By Jade Schwarting
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Alex Eaton, Carmel Club Lacrosse varsity team captain and junior, joined his first youth league in 5th grade after watching his older brother play the sport at this school. Eaton said he has seen the program grow tremendously since he began playing.

Eaton testified to this when he said, “Carmel Dad’s Club has almost 500 players in its league now which is more than there’s ever been. The sport has grown so much in Indiana because of the success of the local programs and the increase in attention it has gotten in the past couple years. People see a game or hear about it and want to try it out. Soon their friends want to play too and it just ends up being a chain reaction because it’s so fun.”

According to Jim Eaton, the Carmel Club Lacrosse President of the Parent Steering Committee, lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in the country at both the high school and college levels. “(Lacrosse) started on the east coast and since then, it has gradually made its way west. Now Indiana and the rest of the Midwest states are finally catching onto the sport,” Mr. Eaton said.

Indiana currently has 32 high schools with lacrosse teams and that number is continuously growing. However, since the sport is not school-sanctioned, the expansion of lacrosse programs throughout the state has brought challenges. Since lacrosse is a club sport, the team does not have free access to school facilities. Players spend more money on the sport than students who play school supported sports. The team pays to use the football field for games and also practices off-site.

According to Mr. Eaton, the school typically pays for game expenses out of its pocket, but instead, the lacrosse teams must pay dues to the Indiana Lacrosse Association (ILA) and the referees. The team collects fees at the beginning of the season and these dues allow the team to play in both local and out-of-state games.

Carmel Club Lacrosse Head Coach Brandon Burke said these fees do not include the players’ own equipment and the time commitment involved. He said, “The season dues are over $400, which is not including out-of-state travel costs since we are self-funded. (The players) commit to preseason training, a tryout process to be selected onto a team and practices five days a week when there are not games.”

In order for lacrosse to be less expensive, the sport would have to become school-sanctioned.” Eaton said he wants to see this happen within the next couple years, but the change would introduce a new challenge.

“There would be less expenses for the parents and we would have unlimited use of school facilities,” Eaton said. “However, becoming school-sanctioned could limit the number of out of state games we can play. Since Indiana doesn’t have as many competitive teams as the east coast, we might not be able to play that better competition (if our travel is limited).”

For students who know little about lacrosse, Eaton said he encourages them to attend a match. He said, “The sport is fast-paced and a mix of lots of different sports. It’s a skill and finesse game but there are lots of hard hits too. It’s really exciting to watch. Admission is free too, so I really see no reason why people wouldn’t want to come out for at least one game.”

Even though the school does not currently fund lacrosse, Eaton said he is excited to see the outcomes of future decisions regarding lacrosse.

Eaton said, “Although the sport is not (popular) enough yet to be school-sanctioned, it’s so much fun. I love that you can spend hours doing it and it never gets boring. It also has its own culture and lifestyle that can stay with you even after you’re done playing.”