Not many people in Monroe have ever played lacrosse, and even fewer really know about the sport. But there’s one group at ULM trying to change that.
A few students at ULM joined together to form the ULM Lacrosse Team. Now the club has around 15 members across all majors, and it works on a charter with the university like the water ski team or the cheerleaders.
The team is also a part of the Gulf Coast Lacrosse Association.
Along with the advantages to the players, the members of the team believe that having a lacrosse team on campus would be a benefit to ULM as a whole.
Robert Waguespack is a freshman pre-pharmacy major who joined the team.
“Lacrosse is a fast growing sport,” Waguespack said. “It’s popular up in the North and is covered by ESPN… If [ULM] supports the team, they could host games and have fundraisers to help the campus grow.”
Aaron Head, a senior pre-pharmacy major, is co-captain of the team.
Head said having a lacrosse team on campus is a great opportunity for ULM, and he hopes the team can help recruit students to come to ULM and help in community outreach.
He said lacrosse mixes the ball handling of basketball with the field play of soccer and hockey and the full body contact of football or rugby.
He also said it’s a pretty easy sport to pick up for anyone who’s played any sports before or is athletic.
“Some have athletic experience, but we’re open to take anyone who has never played any kind of sport,” Head said. “I feel people should have fun, instead of only letting people play if they’re good.”
Waguespack had never played lacrosse before joining the team.
He said Lacrosse, despite being like a mixture of many sports, is different than any other sport.
“I’ve mostly played basketball, ultimate Frisbee, soccer and most other sports, but I kind of like lacrosse more than any of the others,” Waguespack said.
Head and Waguespack agree that lacrosse offers many physical and mental benefits to players.
“It’s definitely good exercise,” Head said. “Just like any athletic sport, you have the association with teamwork. The connections you build with the players can teach you many different things about teamwork.”
For anyone interested in joining the team, practices are held three times a week at 5 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday and at 2 p.m. on Saturday in Bayou Park. More information about the team can be found on their Facebook page by searching the ULM Warhawk Lacrosse Club.
