Grafton Lacrosse Off and Running

Grafton lacrosse moves at a fast pace. So has its popularity.

A.J. Fedor is both the president of Grafton lacrosse and a coach and is very pleased with the turnout for registration this year.

“This is our 11th  year for Grafton Lacrosse,'' he said. "We started out with just one co-ed team because there weren’t enough girls to field a team. This year we will field 16 teams, 10 boys' and 6 girls.' ”

This is a significant increase. “Just two years ago we had 174 kids enrolled, '' he said. "Today we have 305.” 

The Grafton Lacrosse program has been in training and practicing at an indoor facility in Shrewsbury, Hit Quarters at 3 Tennis Dr. They are about to move outdoors and start their league games soon.

Lacrosse has become one of the fastest-growing sports in the country. It is a combination of soccer and ice hockey played on grass.

A fast-moving sport, lacrosse requires athletes to be  in top shape. Players make long runs at top speed down the field, with quick and sudden starts and stops as in soccer and hockey.

The sport is played with a stick or a crosse. An expert player can scoop the ball off the ground, catch it or throw it to another player with precision passes and shoot it toward the goal.

Lacrosse players need great coordination and agility. Speed is one of the most prized possessions, as is quickness. One common refrain heard throughout the practice was: “You play defense with your feet, not your crosse."

The teams are broken down by age brackets, with first and second graders, third and fourth graders, fifth and sixth grader and, the oldest group, seventh and eighth graders.

The problem they have for this season at least is where they will play. In the past they were using the high school football field, but until the new school project is complete, they are without their permanent home.

The Grafton boys program will share the soccer fields at on Saturdays for practices and games and once the high school project is finished will have a permanent home.

The girls program will play their games at the Airport Road Field. There is also a new field being done for both soccer and lacrosse at the Riverview Apartment complex.

While the game is considered a rough sport in the boys or men’s division, it’s a vastly different game for the girls who use a stick with a shallower scoop and wear only goggles and a mouthpiece, while the boys wear shoulder pads, helmet with a cage, elbow pads, gloves similar to hockey gloves, a mouthpiece and protective cup.

One thing to remember is however, that the rate of injury for lacrosse is less than football, wrestling, soccer and hockey in game situations, according to data from the NCAA Injury Surveillance System. In women’s sports, basketball, field hockey, gymnastics, ice hockey and soccer all have higher injury rates in game situations.

Massachusetts is a trend setter in having an extensive coaches program through the Massachusetts Bay Lacrosse League auspices. Coaching certification is paramount to the league and organization and Grafton is no exception.

“The youth lacrosse league is the fastest growing one in the U.S.,'' said Fedor. "We're really excited at our future.”

Questions about the Grafton Lacrosse program can be answered at http://www.graftonlacrosse.com.