Fear the Lacrosse Ball, not the Game Itself

If you’ve never been to a lacrosse game before, you might think that going to a game would be intimidating. This could not be more wrong! The only thing intimidating about watching the game is how fast the ball is thrown. I would not want to be hit with one of those things no matter how many pads I have on.

There isn’t much to know about attending the games–Purdue’s home games don’t even cost anything!  It is very easy to learn what is going on in lacrosse by simply watching the game. I’ve never played lacrosse, but I still enjoy watching the games.

I asked Purdue University junior Michelle Becker about attending games and she shared this:

Now that the weather is (finally!) nicer, enjoy an afternoon outside and catch the Purdue Men’s Lacrosse team. The Boilermakers are at home this Saturday to take on the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. This Big Ten game starts at 2pm at Lafayette Jefferson High School.

Purdue Lacrosse Player Offers an Inside Look

Lacrosse season is well underway. The Purdue Men’s Lacrosse team is currently 2-4 for the season. The team plays at Illinois State University this upcoming Friday and takes on the University of Iowa at home on Saturday. The team plays all of their home games at Lafayette Jefferson High School in Lafayette.

I sat down with junior Jackson Tibbett (#3) and he gave me an inside look into why he plays lacrosse and his hopes for the future of the sport.

Also, Tibbett demonstrated how he gets ready for a game by putting on his pads and cleats. As a runner, I just have to tie my shoes and then I’m good to go. I thought it was interesting how there’s a step-by-step order of which item to put on first. For example, pulling on your helmet would be very difficult after you have already pit your gloves on.

Baseline Concussion Testing: What’s the Big Deal?

Concussions are something to worry about–especially when it comes to kids. Kids may not know what it means to have a concussion and how serious they need to be taken.

One of the most important steps in concussion safety is to know how to baseline test. This way, the results are more obvious when something could actually be wrong.

Baseline testing is ideally complete in the preseason, but anytime is still helpful. Concussions and injuries should not be taken lightly! Of course, baseline tests are only a guideline. If an athlete doesn’t seem to be 100%, then precautions should be taken. This is especially true when it comes to the physicality of lacrosse.

Read more about concussion safety here.

What does a lax bro think about before a big game?

Every athlete has a pre-game ritual. Some athletes listen to a certain type of music, some eat the same food every time, and some have discussions with themselves in front of the mirror. If you’ve ever wondered what a lacrosse player thinks about when he gets ready for a big game, here’s an inside look: https://instagram.com/p/08Do-QRUIR/

Puppies and Lacrosse Players

Confession: I constantly find myself looking at pictures of puppies. I won’t even be getting a dog at anytime in the near future, but I still find myself saying, “awww!” and showing everyone around me.

One of the only things to make puppies even cuter? Athletes.

The Denver Outlaws Lacrosse Team did a photo shoot with 8 Golden Retriever puppies and it was pretty much the cutest thing ever.

You can see more pictures on this Buzzfeed article.

Mom always said to bundle up in the cold

Growing up playing sports, I have always been very grateful for my parents supporting me by attending my games. But I was never fully appreciative until I attended sporting events in college. Sitting in the stands is cold. After the first really cold game, I called my mom to tell her thank you for putting up with the weather for the past several years.

What’s the best way to prepare for sitting out at a sporting event? Bundle up.

I know that sounds simple, but it is much better to be overdressed for the cold and need to take some of it off. No one likes when their fingers are so cold that it hurts to text.

Here are 5 things to bring to a cold sporting event:

• A cozy blanket. Bonus points can be earned if it’s the team colors!
• Warm socks and shoes. Breathable footwear is great, except for when there is a constant frigid draft.
• Gloves. Even if you don’t think you’ll need them, stick a pair of gloves in your pockets. You can thank me later. Also, hand warmers are one of the best inventions in the entire world.
• A hat or winter headband. Keep those ears warm!
• A seat pad. Save yourself by bringing something to sit on instead of directly on the super cold metal bleachers.

What else do you bring to a cold game?

Lacrosse on Etsy

Etsy.com might be one of the greatest ways to waste away time. You can find the cutest items to buy (and some just to marvel at). Below are a few lacrosse themed items I found on Etsy. There are thousands more just like these! If you like any of these items, you  can click on the picture to take you to the Etsy shop.

What are some of your favorite lacrosse themed accessories?

News that will make you say, “huh?!”

Unfortunately, we read about people committing acts of violence all too often, but this one will make you say, “huh?!”

A Syracuse lacrosse player was arrested last week (and naturally kicked off the team) after assaulting a man and woman.

I know what you’re thinking: “that’s not very interesting.”

Now check out the mugshot:

This is apparently what happens when you try to assault a woman, but another man stops you. Also, it should be noted that the man with the now deformed face is the nephew of actor John C. McGinley, best known for playing Dr. Perry Cox on “Scrubs.”

It took me about 2 seconds to decide that I must share this news.

Here’s the link to the full article. It’s worth a read.

Spring Break is Here

It’s the time of year when Purdue students leave the cold Indiana weather and head somewhere warm for a week.

Purdue University’s spring break is next week, so there won’t be any new posts until the week of March 23.

I’ll be spending the week with my friends in Walt Disney World! Make sure to keep up with Purdue Lacrosse on Twitter because the team plays tonight and tomorrow.

What Do You Know About Lacrosse?

Sometimes I get caught up in what I know about lacrosse and forget about what others know. I spend a lot of time around lacrosse players, so I am comfortable talking about it (and writing about it…)

Recently, I asked a classmate about lacrosse in order to reevaluate the information I should be including. My classmate Nick Tippit was kind enough to discuss it with me.

To get a feel of how my Nick knows, I asked him if he has ever played lacrosse. He replied that he, “went to a private school and it was a regular game played in P.E. class.” He also said that he didn’t play for the school team because he played baseball instead.

I replied that in my P.E. class, we typically played kickball, so I couldn’t exactly relate. Ha!

Because Nick isn’t clueless when it comes to lacrosse, he said that he “knows the basic rules, but not the full rules of the game–especially about hitting.”  He added that he, “knows enough of the sport to watch and understand the game, but not enough to excel personally.”

We both did agree that we can see how lacrosse connects to other sports. This makes it easier to learn the rules.

After speaking with Nick, I now have some ideas of what to share next. Look forward to more descriptions of the rules of the game.