It is called “the fastest sport on two legs.”
Lacrosse is not only growing rapidly on the field, it is also growing rapidly.
According to National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), high school lacrosse participation increased 528 percent from 1990 to 2008, with steady growth through 2020. After a brief setback during the pandemic, the sport is gaining popularity again, and in Wisconsin it has finally made it to the WIAA.
But local leaders say the northeastern part of the state still has some work to do.
“If you compare what we have here to what’s in the Milwaukee area or the Madison area, you’ll see there’s a level of competition down there that we haven’t been able to consistently match up here,” Jeremy Wadzinski, coach at Green Bay youth lacrosse, he said.
Wadziński’s sons, Tristan and Aidan, are first-generation players.
“(Lacrosse) didn’t exist when I grew up here,” said Wadzinski, who played soccer growing up and ran track in college.
“It was the first time I saw that Bay Port had a program,” he added. “Appleton has had the program a little longer, but it has certainly been on the fringes.”
Lacrosse POV: See the sport through the eyes of a Green Bay Youth Lacrosse player
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Clubs like Green Bay Youth Lacrosse, which has 97 members divided into five boys and girls teams, hope to facilitate grow the sport.
It’s the same with Mikey Zadroga, head coach of Lawrence University’s up-to-date men’s lacrosse program, which will launch next spring.
“I want to help the entire state of Wisconsin recover,” Zadroga said. “But I really feel like you have to help your neighborhood. And that’s what I really want to do. I want Green Bay, Oneida, Pulaski, Appleton, Kimberly, Neenah, Wausau, Stevens Point… I want all those areas where you just have to dominate.”
Zadroga comes from the Philadelphia area. There, as in many cities in the Northeast, lacrosse is king.
“It’s probably like going to a football game here,” he said. “You turn around behind you and you see the other field they have and there are 40 kids on it with lacrosse sticks while the second game is going on. It’s a crazy lacrosse environment there.”
Zadroga said the biggest challenge in this area is simply attracting teenage players to the club and introducing them to the sport.
“I really think that once a kid tries this, they’re going to love it,” Zadroga said. “All they have to do is try.”
Give it a try and you might just fall in love with this game.
A great example is Jace Cauldwell, an eighth-grader at De Pere High School.
“I didn’t really know anything about it,” Cauldwell said. “I knew the stick. But I didn’t know any pads, no rules. Honestly, I didn’t even know what a goal looked like.”
At his mother’s encouragement, Cauldwell signed up for Green Bay Youth Lacrosse in 2020. Now, four years later, it is his main sport.
“It wasn’t my first year,” he said. “But my sophomore year, I really nailed it.”
While Cauldwell has identified lacrosse as his primary sport, leaders say the game can also be valuable as an additional sport.
Lacrosse combines elements of several other sports such as hockey, soccer, soccer, and even basketball.
“It’s like hockey because you can get behind the goal and get open,” Cauldwell said. “And basketball, because he has some of the same cuts.”
“I see it as a goal sport,” Wadziński said. “It’s great to see kids do something that involves some transfer, but they’re also doing something different, so it’s not the same patterns and you don’t get the injuries that can come from playing just one sport.”
“I think it’s great for kids to try different things,” he added.
HIGHLIGHTS: Bay Port and Pulaski face lacrosse on May 7
Prior to this season, lacrosse was available as a club sport at some high schools.
Those involved in the sport say the recent move to the WIAA, which makes the sport available at the collegiate level, will lead to more opportunities and increased participation.
“I think it gives it some legitimacy,” Wadzinski said, noting that high school athletes can now earn a college lacrosse letter. “The facilities have been opened for us. They were able to use this beautiful indoor facility in West De Pere all winter long. Now they can play matches on pitches.”
This means that the oldest sport on our continent may soon gain much greater popularity.
“I definitely see it becoming more and more popular,” Cauldwell said. “Because in the past, not many people considered it a sport. But now I see it becoming much more popular in the future.”
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At the high school level, 40 boys teams and coaches 36 girls teams play in the WIAA’s first season. The inaugural WIAA state lacrosse championships will be held June 8 in Sun Prairie.
