History+of+Lacrosse

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Field Lacrosse has almost always been an exclusively male sport. It started in the Eastern half of North America. The oldest lacrosse sticks found can be traced back to the first quarter of the nineteenth century. The oldest data on Indian lacrosse can be traced back as far as the first stick. Lacrosse was founded in Oklahoma and other places west of the Mississippi River. There are three original types of lacrosse- The Great Lakes, Iroquoian, and Southeastern. The Southeastern style of lacrosse played with two sticks per person- one in each hand. The stick was two-and-a-half feet long and the ball was made out of deerskin. The Great Lakes style of lacrosse played with one three foot long stick. The ball was made out of wood that has been charred then scraped into a ball shape. The Iroquoian stick was usually over three feet long. The shaft of the lacrosse stick ended in a sort of crook and a large, flat triangular surface of webbing extending as much as two-thirds the length of the stick. Where the outermost string meets the shaft, it forms the pocket of the stick. Lacrosse got its name from French using the generic word for any game played  with a curved stick (crosse). English-speaking Montrealers tried to civilize lacrosse by changing the rules. After lacrosse became very popular in Canada, it started to be exported throughout the Commonwealth, as non-native teams went to Europe exhibition matches against Iroquoian players. Because Indians had to pay to travel to those matches, they weren't considered professional for over a century until the formation of the Iroquois Nationals in the 1980's, which made them eligible to compete in the World Games. Lacrosse has always been used for curative purposes and surrounded with ceremony. Team selection and victory were considered supernaturally controlled. Equipment and players were usually prepared by conjures. Lacrosse was used to let out aggression. Also, it was used to settle territorial debates against other tribes. Those games were usually not very friendly. In the early 20th century, lacrosse had its first and only time in the Olympics. The International Lacrosse Federation started the World Championship in 1967, played every four years.The last World Lacrosse Championship (WLC) was in 2010 in Manchester, England with the USA against Canada. USA won by two points and the final score was 12 to 10. The next WLC will be held in Denver, Colorado in 2014.

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