The Cedar Park Lacrosse Club started in the early 2000s and has gone fairly unnoticed ever since. Both boys and girls lacrosse are involved in practices and games throughout the season, but are currently unrecognized as a school or UIL sport.

At the moment, the lacrosse clubs are not allowed to practice on CPHS fields; this is because they are a club and not a UIL sport. As a rule of thumb, only school sports can practice on the fields and if they were allowed to use the fields, then every other club would have to be permitted to use the fields as well.

Rumor also has it that the boys and girls teams are treated unequally. It was previously believed that only the boys were allowed to practice on the CPHS and Running Brushy Middle School fields. This is completely unfounded.

The boys that play in the club are all from CPHS. They do not practice on the school’s fields, but will occasionally run on the track through the woods. Both girls and boys lacrosse cannot practice at the same time on the same middle school field, therefore the girls lacrosse practices outside the Cedar Park Middle School field, while the boys play at the Running Brushy field.

The clubs and coaches respect the middle school football teams who practice there and because they know that when lacrosse practices on the fields they get really messy and torn up, they play outside the actual field.

Currently the girls and boys both use the Cedar Park and Running Brushy Middle School fields or they practice at Elizabeth Milburn Park. However, there are still some troubles for the teams; along with constantly changing practice fields, the teams are also playing on football, not lacrosse fields.

“Our practice field does not have the usual lines, which causes a lot of confusion at the first game,” Tim Sullivan, girls head coach, said.

The teams and coaches appreciate the middle schools’ courtesy, but still hope to, one day, have their own field on which to practice and host games.

Along with wanting their own field, the club also hopes to be recognized as a UIL sport. A benefit of being recognized as a UIL sport includes having school sponsorship which lowers the costs of equipment and uniforms that members currently have to pay for all on their own.

“Every [girl] has to pay $250 and additional $235 as a deposit for the jersey,” Tracy Dorsey, lacrosse mom, said. “We do a lot of fundraising, but we do not have a sponsor.”

The total fee for the boys lacrosse team amounts to $385. Personal equipment, such as sticks, goggles and mouth protection, has to be purchased by the players for both teams and are not provided by the coaches.

In addition, Sullivan and his three assistant coaches don’t get paid for their work with the lacrosse teams.

The hope to become a UIL sport is hindered by the fact that, although some of the players go to CPHS, others go to different schools around the district. Without the members from different schools, there would not be enough players to make a team. However, lacrosse is growing very fast.

“It is a great sport…,” Tracy Dorsey, lacrosse mom, said. “It is fast, competitive and fun.”

 Lacrosse is one of the few sports that a person can join in high school without any prior experience but quickly catch on.

“You get good enough to compete on the collegiate level,” Bri Wilson, junior, said. “No other sport allows you to sprint down the field carrying a metal rod and blast a hard rubber ball at another person all while wearing a skirt. As a girl I have to say I love all the different sticks because they come in so many different styles and colors and it is fun to accessorize.”

Both teams are very excited for their upcoming season.

“Hopefully we will be able to pull off a season like last year and go undefeated. “ Allen Roy, senior, said.

All the players are excited to see what comes out of this season and how all their hard work will pay off. The clubs practice three times a week, until February, when the season officially beings and tournaments will be held every weekend for the entire month.