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Nick DePasquale

WRTC 103

Ms. Fielding

January 29, 2018

Becoming Me

Lacrosse is defined as a “competitive sport, modern version of the

North American Indian game of baggataway, in which two teams of players use long-handled,

racket like implements (crosses) to catch, carry, or throw a ball down the field or into the

opponents’ goal.” (Britannica) Lacrosse is played very different now then it was played four

hundred years ago. Now it’s a little less violent and random as you will see soon. I started

playing lacrosse in the 5th grade and it immediately impacted my life. I met lifelong friends and

created some of my favorite memories playing in those first couple years. My High school years

is when I learned the more important lessons that I keep with me today. Through lacrosse and my

coaches, I learned good work ethic, discipline and how to become the man I am today.

Lacrosse was played by the nations of the Iroquois in what is now upper New York and

lower Ontario. The sport was a lot rougher for the players then it is today. It was played with as

many as one thousand players on each side and was an excellent way to train for combat due to

the physical endurance needed and the injuries sustained by each team. (Britannica) Unlike the

Iroquois, I played for other reasons then to prepare for battle, thankfully. It has come a long way

and is now one of the more popular sports played in American and Canada. Specifically, in

North Eastern America where I live in New Jersey. By 1867 interest for the game grew so much

that the Canadian parliament had officially declared lacrosse a national sport. The Canadian

Parliament created the National Amateur Lacrosse Association (NALA). This was later changed
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into the Canadian lacrosse Association (CLA) by 1887. America was not far behind with the first

college to create a lacrosse team being NYU in 1876. Lacrosse was even represented in the 1904

and 1908 Olympics, but has not been recognized as an official Olympic sport since. (Newton)

Lacrosse has a deep history that very few know about; that’s why lacrosse is so popular today so

many years later.

As a player on the field my position in high school was defensemen. As a defenseman,

my job is to help the goalie and my other defenseman guard the goal from the offense on the

other team. What drew me to become a defenseman was the fact that I go to use a long lacrosse

pole and I didn’t have to run as much as the rest of the team. In high school, I was one of the

leaders on the field directing the defense and keeping the team staying positive even when we

were losing. By Senior year I became a captain for the team. My coach felt like I was enough of

a leader to become a captain for our team.

One of the main reasons that I joined lacrosse when I was younger was because of my

father. My father had cancer from when I was in 2nd grade to when I was in 5th grade. He passed

away early into my 5th grade year. So, when lacrosse came around I joined the team because a

couple of my friends were on the team and it looked fun. I’m very thankful that I joined the team

that year because it kept me distracted from the sadness of my father’s passing.

After playing lacrosse for so long I came out with some amazing memories of the good

times and the excellent learning experiences I got out of it. One memory I really like was when

we would go to the tournaments in the summer and every time we would get the worst schedule.

We always had to play back to back games; we would be so tiered because it would be so hot out

and all we’d want to do is just take a break and relax before each game but we couldn’t. That

taught me endurance and that you can keep going for as long as you need to as long as you put
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your mind to it. Another experience that I love is the morning workouts. We would wake up at 5

in the morning to get ready before we would meet at the school an hour later to begin the

workouts. We would then do a cycle of different workouts, until 6:40, at which time we would

take a shower. It was very difficult to get used to the schedule but I did and it definitely

improved me in the long run.

Lacrosse is a great sport because it teaches you work ethic, discipline and how to become

a man. I say lacrosse teaches you to become a man because of the responsibilities that are placed

on your shoulders. For example, I had to wake up and show up to every tournament or every

morning workout by myself. There’s no longer being babied by your parents. You are on your

own. This is an important thing to learn before getting a real job or living on your own. That type

of structure when you’re growing up I believe is very important. It builds character and good

values for when you get older. I hope my son or daughter, when I get to the age of having kids,

enjoy and follow through with sports in high school because the lessons I learned from high

school lacrosse I will never forget.

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Works cited

Newton, David E. "Lacrosse." The Gale Encyclopedia of Fitness, edited by Jacqueline L. Longe,

vol. 1, Gale, 2012, pp. 513-518. Gale Virtual Reference Library,

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX4021200142/GVRL?u=viva_jmu&sid=GVRL&xi

d=784ca838. Accessed 19 Jan. 2018.

"Lacrosse." World of Invention, Gale, 2006. Biography in

Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CV1647500448/BIC1?u=viva_jmu&xid=67

46de10. Accessed 19 Jan. 2018.

"Lacrosse." Britannica Academic, Encyclopædia Britannica, 3 Oct. 2012.