Boys lacrosse is a great opportunity for bulldogs looking for a varsity sport that’s fun to learn and comes with minimal competitive pressure. The club, which represents both Garfield and Franklin, is small but tight-knit, and is looking for new players for the upcoming spring season. Practice starts at Franklin on February 26th, the first day back from mid-winter break. “We’d love to have anyone interested come out to play, regardless of experience.” said Mr. Miller, who coaches the team as well as teaching math at Garfield.
Lacrosse has fewer barriers to entry than many of the other sports at Garfield. “All the new players who play it always have a great time,” team captain Axel Johnson said, “and we’ve gotten really good at teaching people how to learn the basics pretty quickly.” The activity fee is only $15, and the team is also able to help provide sticks and gear to new members. “Our main goal is to make sure kids in the CD and Southend have the opportunity to play lacrosse, we know it’s expensive, we know it’s not seen as a sport for kids of color. That’s something we want to change.” said head coach Jeremy Higuchi.
The club had only 14 members last year, while the other public school opponents often had upwards of 20 players. In a sport that has 10 players on the field per team, the small size of the team gives more opportunities to less experienced players. “Last year, we had someone who never played lacrosse before, in the beginning of the season.” Johnson said, “By the end of season, they scored a goal.”
Though it isn’t one of Garfield’s biggest sports programs now, boys lacrosse has a long history at this school. “Garfield has had a lacrosse team for a super long time and they were one of the main lacrosse teams in Seattle.” Johnson said. The club originally represented multiple other schools, including ODEA and Seattle Prep, which did not have their own teams. Since then, the sport has gained popularity on the West Coast. New teams were founded across Seattle, including a girls’ team at Garfield. However, most of the growth has been at private schools, which means there are fewer boys lacrosse players at Garfield and fewer nearby schools without their own teams. All of the current members of the Bulldog team are Garfield students, though the team practices at Franklin and is open to Quakers.
Despite everything, the club has remained a healthy community with a strong dedication to the so-called ‘fastest game on two feet.’ Higuchi emphasized the human connections made through lacrosse, and said that “Our team is a family and we’re made up of kids from all over Seattle. We play to win everyday. We play hard, with respect for the game, and always stick together.” He makes sure the team ends every practice with the chant “1, 2, 3, FAMILY!”
Students interested in joining the boys lacrosse team should talk to Axel Johnson, or see Mr. Miller in room 341.
