Looking for something to fill that void between the time the Nancy Kerrigan-Tonya Harding showdown comes to a close tonight in Lillehamer and the time the men's basketball team takes on a raging John Chaney and his Temple Owls Sunday afternoon?
You could try to catch a glimpse of one of those Duke sports you have never seen, something like tennis, wrestling, swimming, or even track and field. But those teams are all on the road this weekend.
You could venture over to Jack Coombs Field -- where the baseball team has a weekend series with West Virginia -- sit back, crack a forty and catch some rays. But that new public policy institute under construction in right field isn't exactly a sight for sore eyes -- especially for nine innings.
You could spend the day sleeping off your hangover, but, hey, you did that last weekend.
So why not try something most Duke students have never done? Why not hustle up to Duke Lacrosse Stadium, where Saturday at 2 p.m., the lacrosse team opens its season against Butler. You might just be pleasantly surprised.
Lacrosse is a sport of Native American origin. It has the speed of soccer, and the violence of hockey. It's often called "the quickest game on feet." And despite the initial appearance, it's really not that hard to understand.
Those three guys at the offensive end of the field hanging around with the opposing team's goalie--they're the attackmen. They may not be a whole lot bigger than you and me, but for defenses, they're a royal pain in the ass.
Coaches will often harp on the defensive role attackmen play -- which consists mainly of harassing defensemen as they attempt to clear the ball -- but their primary purpose in life is an offensive one. They control the ball at the offensive end of the field. They finish fast breaks. They take the bulk of the team's shots. Says junior attackman Scott Harrison, "We try to score."
Simple enough, you say, but what about those guys out there running all over the field?
Those are the midfielders, similar in purpose and playing style to midfielders in soccer. As the only players permitted to freely cross over the center line, they are expected to play offense and defense, and play them both for the entire 60 minutes it takes to complete a game. Substitutions at the midfield position are frequent, but fitness is still a must.
"Those are the best athletes on the field," says junior midfielder Steve Finnell. "That's often what ends up winning or losing the game -- how you play in the midfield. We won a lot of games last year because we played well there, and we lost a lot of games because we didn't."
The defensive end of the field may be just as important. These are the guys with the extra long sticks whose mission every game is to shut down any and all offensive attacks. These are also the guys who, in third grade, used to beat up all the little kids and take their lunch money. Duke's defensemen range in size from 5-11, 180 pounds, to 6-5, 240. They're even more intimidating when they don't shave.
"It's the guys that play tough, hard and with a lot of heart that are gonna do well on defense," says senior defenseman Sam Cady, who stands 6-3, weighs in at an even 200 pounds., and often sports a little scruff on the chin. "It's hard nosed. It's not what you'd call a glory position."
And that guy in front of the net, wearing so many pads you can hardly recognize him? You probably already figured out that he's the goalie. You probably also figured out that he's just a little bit crazy. You have to be to voluntarily try to stop a hard-rubber, tennis-ball sized spheroid when someone fires it at you at over 100 miles an hour.
Yes, lacrosse is a complicated sport for the uninitiated spectator. There are substitutions on the fly, complicated penalties and too many little nuances you could never hope to comprehend.
But there are also fast breaks, acrobatic passes and shots, and body checks.
"Once people understand it, it's not that complicated," says Finnell. "The action is exciting, especially the way we're trying to play this year. We have a lot more people, and coach wants us to run up and down, play the fast-break sort of game. That's the fun part."
"It's as much hitting as football, but with less pads," says Cady. "And all you have to do is watch for five to 10 minutes, and you can grasp it."
And if all else fails, just remember: Cheer for the guys in white.
Abe Wehmiller is a Trinity junior and assistant sports editor of The Chronicle.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.