a wide variety of prices as well.
GIRLS
Girls crosse’s are significantly different from boys so be certain first that you do NOT purchase a boys stick for your daughter. Also, the variety of girls sticks are as many and perhaps more complex when compared to the boys sticks. Almost all boys’ sticks have offset heads nowadays while there are still many entry level girls’ sticks that do not. We recommend that whatever stick you choose, be certain the stick has an offset head. With the restrictions on pocket depth for girls lacrosse, the offset head will give your athlete better control in cradling, catching and throwing. The straight head can be used but is much more difficult to master and will cause your child to develop her skills slower than she would with the offset head. An entry level player will master the stick essentials quickest with the advanced level stick. But the entry and mid level sticks will certainly allow your athlete to develop her skills with an investment appropriate for her level of interest in the sport. If you have any questions – contact one of our coaches!
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: The cost of the uniform is in addition to basic registration and is requested at the time of registration. The cost may vary from year to year but current is about $80 for full girls or boys uniforms. We typically manage our sizing and order as a club effort and will communicate details of the procedure with the retailer as we approach the season. We generally have to have our uniform order in before end of December in order to be certain they arrive in time for game season. The club will conduct a sizing run at the retailer and then purchase the uniforms on your behalf. The uniforms will become your possession once they are distributed in February. We are able to do this since we found a manufacturer that allows "fill-in" jerseys each year in any quantity and jersey number we may need. In this way, we can back fill as players move on to high school and ensure our remaining athletes can keep and reuse their uniforms without numbering conflict. We believe that athletes enjoy wearing their Jerseys to school, around town, and even on vacation. This is why we chose to budget to allow members to keep the uniforms rather than collect them as club assets at the end of the year. Back to Top
A: Lacrosse is a contact sport. However, the rules for boys and girls are drastically different. Boys in Grade 5 and 6 play with minimal contact (modified Stick checking and minor body to body contact). Body checking in boys lacrosse is introduced at grade 7 (however, take-out checks are not allowed). Girls are introduced to their version of modified stick checking at grade 7. Up to that point – there is NO contact in girls’ lacrosse other than incidental. Body checking in girls’ lacrosse is NOT legal at any level of women’s play.
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A: Practice, practice, practice! The Livermore Phantom Lacrosse Club focuses on teaching skills and skills development during the practices held during the season. Additionally there are a number of camps and clinics available in the area (see our web-site links for more details). Between practice, “having a catch” with a friend or getting out and doing some “wall-work”, you will hone your throwing and stick skills progressively. Mastering your stick is among the most important aspect of beginning lacrosse.
We also have a good deal of “web-based” knowledge resources linked to this site, and we invite you to surf around for some great tips, tools and help building your player skills.
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A: There are local vendors in Dublin, Pleasanton and Alamo, many vendors on-line.
Some of the places we have used are:
Sling it LAX in Alamo
http://www.slingitlax.com/
Great Atlantic Lacorsse
http://www.lacrosse.com/
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A: Parent participation is fundamental to the success of our organization. In addition to managers, coaches, and assistant coaches, The Livermore Phantom Lacrosse Club is an all-volunteer organization and we have a number of critical positions that must be staffed for each team by parent volunteers. We are also planning activities and other opportunities (festivals, fund-raisers, etc.) in which you can contribute. Please get involved! The club needs your support!
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A: Livermore Phantom Lacrosse teams practice rain or shine. Players should arrive at Max Baer prepared with a pair of tennis shoes, in addition to their cleats, so that they may practice on the hard top. On game day we abide by the LARPD Turf Hotline at 373-5746 or at: http://www.larpd.dst.ca.us/turf.html
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Copyright © 2005 [Livermore Phantoms Lacrosse Club]. All rights reserved.
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