Lacrosse players sub for Peterborough

BY MATTHEW GILLIES

For two Sudbury women, the opportunity to play in a provincial tournament is a like a dream come true.

Samantha Insinna, who played for the Sudbury Rockhounds boys' lacrosse team for four years, and Marissa Lacastro, who has played for two years, were asked to compete for the Peterborough Lakers due to the need for additional players for the team.

Insinna and Lacastro will be playing in the Girls' Box Lacrosse Provincial Tournament in Whitby, Ont., on Aug. 8 and 9. The girls feel the chance to play for the Lakers represents something different that they couldn't get in Sudbury.

"I thought it was a great opportunity to be part of a rep team since we don't have a girls' league or competitive opportunity in Sudbury as of now," Lacastro said. "In Sudbury we only have a house league, which has six girls and the rest are boys. There's plenty of opportunity for the boys to continue with careers in the National Lacrosse League, but there is no ladies box lacrosse, only field. I think it will be really fun to see more girls out there finally. I've never been in an all girls competition before."

"I'm excited but scared at the same time," Insinna said. "I'm so used to playing with guys so I'm not too sure what to expect in an all girls situation, but I hope I can live up the to the expectations."

Though Insinna and Lacastro would like to see a girls' box lacrosse team, they still enjoy playing on the boys' team.

"The boys really challenge the girls who actually play, since most girls are so afraid of getting hurt," Lacastro said.
"The thing is you develop a tight bond with your team and are pushed to the best of your ability. I love the sport. It takes a lot of energy and strength to play. It's a really fast paced game that requires stamina and energy."

"Playing with the guys is hard, but it steps up your game that much more," Insinna said.

However, the two women both agree that interest in lacrosse is increasing.

"Slowly, but surely, I definitely think lacrosse is becoming more popular," Lacastro said. "I just think there are still not enough girls getting involved. We need to start our own league to show those girls that lacrosse isn't as rough as it's portrayed on TV."

Currently, there are over 47,000 box lacrosse players in Canada, consisting of both males and females, ranging in ages from 6-65. How box lacrosse differs from field lacrosse is that players are enclosed in a standard size arena rather than being outside .