Editor’s Note: 42Fifty reporter Sylis Hessler is quoted in this article but took no part in reporting or editing it.
In recent years, lacrosse has seen growing participation nationwide and brought attention to a sport that had faced some challenges in establishing itself amid more traditional sports like football, basketball, and baseball. And yet, lacrosse has grown.
While SD#308’s co-op lacrosse team has been around since 2023, current players have learned that athleticism and mindset are key for players, and their growth has not come from advertising but from recruitment.
“Usually [recruitment is] word of mouth,” OH senior Team Captain Sylis Hessler said.
The traditional recruitment strategy of having a poster in the school halls advertising the sport was not enough, leading players on the team to spread the sport through word of mouth amongst their friends, which has been working.
“[Most OH students] don’t really look at lacrosse,” varsity player Declan McClure said.
The team has to spread a lot of encouragement and awareness about the sport to spur OH students to be more open minded to participate in less widely recognized sports because as Hessler said, “Most of the other sports have higher priority than us.”
Because of the lower participation numbers, lacrosse practices are typically later in the day, which is another hurdle to recruitment and participation. According to team members, the lacrosse program would need to find a way to make practices have more of a traditional time frame so student athletes wouldn’t need to drastically change their schedules after their previous sport ends.
According to Hessler, “a lot of people take off work to practice with their team.”
However, even amid the challenges, lacrosse’s rapid growth in OH was inevitable. The unique aspects of the sport and easy-to-learn aspects have made players look forward to playing everyday. The game is a combination of soccer and basketball fundamentals, something many athletes have experienced before.
Last season, the team ranked 99th in the state according to MaxPreps, and with a 1-14 season record, the team is growing, learning, and strong in their bonds.
As reported by 42Fifty in 2023, ‘’According to the Professional Box Lacrosse League, lacrosse is the fastest-growing sport in North America, with 2.9 million people taking an interest in the last several years.’’
Lacrosse has gone beyond just being a fun sport and made teammates become friends outside of lacrosse. A community feeling has created a very close-knit bond between players and coaches.
“I have made lots of friends from lacrosse,” OH junior team member Enzo Marasco said, nothing that lacrosse is a sport that not only is fun to play, but more importantly helps student athletes make friends that goes beyond the sport and into day to day lives.
Practices take place on the freshman or sophomore football fields, and the season begins in the spring.
Hi my name is Alonso Quinones and im a Senior in Oswego High school. This is my first year in 42Fifty staff, and I am proud to serve as an editor. You can contact me me by emailing 42Fifty@sd308.org and putting my name in the subject line. We welcome comments on our articles and feedback on our publication!
