Lacrosse farewell .... on to football

Lacrosse summer league is so relaxed. Twice a week all summer, young men show up to play summer lacrosse.And parents come to watch . . . OK, and to talk. These warm summer evenings of summer league feel something like the early days of t-ball, when our young men were, for the first time, experiencing 'the field' and all it has to offer. It doesn't really matter who wins, so no one actually keeps score. There is often vicious scrambling over a ball or a goal or ground not yielded. Summer ball for parents is more about finding a shady spot to talk and watch. For me, I just like to be on the premises when there are young men, extreme heat, and lots of beating on each other with sticks. Just sayin'.

For the boys - it's serious, intense competition with mortal enemies. It's also laughing and talking, and joking around on the sidelines. Boys, balls, sticks, water bottles in a shady spot on a warm summer evening. What's not to like about that?

When next we line up for lacrosse, there will be nothing relaxed and little joking. This is a serious and fierce state championship team. So, before lacrosse summer league fades... consider what we saw at the field, and who we saw at the field. Summer lax starts and ends like this: a bunch of guys slinging lacrosse gear all over the track. Fans wandering around in the sparsely populated stands. Looking for shade. In the summer, younger sibs can run up and down the stairs, climb on the seats, crawl in and out the rails. The stands won't be sparsely populated in a month, so the youngest do all that clambering in another place.Get into the right shoes. And make some jokes about something.
J-Rut is working the elbow pads. We'll see lots of these boys in heavier and hotter football pads, in about a month. The heat will still be oppressive and muggy.
Everyone who shows up to play summer lacrosse begins by lining up midfield. Guys come from different schools. One day you may play against a guy you play with the rest of the year. Another day ... same team with a brother who is your enemy the rest of the year. Every time the teams are different. There is NO LOYALTY in summer league.When you get to wear a red COACH shirt, like Coach Ron here, you get to tell people what to do and where to play and who is on what team. Also, whether you wear the blue side or the white side of the jersey. Occcasionally he yells all that. "Yell" is the operative word. The playing starts. Just so you know, it's really, really hot.

Lucky for everyone, there is an easy way to get a drink of water, and also to spray other people . Those things are called A-frames, they are attached to a regular hose, and have many nozzles on each one, so several boys can get a drink at the same time. Also, spray themselves on the head to cool down. Also spray some unsuspecting guy and start a water fight. OR, just get a drink of water. Boys and water hoses, boys with balls and sticks, boys driving around on Gators. Boys and their toys. And...... boys and their phones.

Well, moms and phones, too.A little time for conversation. Always.And for watching the action.Mr. T. is always there. His son, Big Russ, can be full of suprises.What is Big Russ doing HERE, playing goalie?Doing this? He doesn't play with that kind of stick, usually.Big Russ is supposed to be down here, doing this.

The relaxed pace of summer league lacrosse is over. Football . . . the early morning summer work-out phase . . . yields to the football all-day phase. And then school starts, so football + school = Total Physical Exhaustion. When next we see these stands and this field, sorry - turf, it will be intense and loud, and fiercely competitive. It will still be seriously hot. So more squirting water at each other and riding around the Gator.

Different line up.

Different uniforms.

Same friends.

What we know about MEN'S lacrosse

This is what I know about men's lacrosse. It is a 'spring sport', which means it starts in the dead of winter. When they play, it is most often very cold, or very hot. There are sticks and a small, very hard ball. They wear shorts and some meager pads, and throw the ball from stick to stick. They whack at each other with the sticks. Obviously, we aren't talking about women's lacrosse today. Another day.

As a mom, what I know is that before the games or the practices, Young Son had best get plenty of fluids, days ahead, and eat a protein rich diet. Otherwise, between the running, and the sweating, and the breeze, and the sweating...he will fall out, get dizzy, get light headed, something short of passing out. Also, I know that the uniforms have to be clean, and we need the mouth guards.

They stand around and talk to each other, while holding the big sticks, and wearing the fierce looking uniforms. Not 'fierce' like Project Runway; 'fierce' like big and mean looking. When the game is over, they are very sweaty, but smiling. Happy boys have just played lacrosse and had fun. This must have been a HOT day, look at those shirts. But they are smiling because they prepared for the game by eating a high protein diet all day, drinking plenty of fluids all day long, generally preparing their young and agile physiques for the task at hand. They prepared well and did not faint. They played a good many games, ended up looking this happy many times, and the varsity team won the state championship. Then they had a party.Here's Young Son watching the varsity celebrate the victory with his friend, Big Russ. Watching is the operative word. Non-varsity did not participate visibly in the celebratory events at the party. I don't think they even ate protein. Not so smiley, this night, were they? They watched. AND, I thought it was over.

WRONG answer, Mom! It's never over. Now we're in SUMMER LEAGUE LAX. Not the airport, Silly, lax is the abrev. for lacrosse. And I'll use it, because it's so much shorter and easier.Of course, the standing in the field, holding the big sticks. And some running around with the sticks... and of course the whacking.
And the talking...and intense game-watching. In summer league there are neither set teams, nor uniforms. It's somewhow more summerish.But what's this? Young Son is sitting down? On the table? Red face?Big Russ is taking a break too. Not to worry. Everyone is hot tonight. Also the talking. Big Russ is on his feet. Evidently some compelling summer lax action....that did NOT cause Young Son to rise to the occasion.

Something compelling enough for Big Russ to go looking for his helmet. Heat or not, it's time to get back to the running and the hitting and the whacking. Young Son is interested, but not moving.Pretty Pretty Princess and her friend Stargazer....did not notice a thing.

This was Young Son, for the rest of the game. WHY is that, Young Son? What might you have eaten today? Didn't you get plenty of fluids on board ahead of time? In preparation for this hour of lax on a hot summer night, Young Son had - all day - a bowl of cheerios, a blueberry muffin, and about 9 brownies. PPP is on a baking binge. Oh, and he had some water. So, for Young Son, sitting on the table and chatting casually with his friends is WAY BETTER than falling face down in the dirt - sorry, the turf - so, that's what he did - he sat and talked. After he played a fierce first half...or so. The manly kind of fierce.
They sweat a lot and talk alot in this other sport too. Is it just me, or did they grow a lot between September and June? Just asking.