The Lacrosse girls are working their way towards state
By Makenzy Holm
Owasso High School has many school sports teams, however, we do not yet have a school lacrosse team for boys or girls that students can participate in the club version.
“We are technically a club sport; we are allowed to use the colors, the mascot, we get to do our home games at the beautiful new track field and we are allowed to practice on the school facility at Ator, but we are not technically a ‘sixth hour sport,’” explained Girl’s Varsity Lacrosse coach Tiffany Hull.
Hull hopes that, in the near future, Owasso and other schools will develop their own lacrosse programs through their schools instead of just as a club sport. Although, this development would mean that Hull would have to be a teacher in order to coach.
“Because we are not school affiliated, I don’t have to be a teacher—I’m just a mom. I watch a lot of Youtube videos, a lot of women’s lacrosse and I took over 26 hours of online classes, so I could jump in knowing what I was doing,” expressed Hull.
The girls also have to do their own training, both physically and mentally.
“As much as it is physical, it is a very technical game on the girl’s side. Like, the boys are all padded up and they just bulldoze each other, but the girls can’t do that. They just wear goggles, a mouthguard and cleats,” shared Hull.
On top of having different safety equipment, the lacrosse sticks are also different for men and women. The women have a much more shallow net, or pocket, where the ball sits, while the boys have a deeper one. Because the smaller pocket allows for the ball to be more easily dropped, the girls learn how to use centripetal force by rotating the stick around and around to keep the ball from falling out of the pocket. The same time they are cradling the ball, they are also sprinting up and down the field.
“Endurance is huge. They have to be able to run. The number one rule in lacrosse is there is no walking in lacrosse. These girls are athletes,” continued Hull. “To be on Varsity, you have to run a minimum of five marilyns, which is literally goal post to goal post in 18 seconds, and then they have 36 seconds to get back.”
The girls train hard off the field so they are ready to be on the field. They have to be constantly communicating and aware of their own surroundings at the same time.
“There is a lot of talking on the field because you have to know that if you’re watching the ball carrier, … the girl behind you has your [back],” Hull remarked.
Because of all of the hard work the girls have been putting into their beloved sport, Hull believes that they have a good chance of taking State this year.
“They each have their own individual strengths, but what makes this group the strongest that I’ve seen is their sense of togetherness. They play as a team, better than any team I have coached. These girls play really well together, which is what I think will get them to the championship this year.”
Although not technically a school sport, the lacrosse girls really show how to be a true Owasso Ram.