COLUMN: Lacrosse deserves sanctioning

Local sports

May 15, 2008

By Mike Bowen Times West Virginian Thu May 15, 2008, 01:42 AM EDT

FAIRMONT — Lacrosse has been played by a handful of teams around the state for the past few years, but now it’s finally taking off.

And while the sport still isn’t recognized as an official sport by the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission, it looks as if it might be soon enough.

Morgantown and University were involved heavily in the beginning and might have been the first schools in the state to play the sport.

West Fairmont picked up the sport a few seasons ago and has been making great strides.

Until this season, not many state schools participated, making games hard to come by unless team’s were willing to travel to Pennsylvania and beyond.

Other schools finally came around. Now there’s enough teams that a West Virginia league was formed for the 2008 season.

Now, like swimming, West Fairmont is taking the reins of sport not sanctioned by the WVSSAC and maybe a little foreign to everyday sports fans and pushing it into the forefront.

The centerpiece of that campaign for recognition will be Saturday’s West Virginia state title game.

This season with enough state teams, the coaches have organized their own state playoffs.

After the regular season was over, the top four teams — both boys and girls — were seeded into the state championship.

The Polar Bear girls were seeded No. 1 and will face off against University this Saturday at noon for the state title.

The best part about it?

It will be right here at East-West Stadium.

Local sports officials have been trying to get a state tournament here in Fairmont for years.

If the WVSSAC finally takes notice of lacrosse next season, which the word is they might, then Fairmont should be the front-runner for the state tournament.

But regardless of that, the sport of lacrosse is gaining a foothold in West Virginia and like it or not should be recognized by the WVSSAC.

There’s no reason not to.

More and more state schools are picking up the fast-paced, exciting sport, and just think how many more will follow if the WVSSAC makes it an official sport.

The coaches are doing all they can to get the sport its due recognition.

In addition to the state tournament, they’ve organized, West Fairmont girls’ coach Jon Cain tells me they will be selecting an all-state team once the season is done.

The state’s coaches seem to be doing their part, and so do the athletes who take the sport as seriously as those who play baseball, football and the other sports.

So now it only seems natural that the sport be given the chance at the state level officially.

But until that time comes, the teams around the state that have embraced the sport will continue to battle on the field regardless of whether it’s an “official” sport or not.

E-mail Mike Bowen at mbowen@timeswv.com.

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