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What is it about lacrosse that has called so much recent attention in Minnestoa?

According to high school student Jake Privette of Farmington, the physicality of the game is what attracts him and his younger brother. The game on the 31st was the second Swarm game Privette has attended.

“Naturally, Minnesota is going to like lacrosse because it’s just like hockey, and we’re a hockey state,” Privette says. “I like it more than hockey, though, because the scoring is faster, and the pace of the game is faster overall.”

Thirteen-year-old Trevor Dwyer agrees.

“I think its going to get competitive like hockey,” Dwyer says.

Another fan at the big 1000th game was high school soccer referee, Brent Lindstrom, who brought his son Tanner to the game.

When asked what draws Brent into the game, he comments, “Well, there are some similarities to soccer.”

“It’s something to do when there’s no ice,” son Tanner interjects.

Tanner might be right. Origin of box (indoor) lacrosse is said to have been a use for the hockey rink during the warmer seasons.

Tanner and Brent Lindstrom have been fans since lockout year and claim that “once you see the sport, you like it.”
Perhaps the most committed of all Swarm fans is John Hoffman, a local man who has not yet missed a game since the formation of the Swarm.

“It’s a great sport!” Hoffman yells in between chants for the team. “Anyone can play! The game has everything in it!”
Hoffman knows the players and the regimen of the Swarm. “They’re a very friendly team,” Hoffman says; “and they work their butts off.”

According to a Swarm representative, Joel Jordan, all of the players have full time jobs as well as being professional athletes. Most of the Swarm is comprised of Canadian residents who are flown into the game state the night before.

However, the team’s newest player, Ryan Ward, is the Eden Prairie lacrosse head coach, but not surprisingly, Ward was born in Victoria, British Colombia. The only United States native on the team is Travis Hill from Lewiston, New York.

In any case, the players are dedicated to lacrosse and play for the love of the game in spite of being one of 10 professional lacrosse teams in the United States. “The Swarm players are not your typical professional athletes,” Joel Jordon says. “Lacrosse now is what baseball was in the 1940s.”

The Hamline women's team knows first-hand that the road to success is not an easy one. Last year the Hamline womens team struggled to recruit enough players, while this year alone there are 26 girls on the team.

“Having this womens team double in size from last year was the best feeling ever,” co-captain, Lisa Singh says. “It means we are gathering more interest and moving towards becoming a varsity team at Hamline.”

This season, March 27-April 15, has already proved to be the most successful season yet for Hamline. The lacrosse team had only one win the entire last season, however, within the first week of this season alone, the team enjoyed three wins.

“I would say this is definitely our best season yet,” co-captain, Lisa Singh, says. “We are unfortunately losing our top scorer next year because she is graduating this May, but I anticipate that we can continue to win in years to come.”

One may wonder just how the Hamline women's team plans to continue this rapid growth. According to senior Katie George, there is also more awareness of the sport in general. For example, many first-years had heard about the lacrosse team this year, which brought in at least 10 new players. George credits

“I can only assume the popularity is because it’s such a novel sport-when most girls come out for the team for the first time, they have hardly any idea what they’re doing, but so does almost everyone else. It levels out the competition and playing field when most people don’t pick up the sport until high school or college.”

Swarm fan John Hoffman echoed George’s opinion saying that what is unique about lacrosse is that “it is a sport most everyone can play.”

The women's team feels positive about its future as well as the future of lacrosse in general.

“I wouldn’t quite call what we have at Hamline a ‘culture of lacrosse,’ but I can definitely see it heading in that direction-it just hasn’t been at the school long enough to become embedded enough,” George said.

“I anticipate lacrosse (especially our team) to keep growing in years because of the spreading interest, as well as our ability to promote the sport at Hamline,” said Singh.

Like Hamline women's game attendence, Swarm turnouts are also increasing and projected to continue doing so according to Swarm representative, Joel Jordon. Average ticket sales for a game are generally 10,000-11,000.

In addition to action on the field, the Swarm are promoting themselves to the community by making elementary and middle school visits all over the Twin Cities, featuring a few of the players at each visit. The idea is to create more awareness of the sport by explaining to kids what makes a good lacrosse player and to encourage physical education teachers to include soft versions of the sport early on.

In addition, the Swarm has what they call the Form Fund-raising program, which helps high school and college teams raise money by receiving $5-$12 per ticket sold. Schools involved in the program get to play lacrosse on the Swarm field before, during, or after a game.

The University of Minnesota’s women's lacrosse team is another participant in the Swarm fund-raising program. The U’s women's team is also considered a “club” but aspires to be considered a varsity team soon just as Hamline’s team does.

Senior U of M player, Emily Gray, describes her choice to play lacrosse as something to do in the spring. She finds lacrosse to be an alternative to track.

“[Lacrosse] involves running, but with purpose, so it’s got elements of track; it also has elements of hockey and soccer, but it’s different,” she said.

Gray has been on the U’s team since its inception in 2002 and described a similar path as that of Hamlines team. The number of players has doubled recently and they expect the sport to continue to grow at all levels.

One can’t discount the role that the media plays in getting the word out about lacrosse. The Swarm, for example, advertises on 93x, Jack 104, and KQRS.

According to Swarm fan Brent Lindstrom, all lacrosse needs is more time and exposure for the interest to continue.
Brent and others are all saying the same thing: lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in the United States, and Minnesota fosters a supportive environment for that growth. From similarities to hockey, soccer and football, and our geographic location beneath Canada, it seems only logical that such a sport could thrive in the North Star State.