NEWS

Sailfish Lacrosse Team Gets Serious About Sport; PBA lacrosse players take on a high level of commitment to team and faith.

The team puts a commitment on both sport and faith.

by Maria Gerasci
Contributing Writer, The Beacon

Attention all students, are you aware that we've had a "Baggataway" team at Palm Beach Atlantic University? Baggataway, better known as lacrosse, was originally an American Indian sport, played when preparing for battle, according to uslacrosse.org.

Palm Beach Atlantic's lacrosse team, a club sport, is student-run and headed by Chris Southard, head coach, and overseen by Assistant Director for campus recreation, Michael Meshaw.

As a club sport, the lacrosse team has different regulations than a varsity team.

First, the team is separate from the athletic department and does not play in the NCAA. Instead, the team participates against other club sports teams, such as the Savannah College of Art & Design, University of North Carolina-Charlotte, and University of South Florida, to name a few.

"A club sport begins with the students," Meshaw said. "Students do not get scholarship money, campus recreation provides them with the additional funds needed, and they pay dues to help buy uniforms, pay for trips, and equipment."

Because the team is not an official varsity sport, all outside support, including spectators, depends on word of mouth. Awareness can be a big issue.

"Students can become more aware of our team by attending games and buying PBA lacrosse shirts, which are only $10 and directly support the team," Schmidt said.

There are currently 17 players on the Palm Beach Atlantic Lacrosse team, or LAX, and they have recently joined the SouthEast Lacrosse Conference.

The team holds practice three times a week and plays twelve games throughout the season.

"There is a high level of committment from everyone involved," said sophomore and starting attackman Jayson Schmidt. "At our level of play, college teams administer themselves much like a varsity program. If you do not spend time in the gym or working on your stick skills, you will not succeed on the field."

Lacrosse has been known to be a very extreme, close contact and highly competitive sport. As a high-intensity sport, language and disrespect can become an issue when playing an opposing team.

"Lacrosse is a physically intense game that gives opportunities for players to talk and play dirty, but that is something that our lacrosse team has never condoned, and it definitely shows--which only magnifies our testimony," said Jay Shewan, captain and center defenseman.

It is evident that the student on this team have a strong passion for the sport they play and are extremely dedicated to their team. Another important aspect of the team is their desire to glorify God on the field.

"Chris Southard, best known as 'Sudds' is a full-time youth minister and lacrosse coach," said Stephen Cox, senior captain and defense. "He loves the sport ... and he uses it as a way to build relationships with the guys, and build them into godly men."

PBA's lacrosse team is faith oriented and the teammates play the game with honor and to glorify God, Schmidt said.

"Every team we play knows we are Christians, and expects us to play soft, but we are quickly changing people's minds," Shewan added.

The team would like to see an advancement and be bumped up to the NCAA Division II, but in order for that to happen, a women's lacrosse team must also become part of the picture at PBA.

In the meantime, the LAX team is grateful and having fun.

"The great thing with lacrosse being a club sport is that it still allows you time aside to study when needed, have a social life, or even play intramurals," Cox said.

Managing time appropriately becomes especially crucial to success in college. By adding an extra activity to an already busy schedule makes it more difficult to balance all aspects of school.

"I have to balance school, work, practice and other activities... but it has taught me to be better organized," Schmidt said. "It's all about making changes, like going to the gym at 7 a.m. instead of 7 p.m. and bringing homework with me everywhere I go, in case I have extra time."

For more information on the lacrosse team, students can visit the team's website, also student run -- www.pbalacrosse.com.

The PBA lacrosse team members say they possess the determination to keep this club sport going, and they believe their future as a successful team looks bright.

"There was a high level of committment and respect to really get this club established," Meshaw said.

Thank you to The Beacon, the official newspaper of Palm Beach Atlantic University, for producing this article.