Chumash

Chumash in undoubtedly the newest form of lacrosse in the US. It was invented at Colorado State University, not exactly a "traditional" lacrosse hotbed. I first learned of Chumash when I was in the process of starting this blog from Kevin Boyle of the Wichita Lacrosse men's team. Wichita has not been active in lacrosse for too long and their demographics are fairly similar to ours. Boyle's advice prompted me to do a little research.

Chumash was created by Rock-it Pocket founder Flip Naumburg in the early 1990's. Essentially, it's 3 on 3 lacrosse played on a special goal with no goaltender. The purpose of each team is to score on its respective side of the goal. Long sticks are illegal unless agreed upon by both sides. There is one goal in the center of the field. Chumash is designed to be as self-regulating as possible to enhance the joy of playing, and to make it easy to play a real game of lacrosse anytime, anywhere. You don't have to have a referee, but you do need to exhibit sportsmanship and fair play. If a call is in question, use a system of alternating possessions. The game was created to be fun and to teach skills.
Initial possession of the ball to start the game shall be determined by a coin flip or a face-off. If a face-off is used, whatever team wins the draw must take the ball back to its take back line. Whether you roll the ball out or face-off, the team that gains first possession must take the ball back to their own restraining line. If a team fails to do this it is a technical foul and the ball is awarded to the other team. Determine each team's "take back" line before starting play. When there is a clear change of possession the team with the ball must pass or carry it back to the restraining line in front of their goal, much like 3 on 3 basketball. If a team fails to do this it is a technical foul and the ball is awarded to the other team. There is no off-side rule in Chumash Lacrosse.

The Chumash field is 50 yds. long and 30 yds. Wide. The 6' high, 12" wide goal is centered in the crease, and the net shall be centered or sandwiched in the frame to accommodate shots from both sides. 20 yds. from the goal line and 5 yds. from the boundary on each end there shall be a dotted restraining or "take back" line.

Small crease: There are two creases in the game of Chumash. The first is a regular lacrosse goal crease with a nine-foot radius. The goal is centered inside this circle. There is no goalie and it is illegal to "guard" the goal in Chumash. No one can go in the smaller crease unless the ball is down in there. Then, the player may only pick up the ball and leave immediately. Failure to do so will result in a technical foul and loss of possession.

Large crease: The second crease uses the same arc. The top of the arc is 10-12 yards from the goal line. Players may move through this larger crease with or without the ball. They may not stop nor may they shoot from inside the larger or smaller crease. Players can "dive", but they may not land in the smaller crease ever. If they do it is no goal and possession is awarded to the other team.

The fatter the goal poles, the better. The net shall be centered or sandwiched in the frame of the goal to accommodate shots from both sides. Each team has a side of the goal to shoot at. There shall be a restraining or "take back" line 20 yds. from the goal line and 5 yds. inside each end line There is no "safe" zone behind the "take back" line. A player can be legally pushed out of bounds anywhere on the field.

Chumash has a very promising future in Des Moines. I envision it as the first game to be played regularly in the metro as we get the sport going. The field requirements are similar to box, but there is no need for a goalie and officiating is much less of an issue. Sure it will not help us develop a net man, but at least it offers a strong chance to focus on stick and footwork. Offensive and defensive skills can be honed and we can get some serious exercise in.
Boyle's own words seem to best explain why Chumash is the best fit for the immediate future:

I wanted to say off-line that what makes our Men's league manageable is that we've switched from Box Lacrosse to Chumash. Chumash makes it possible to have multiple teams even if you don't really have the numbers for a box lacrosse league (or even a whole team). Not needing goalies makes things easier as well.If you're trying to get some games going, but you only have a couple of guys, then I would suggest playing Chumash instead of traditional lacrosse.

Boyle even extended an invitation as soon as we are up and running:

I know that Des Moines is a long way from Wichita, but we've invited a bunch of other clubs to come out and play Chumash with us this Winter. And if y'all wanted to try meet halfway (KC?) sometime this Spring, we'd probably be up for that too.

Hopefully we can take him up on that sometime...

Supplemental information obtained from: Rock-itPocket

Women's Lacrosse

I will be completely honest here; I know jack about the women's version of lacrosse. I have tried watching it a couple of times, but it is so different from Men's Field and Box Lacrosse that I really do not understand it. I will include some info about women's lacrosse, but will not elaborate much on it.

The first women’s lacrosse game was played in 1890 at the St Leonards School in Scotland, the first women's lacrosse team in the United States was established at Bryn Mawr School in Baltimore, Maryland. Men’s and women’s lacrosse were played under virtually the same rules, with no protective equipment, until the mid-1930s. At that time, men’s lacrosse began evolving dramatically.

Women's lacrosse rules are specifically designed to allow less physical contact between players. As a result of the lack of contact, the only protective equipment required is eyewear and a mouthguard. Although these are the only protective equipment, there are still many injuries due to accidental checks to the head and the overall aggressiveness of the sport. The pockets of women's sticks are shallower than those of the men, making the ball harder to catch and more difficult to shoot at high speed. Women play with three attackers (or "homes"), five midfielders (or "middies"), three defenders (starting from the back, called "point", "cover point", and "third man"), and one goalie. Seven players play attack at one time and seven defenders are present. There is a restraining line that keeps the other four players (plus the goalie) from going into the attack. If those players cross the line, they are considered offsides and a penalty is given. In women's lacrosse, players may only check if the check is directed away from the ball carrier's head. Also, players may only check using the side of their stick. If caught by one of the referees using the flat of the head, it will be called as a "held check" and the opposing team will get the ball.

There are two different surroundings around the goal on both sides of the field. The eight meter arc and the 12 meter fan. When committing a major foul inside either of these areas, all players that were previously inside the surrounding must take the most direct route out. The player who was fouled now moves to the nearest hash mark that is located around the edges of the arc or fan and either takes position to shoot or to pass (although, most often to shoot). When the whistle is blown, the player with the ball may move up and try for a goal.

The most important rule in women's lacrosse is shooting space, this is a violation of the rules. It occurs when a defender moves in at a bad angle on the offender while shooting in the 8 meter arc. This is a dangerous play made by the defender.

Women's games are played in two 30-minute halves. These 30 minutes are running time, except for the last two minutes, during which time stops when the whistle is blown (This can differ when playing high school or middle school games). While the whistle is blown, players are not allowed to move. In women's lacrosse, players are not allowed to touch the ball with their body or cover the ball with their stick in order to scoop it into their stick or protect the ball from picked up by an opponent.

At the current time,
I am not seeing a bright future for women's lacrosse in Des Moines. That is not to say that I am against the women's game or women playing lacrosse. I simply do not know much about it and have not seen ANY equipment available in the metro area. Also, local sports leagues indicate that the market for women's sports is significantly smaller than that for men's sports. Still, if the time comes that a group of women want to get their game going, I will be more than happy to help in any way I can.

Supplemental information obtained from: Wikipedia

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