One of the strangest things about the game is its lack of boundaries (literally, there is no out-of-bounds).  This is because when the Native Americans played, it was tribe against tribe, and they played over a field tens of miles long.  Luckily for me, modern lacrosse is played on a football field.  When the ball goes off the field, one of two things happens: if a player is obviously the closest to the ball, they get it, and if there are two opposing players right next to each other, they run towards the ball until the referee is able to figure out who's closest and blow the whistle.  If the ref is on their toes, the players can usually avoid running into a fence or tree.  Sometimes a spectator's dog will get the ball before any of the players, and then you just have to hope that someone brought an extra ball.

by Bethany Parkyn

        I've heard that lacrosse is a mix of soccer, football, hockey, and field hockey, but I can't tell you for sure because I've never played any of those sports on an organized team (unless you count powder puff football in high school). I can tell you from experience that it's also a lot like basketball.  The origins of the game aren't known exactly, but it was played by Native Americans.  It's one of the biggest sports on the East coast, and is finally starting to gain popularity around here.
       There are 11 field players and one goalie on the field for each team (3 low offense called the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd home, two attack wings, a center, two defensive wings, and three low defense called point, cover point, and third man).  There's an offside rule, like in soccer, that pertains to the restraining line, and a three-second rule, like in basketball, inside the arc (except it's for defenders).  There's a circle around the goal, called the crease, which you aren't allowed to enter.  No one told me that rule, and I got a crease violation three times my first game. 
       Lacrosse sticks have shafts and heads (think what you want), and a pocket where you catch the ball.  Guys' pockets are much deeper, and the shafts are longer, so they can throw the ball a lot harder and catch more crazy passes.  A lacrosse ball is the size of a baseball, but made of solid rubber (yellow for girls, white for boys, just like in softball and baseball).
        There are a few other differences between girls' and guys' lacrosse.  Guys pretty much whack each other the whole game, but they wear a lot of pads and a helmet.  Girls are only allowed to check their opponents' sticks.  It makes for a much less physical game, but just in case, we have to wear huge terrible goggles.  I guess it's to protect us from the ball, but the only time I've been hit in the head with a ball is when I did it myself, so I don't know that it's worth it.