One of the favorite and most loved games in our town is the sport of lacrosse and it happens to be one of the fastest growing team sports in the United States.

The sport of lacrosse is a combination of basketball, soccer and hockey and is considered to be America’s first sport. It was born of the American Indians where lacrosse was often played to resolve conflicts, heal the sick, develop strong, virile men and celebrate religious rituals. In the earliest days, field of play would stretch for miles and miles of open plain with thousands of Indians on each team. The game often lasted for several days. The Indians characterized their relationship with lacrosse with deep spiritual involvement and the goal of bringing glory to themselves and their tribes. To Native Americans, the game is still referred to as “The Creator’s Game”.

French pioneers eventually adopted lacrosse, when Jean de Brebeuf, a Jesuit missionary, brought the game to Canada. In 1867 the game was standardized with set field dimensions, number of players and other basic rules.

The game of lacrosse is teeming with excitement and fast action. It requires coordination and agility, while quickness and speed are also advantageous. Lacrosse play often requires long sprints up and down the field with abrupt stops and starts and precision passing. It involves running, dodging, spinning and cutting and faking. It offers thrills from full throttle running to a break away goals. And unlike other team sports where size, height and athletic brawn matter, one can excel at lacrosse because of intelligence, speed, cunning and stick skills.

In lacrosse throwing the ball accurately is the what matters but the trick is that you have to use a stick, referred to as the “crosse”. Players learn to throw, catch and scoop the ball. A game clock dictates the length of the game and scoring goals is the sole determiner of who wins and who loses.

However, what makes lacrosse a special sport in Darien is what else our children are learning by playing the game. There are life lessons regarding ethics, communication, teamwork and sportsmanship that we can all benefit from. Moreover, these lessons are extremely valuable in shaping our children into the next generation of young men and women.

Here are just a few of the key points that are being shared with our kids.

Honor is important and valuable. It seems to be an inherent philosophy that lacrosse is a ton of fun but along with the good time goes a recommendation for integrity. Our kids are learning that steadfastly adhering to moral principles and high standards is what is expected and ultimately rewarded in both lacrosse and life. It is about displaying good sportsmanship on and off the field.

Winning and personal glory is good…but being a team player is what really makes you a winner. This emphasis on the team ultimately gives each kid a moment to stand down and a moment to shine. With every one on equal footing, there seems to be an overall satisfaction and happiness with the game for every single player. The lacrosse motto is, “Be modest in victory and gracious in defeat”.



Always give someone a second chance. Our kids are recognizing that offering someone an opportunity to try again is a much better option than giving them a hard time. They find out early that making mistakes is what learning is all about.

Show consideration of other people’s time by valuing your commitments. Coordinating teams and practices takes a lot of energy for the coach as well as the player. When each person is mindful of each other’s time, everyone feels good about the amount of hard work and discipline that goes into a sports’ schedule. Learning the value of commitment to other people and their time is beneficial in all situations.


Respect and admire your teammate. Finally kindness and being helpful toward a new or not so proficient player is widely promoted. When someone is feeling down, it is up to everyone on the field, to welcome, include, encourage and support that player. More importantly, our children are learning to show that same respect to coaches, referees and even their opponents.

Although this article highlights the story of lacrosse, all sports teach our kids valuable life lessons. We as parents, a community and a town can feel enriched and blessed by the dedication, time and attention that all of the volunteer coaches in each and every sports program are giving to our children.