Lacrosse: East Coast sport is gaining favor in Utah

Girls high school lacrosse is starting to take hold as well. More than 300 girls play on the 17 high school teams across the Wasatch Front.

The cost of getting a girl involved in the sport is relatively inexpensive. It's more pricey for a boy — since differing rules require that boys have more protective equipment.

The field for girls is 10 yards longer and wider than for boys. The girls' sticks have heads with no pockets — making it more difficult to run with the ball without having it pop out — thus making passing even more important. Part of a girls uniform is a kilt or skirt. For girls, the game is considered a "non-contact" sport. For that reason, no helmet or pads are worn.

So the cost for girls consists of the playing fee ($100), a stick (ranging from $30 to $100), a mouth guard ($1) and protective eyewear ($15 to $50). Cleats, like those worn for soccer or football, are also needed.

"Women's lacrosse is a classy game," said Taylor, who also coaches the Jordan High girls team. "It's played with finesse rather than brute force."

Boys, on the other hand, play a much rougher game. Hockey-style checking is legal. There are even times when players can hit each other with their sticks and not be penalized. For that reason, there are additional costs involved. Helmets are the biggest added expense, as they range from $85 to $160. By the time shoulder pads, elbow pads and padded gloves are figured in, boys can easily spend $200 more than girls to play the sport.

Growing pains

Taylor says the three biggest obstacles in her job are finding fields to play on, getting qualified officials to referee the games and finding enough coaches with a knowledge of the sport — or at least with a willingness to learn.

"Finding fields to play on is, by far, the biggest challenge," said Taylor. "Soccer just dominates in Utah. We put in that we want to reserve fields months in advance, but it's almost always that they put soccer first and then we get whatever is left over."

So many teams practice and play in some not-quite-ideal places and on fields where years of drought and lack of watering have made the formerly covered-with-grass ground nearly as hard as concrete. For the most part, however, the players are just happy to have a place to play.

Since most adults — especially those native to Utah — haven't grown up playing the sport, getting people comfortable enough to officiate and coach can be a challenge.