Girls’ lacrosse has significantly grown on the West Coast, especially since it was predominantly on the East Coast. Since early colonists had arrived, lacrosse has been played in major areas of the East, including Maryland, New York, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. Girls’ lacrosse has been a fundamental part of these states and has even added to their identity. Girls lacrosse has always been seen as this structured, physical, and elite sport, and now, it’s migrated to breezy California.

Over the last 15 years, lacrosse has been a huge uprise for girls in California, and especially at CdM. More than ever, we have seen lacrosse grow at CdM. In the past, our lacrosse team was a compact group of just a few girls, but over time, that number has practically tripled. This is the third year at CdM, where there are now three teams for Girls Lacrosse. This includes JV-1, JV-2, and Varsity. In past years, girls’ lacrosse could barely fill two teams. Even now, more than ever, middle-schoolers and elementary school students are playing lacrosse too. Many speculate that lacrosse will be the next big sport for girls, alongside volleyball and soccer. Aarna Garg, a freshman on lacrosse, stated she joined lacrosse “because [she] didn’t really have a main sport, and a lot of [her] friends were joining lacrosse.” She also stated, “Lacrosse will definitely keep growing at CdM.”

Now, the question is, why is this sport growing? A certain fact is that California is a trend follower. There are so many top colleges on the East Coast, and not everyone can go play collegiate sports like basketball, volleyball, soccer, etc. Californians need a new opportunity, and that’s lacrosse. Lacrosse is the perfect fit for athletically driven students at CdM, especially those who play multiple sports. Sophia Petek, a senior who also played softball and soccer, stated that “what [she] loves the most about lacrosse is the community.” Petek also states, “The coaching at CdM is so fun, and also being in lacrosse forces you to get more involved in other activities.” On top of that, she says the coaching in Lacrosse has changed her more than any other sport. Petek explains that the quote from her coach that has stuck with her the most is “be a 4th quarter team, come back no matter what.”