Lacrosse taking off in Montana, not too late to register
<p>Photo provided - Columbia Falls High School junior Henry Chisholm, 9, rolls past a defender while Whitefish High School senior David Rizzolo, 17, cuts to the goal in the Montana State Championship Tournament at Montana State University last spring.</p>
What do NHL great Wayne Gretsky, NFL legend Jim Brown and New England Patriots’ head coach Bill Belichick have in common? They all played lacrosse, a sport that’s exploding in popularity in Montana.
“Think of full-contact basketball with sticks, or hockey without all that ice,” says Dean Chisholm, assistant coach for the Flathead Lacrosse high school team.
Invented by Native Americans hundreds of years ago, lacrosse is a team sport played on a field about the size of a football field. Players wear helmets and pads similar to football or hockey, and throw and catch a baseball-sized ball with netted sticks, or “crosses.”
Players score by throwing the ball into a six-by-six foot goal guarded by a goalie. Skilled players can hit a 6-inch target at speeds of 80-100 mph. Players are allowed to check each other similar to hockey.
The Flathead team has been competing in Montana for only three years but has seen dramatic growth and success. The 2013 varsity team made it to the state championship game before losing to perennial powerhouse Hellgate High School.
“We’ve had some tremendous athletes come through the program in the past couple of years,” Chisholm said.
It’s not uncommon for high school football and basketball coaches to encourage their players to play lacrosse in the off season, he said.
“It’s great conditioning, great hand-eye work, great body-control training, and most players quickly come to love the sport,” Chisholm said.
Several Columbia Falls High School players have stood out in lacrosse. Junior Henry Chisholm was an Honorable Mention All-State selection as a sophomore. Senior Garrett Role will return after a solid season playing midfielder. Meanwhile, younger players have been competing in the youth program for ages 8-15, and Flathead Lacrosse has added a no-contact program for girls that’s gaining popularity.
Only a few dozen youths registered for the statewide league’s inaugural season in 2009, but this year the players will number well over a thousand, with multiple high school teams in Missoula, Billings, Bozeman and Helena, and at least one team each in Great Falls, Polson, Butte and the Flathead Valley.
Why the popularity? Chisholm notes that players don’t have to be 6-foot-3 or 225 pounds to be successful.
“Success is determined less by size and more by athleticism and determination,” he said. “Second, it’s just so fun to play. Non-stop action combining the physicalness of football and hockey with the offensive creativity of basketball.”
The Flathead Lacrosse high school team will begin practicing in early February and the season ends in May, but there’s still plenty of time to register. Interested players and their parents can find more information and registration materials at www.flatheadlacrosse.com.