Recently, lacrosse has grown in popularity, so how did it start? Lacrosse is a quite popular sport in the United States, but boy’s lacrosse tends to be more known than girl’s. Although the girl’s sport is not as known, it has spread rapidly over the last couple of years. The sport is a great example of determination, speed and skill.
An extremely long time ago, before 1100 AD, Native American tribes created a similar game called “stickball”. They created the sport as a way to train and prepare for their wars.
Louisa Lumsden, founder of St. Lenards School, first launched the idea of lacrosse in Scotland at the St. Leonard’s school after observing it being played in Canada. The first-ever official women’s lacrosse game was played in 1890 in Scotland. The sport quickly grew in the United Kingdom and was played at private schools and colleges.
1904 was the first year that girl’s lacrosse was included in the Olympic Games. Since then, lacrosse has not been in the Olympics but will soon be featured in the 2028 Olympics, held in Los Angeles, California. The first game in the U.S. was in 1926 held in Baltimore. According to World Lacrosse, the Scottish Ladies Lacrosse Association was founded in 1920, while The U.S. Women’s Lacrosse Association was founded in 1931, promoting the sport across the country.
In more recent years, the sport has further expanded and improved. Women’s lacrosse is played at many high schools, middle schools and colleges across the country. Over the last few decades, the equipment and rules for lacrosse have improved for a safer and more enjoyable experience, such as lighter sticks, safer eyewear and helmets.
Local to Huntington Beach High School (HBHS), the Girl’s Lacrosse Program was created in 2017 along with Edison High School’s program.
The HBHS girl’s lacrosse program has three teams: Fresh/Soph, JV and Varsity. The team practices five times a week preparing for their upcoming season.
Girl’s lacrosse has come such an impressively long way and continues to grow day by day. It is incredible to watch it happen as we grow as a team and community.
