The Fastest Game ON Two Feet

by Nigel Malloch

When you think about sports, each sport has its own star; that someone who has formed and shaped the way a sport is played. For lacrosse, that player is Gary Gait. Viewed through the eyes of budding lacrosse players around the globe as the Michael Jordan of lacrosse, Gait’s dazzling plays, air gates, shot moves and enormous goal scoring has helped to revolutionize lacrosse, creating excitement and visibility to a sport which originated with Native Americans.

Gait, with the help of his younger brother, Paul bring a high level of intensity to the game as members of the Washington Power, an Indoor Lacrosse League that was started in 2000. I had a chance to meet and talk to this Washington Power star who has played on numerous professional teams, was an all-American star at Syracuse University, and is an overall powerhouse in the sport. Along with being the current women’s coach at the University of Maryland, Gary Gait holds just about every scoring record in the history of the sport of lacrosse.

According to Gait, the increase in the popularity and interest in lacrosse is due to the fact that it is a very unique sport, one which allows players to be successful in ways that are not entirely dependent on natural athletic ability. This seemed to be a surprising fact, coming from such a star athlete. "The astonishing thing about lacrosse is that it lets players who are good stick handlers triumph on the field over superb athletes. Stick handling, along with speed and endurance, are the keys to performance in lacrosse," he told TeenSpeak. Lacrosse doesn’t demand that players jump the highest or run the fastest. If you can handle a lacrosse stick, you can play winning lacrosse, as the sport is essentially about scoring the most goals, and Gait surely knows how to score!

There are many things that have helped play a part in the recent gigantic growth of the sport which is currently played in the United States, Canada, Australia and even in Europe. In addition to the fact that lacrosse appeals to all different ages and is played by both genders, the sport currently enjoys professional league status with an Indoor Lacrosse League (ILL), an Outdoor Lacrosse League (OLL) and a National Lacrosse League (NLL). Additionally, colleges and high schools across the country are establishing their own lacrosse teams which has added to the fame and access to the sport. No longer a game for just one region of the country, or just for boys, lacrosse has witnessed an explosion with college coaches actually scouting for talent on high school campuses.

Nigel Mallock with Lacrosse star Gary Gait