By Lee Weyhrich
For many, spring means baseball season, but for many Trussville youths spring means lacrosse. Baseball has been called America’s game, but it is based on the British game,cricket. Lacrosse, however, was being played in America since before the first European settlers arrived.
Lacrosse is a full contact sport that can best be described as a mixture of football and hockey. It utilizes a stick topped with a mesh pocket that is used to catch and pass the ball as well as throw the ball into the opponent’s goal.
According to Coach George McBride, lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in America. It is certainly a growing sport in Trussville. This season marks the second year that lacrosse has been offered in Trussville. Registration began on Oct. 1 and will end Dec. 1.
“Registration is open to boys and girls from grades three through 12,” McBride said. “Games are intramural, which means we are not affiliated with any schools, but we do have the support of all the schools.”
The season actually begins sometime in late February or early March but the dates have not been made official yet. Trussville has a 10 game season. Right now McBride is looking to teach new coaches about the game. For many of the adults the game of lacrosse is unfamiliar territory but according to McBride the kids do not face that difficulty.
“Kids love it,” McBride said. “You put a stick in their hands and they take to it like a fish to water
. If the kids come out we’ll coach them up and get them out on the field.”
The Greater Birmingham Youth Lacrosse Association handles all registration through its site gbyla.org. McBride and his son got involved in the sport through GBYLA and helped to bring it to Trussville.
“My son has been playing for five years both travelling and home,” McBride said. “We started playing in Vestavia even though we lived here. We thought it would be a good fit for Trussville.”
To register for Trussville Lacrosse or to find answers to frequently asked questions, McBride suggests visiting gbyla.org or the Trussville Lacrosse Facebook page