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Originally, the idea began from idle talk over beer at the Spartan Pub. Even though the SJSU lacrosse club is winless in its season, the inexperienced team is not getting frustrated.
Yet.
The club is suffering from more than just inexperience. As evidence, the club dropped its third straight game to Chico State, 28-1 before just 30 people at South Campus.
The loss dropped the team to 0-3, but more than the poor start, apathy and fan support seem to be the team's main problems.
"Lacrosse is a relatively unknown sport on the West Coast," said Iliad Rodriguez, a senior majoring in art. "On the East Coast it's more popular than football."
The problem seems to be that people on the West Coast aren't interested in lacrosse because they haven't been exposed to it like other sports, such as football or basketball. "You don't see it on T.V. like other sports," said Rob Floyd, an undeclared sophomore. Floyd played goalie during the first half and allowed 18 goals.
In the interest of a better understanding of lacrosse, it is necessary to have a better grasp of the game. Lacrosse began with the Plains Indians many centuries ago, according to Rodriguez. "They use to play to prepare for battle," he said. "They played for their lives."
Lacrosse is a mixture of basketball and hockey but is played outdoors like soccer. according to John Hagele, a senior majoring in English and the club's captain.
Participants use sticks about four feet long with a netted pocket to maneuver a hard rubber ball around the field. Ten players use "lines'' and strategies that resemble basketball plays to get the ball in the opposite team's net. The goal is six-feet tall and six feet wide.
Lacrosse uniforms resemble football uniforms as the players wear mesh shirts, shoulder pads, and helmets. Hagale said not all players wear shoulder or rib protectors, but they all wear gloves and forearm pads.
At the end of the game Saturday, Hagele limped off the field muddied and bloodied. Legs go basically unprotected as players wear shorts, but no thigh or knee pads.
The club is in its second year at SJSU. Hagele and Joel Dibble organized the club in an effort to compete with clubs formed at other schools in California. Many of the members have played lacrosse before. "I've been playing for six years," said Rodrigiez.
I played on a high school and a junior college team before I came here," said Hagele. "Many of the guys got interested through soccer."
Hagele said he began by organizing lacrosse meetings for people interested in lacrosse. "We had about 40 guys show up," he said "But most of them were just curious as to what lacrosse was all about." He said many people dropped out after a few practices.
Clubs at Chico and Santa Clara are larger than SJSU's, said Hagele. "Santa Clara has about 50 players on two teams," he said. "They've got so many players, they have to split them up. We've got about 17 or 18 players."
Most of the players are from the Greek community, Hagele said. "There are four or five Kappa Sigs, four or five TKE's and a guy from a business fraternity." He said that it isn't limited to just Greeks but while the club was young, it was easier to talk to the people in the house.
"We presented a budget of about $5,000 to the A.S. that would have covered everything from uniforms to travel," Hagele said. "We were hoping for just a thousand dollars, but they shot us down."
The team has been funding itself by inventories for department stores and selling t-shirts and sweatshirts with Spartan lacrosse emblems.
"One of the guy's fathers built the goals and donated the materials." said Hagele. "That's what we really needed the money for. We bought our own uniforms." Hagele said equipment and league dues are expensive. "The nets alone cost $300."
The club has seven games left on its scheduled. This Saturday the club will travel to Humboldt State, On Saturday. Feb. 25, the team will host Occidental College at the South Campus field at 1 p.m.
Saying his club is not an exclusive, Hagele urges anyone interested in trying something new to visit the South Campus field on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons from 3 to 5 p.m.
