Over the recent year, many lacrosse players have noticed a decline in the amount of interest on their respective teams. The girls’ lacrosse team at Fauquier High School (FHS) has not had enough players to form a junior varsity (JV) team for the past few years. While many players on the boys’ team feel they still have a lot of interest, some players are noticing a slight decline in interest.
According to sophomore Aubrey Cupka, this loss in interest is “very upsetting because the seniors [might not] have a senior season.” The declining interest is affecting many players outside of the school team as well. “I definitely suffered from it…and with [the possibility of] not having a high school team, it puts me at a disadvantage against others,” noted freshman Addison Long. “Honestly, just as a freshman, I already know the coach and the girls, they have such a positive attitude, and it’s honestly just a great environment. I’ve never been on a toxic team. Lacrosse overall is a team sport; It’s not just you. It involves everybody,” Long continued.
While the girls’ team is seeing a decline in interest, the boys’ team still has a lot of interested participants. The boys’ lacrosse team won their Regional Playoff “Play In” game against Liberty High School, 13-4 last year. Freshman Liam Kozanecki says, “In boys lacrosse, usually we get a good amount of people from football.” However, freshman Jack Brooks admits that he is seeing a slight decline in interest in boys lacrosse. “It’s gonna be a little more difficult with less people, but I think the guys that are out want to be out there.” With the boys’ team now also starting to see a slight decline this leads to many questions; could this be the downfall of lacrosse?
The girls lacrosse team has struggled the past few years to form a full team. This year they were just able to form a varsity team. If they had not been able to form a full team it would have had many negative impacts. Many seniors would not have had the chance to get a senior season and multiple players would have had to travel to other schools or even different states. Long also stated “…because I plan on going far with lacrosse. So with the decline, I’m traveling to Maryland to play lacrosse.” This is not ideal for players, especially ones who plan on going far with lacrosse.
“It’s fun. It’s my main sport, so I enjoy it. The coaches are really nice,” shared Kozanecki. “Even though our program’s small, we still have a good upcoming program. We have good coaches, and our team works well together….I think it’s a good program even though it’s not the most popular sport,” Cupka explained. Brooks additionally stated, “It’s good for your physical health and conditioning. It also involves you with teamwork, and we make a lot of friends through it.”
