By Carroll College’s lacrosse club has become the talk of the town for those who are interested in the sport.
The Lacrosse Club was created four years ago and since then has been challenged as it strives to become an official sport here at Carroll, rather than a recreational group.
Two years ago the team had a full squad and played three games against other schools, but the club has recently been facing many challenges with gaining a full practice squad.
One main hurdle is that students who are already part of an official sports team here at Carroll are not allowed to participate in lacrosse, due to the risk of injury.
Not only is the club working with limited amounts of people, but complications have arisen with working around the official sports practice times and available practice spaces are also limited on campus.
Members of the club think that if lacrosse was added as an official sport like the dance team was earlier this past year, then lacrosse would get a needed boost: A new group of people would be able to compete on the team, athletes would be able to participate as dual-sport athletes, and time and space would be made available.
“Lacrosse is an emerging sport in the NAIA; there are a limited number of schools that sponsor lacrosse and only four NAIA conferences that sponsor a championship for lacrosse, with the closest being in Kansas,” said Charlie Gross who is the Director of Athletics for Carroll College. “Travel would be unrealistic with the amount of missed class time and costs. There is a conference made up of club teams in Washington, Oregon, and Montana, However, at this time, Carroll only sponsors varsity sports that compete in NAIA conferences.” Gross has been the Director of Athletics for Carroll since March of 2016.
Gross commented that two scenarios would lead to lacrosse being a sponsored sport at Carroll.
- Schools in the Frontier Conference organize together to sponsor lacrosse at the same time, creating an NAIA schedule within this geographic area.
- Carroll changed the practice of sponsoring sports that only play in NAIA schools.
Despite these challenges, the members remain determined and optimistic. Joel Moore, a sophomore from Spokane, Washington, studying biology, is one of the current representatives for the club. Moore learned about the club at the club fair last year and has been involved ever since, becoming an active participant in the team’s efforts to move it forward.
Last year, there were no official games and the team faced problems with player injuries and other interferences. This past fall, however, the team got to play three games and have three more scheduled this spring against Montana State University, Washington State University, and University of Idaho.
However, the club is not just about lacrosse, it is also about the team. Moore emphasized the community aspect of it as well as the camaraderie.
“I have yet to have a bad day on a lacrosse field,” said Moore. “[We are] just a group of guys and gals who are out there for fun. It is just a fun group to hang out with.”
As the team moves forward, they hope to gain recognition as an official sport at Carroll College. This would help provide resources, support, and opportunities to expand the program. But for now, the club remains focused on recruiting new players, overcoming logistical hurdles, and sharing their love for lacrosse throughout the Carroll community.
“The college athletic environment is always evolving and sports offerings are growing across the country,” said Gross. “As lacrosse is more commonly sponsored as a varsity sport at schools in our geographic area, Carroll will stay current with the trends and likely offer lacrosse.”
