OPINION EMBRACE CHANGE
Lacrosse has bigger problems than rules BY TJ BUCHANAN | US LACROSSE ATHLETE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
In September, US Lacrosse published a summary of the changes that are happening to the youth lacrosse rules effective in 2017. Some say the changes, which align with the Lacrosse Athlete Development Model, have gone “too far” and are ruining the sport of lacrosse. We have to change. Kids are dropping out of all youth sports at a rate of up to 70 percent by the age of 13. They’re not hopping over to another sport; they’re quitting sports altogether. We know more about the ill effects of concussion and sub-concussive blows to young athletes. We know that kids are specializing not only in a sport, but also in a position way too early, leading to overuse injuries and burnout. We like to blame “early recruiting” for the specialization issues. We like to blame offi cials for not calling games properly, potentially leading to injury. We like to blame opposing coaches for not teaching their kids properly. We like to blame parents for forcing us only to play the best kids so that we can win the 10U championship, because if we don’t win we won’t have a coaching job next season.
The sum of all these More Online
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parts has detracted from the youth lacrosse experience, more than any shift in the rules ever will. Folks, we don’t have a rules problem. We have a culture problem. We have taken the game away from the kids and forced them into being mini-gladiators who serve to entertain us with their physical prowess, as opposed to their smiles and laughter. We want to see them make plays like Taylor Cummings or Myles Jones make on television. In a survey of 10-18 year-olds asking them what they want in their lacrosse experience, their answers were simple: fun, trying something new, making new friends, fair play and lots of action. Kids will enjoy playing lacrosse no matter what the rules are. As the adults in charge, we have a collective responsibility to put their best interests fi rst and promote an environment that is fair, safe, and developmentally appropriate. We can no longer continue to put kids on the fi eld and force them to play a game that was designed by adults for adults. The changes are not about you or me and how we played the game. The changes are about the kids, who they are, where they are developmentally and helping them reach their full potential in lacrosse. Change is never easy. Change often forces us out of our comfort zone and challenges us to think and act differently. Change is inevitable. Let’s embrace it and work together to improve the experience for the kids we are charged with coaching. USL
December 2016 US LACROSSE MAGAZINE 23
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