Recently, you may have watched
Oregon play Ohio State for the National Championship. If you didn’t know
already, Oregon lost, but that’s not the only thing that people are talking
about. Across the nation lacrosse has become one of the fastest growing sports.
SBRnet showed that the number of participants in men’s college lacrosse had
doubled in that time over a nineteen-year time span (SBRnet, 2011). In 2003, there
were only a 168 men’s college lacrosse teams, but in 2012 there were 295 men’s
college lacrosse teams (SBRnet, 2011). Even though that statistic was
pertaining to men’s collegiate lacrosse, lacrosse has been growing at the men
and women’s collegiate level. Vivirito (2012) mentioned how between 2006- 2010
men and women lacrosse has topped the list of growth rate in the entire NCAA (Vivirito,
2012).
Point University’s men’s lacrosse
program is now in its third year. This year should lay the foundation for success
with the new leadership of Chris Voso as the head coach. Along with the men’s
program being new, last year Point also added a women’s lacrosse program. The
women’s program will be driven by the leadership of Bryan Stanley. Coach
Stanley has recruited 24 focused and determined ladies to start off the season.
I am currently in my sophomore year
at Point University and plan to graduate in the Spring of 2017. I’m so blessed to continue my passion in sports by being
a part of the men’s lacrosse team. This opportunity has been amazing not only
because I was blessed to play at the collegiate level, but because of memories and the
relationships made. I’ve grown very close to my team since my freshman year.
They are truly people that I can call my friends and family.
Not only have we come closer as a
family, but they have been a big part of my walk with Christ. Last semester Director
of Spiritual Formation, Wye Huxford put in place something here at Point that
we call Adventure Groups. Every Wednesday my team and I meet with our adventure
group leaders Trevor Shealy and President Dean Collins. In Adventure Groups we
had a discussion that derived from our reading plan of the New Testament.
In addition to my teammates and I
growing together in our walk with Christ, we have been able to impact the
community in a big way. This year Point introduced Impact Week, a whole week
where the students and faculty had the opportunity to go out into the community
to do service projects that were needed. We were able to be a part of people’s
lives and let them know that we were there to help them and take some burden or
stress that may have been on their lives. It gave me a warm feeling inside knowing
that I was helping someone else whether it was trimming their hedges, cutting
grass, cleaning up the weeds around their fence. In the process I was able to
see the depiction of a loving Christian community.
-Najarri
References
SBRnet (2011).
College/High School lacrosse participation. Retrieved from
Vivirito, John (2012). Lacrosse makes a run for
growth. Sportstravel, 16(3), p.27-30
