Editor’s Note:  412 Lax is expanding in our fourth year. We’re going to be trying out different bloggers throughout the fall until we find four or one or two that we believe in for the spring. Next up, we have Minnesota manager and Maryland native Sarah Connor with a report on the state of lacrosse in Minnesota. 

Monday was the first practice for the University of Minnesota’s men’s lacrosse team. I serve as manager/resident PR expert for the team, fulfilling duties including being the glorified water girl to tweeting, blogging, and littering campus with various promotional materials in order to gain a name for the team on a campus with little knowledge that the team, and even the sport in many cases, exists at all.

Obviously coming from Maryland I had always been surrounded by some degree of lacrosse culture and I knew I needed it here to be comfortable. I’m thankful to Head Coach Joe Cinosky for allowing me the opportunity to help with his team/saving me from my severe, life interfering lax withdrawal. The off-season hit me harder than I expected.

I had class this evening and therefore was only able to participate in the last half of practice, but it was enough for me to see that this team is going in a positive direction with a dedicated coaching staff and a strong group of leaders. It was raining D1 transfers as well; that does not hurt one bit. Also, I’m a new and valuable resource this year. I was told they had always needed a manager and no one had been there in previous years to fill the gap. This is Minnesota and it’s a club team. Low interest in unpaid managerial positions for sports no one knows about is to be expected. Good thing unpaid and managerial are my middle names.

I’m happy to be a part of Gopher Lacrosse this year not only because I love the sport but also because I want to see it grow here in the ways I know it has the potential to. It legitimately pains me when I talk to someone who knows less about the game than I know about cellular osmosis.

For instance, last week a floormate asked me, as I was casually enjoying a YouTube clip of a split dodge tutorial, “Why is he hitting that guy with the stick? That should not be allowed.” Oh my stars. One of the many reasons why I have to remind myself constantly that this isn’t Kansas anymore (I mean Maryland). There is no way this young lady would have known that her school has a lacrosse team without me snarling at her that we do and she needs to go to the games in the spring to see for herself that they do indeed hit each other with sticks and it’s not only allowed but encouraged. Come on.

The fact that so many people here have never watched a lacrosse game in their lives makes my face hurt. Before tonight I had met only one gentleman here who plays lacrosse and when he mentioned Grant Catalino’s “totally sick shot” I came close to blacking out on the sidewalk. Thank you sir. Seeing the game’s growth in this area, from the Minnesota Swarm box lacrosse team to the local Homegrown Lacrosse organization to Coach Cinosky’s travel club team, the Lakeshore Lakers, makes me hopeful that one day lacrosse will be as viable an option to Minnesota youngsters as hockey has been since the first Ice Age. All I can do is work my hardest to support the Gophers as they continue to grow and do my best to make the community aware of them as they do.

This is the Midwest. It’s going to take time and hard work for lacrosse to grow in the ways that we want it to. We know this and we’re willing to put in the work to reach our goals. I want to see the campus notice us this year. I want to see the team’s influence extend beyond campus. I want to see the sport grow in this part of the country and know that we were part of the reason why. I can’t wait to see where the rest of the year takes this team and I am beyond excited and privileged to be a part of it.

Follow us on Twitter.