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Bishop O’Dowd was the first high school in the Bay Area to field a women’s club team in 1992. In 1996, the sport was recognized by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) which oversees all school sports in California. Since then high school women’s lacrosse has grown greatly and is the fastest growing sport in the country (May, 2005 issue of Sports Illustrated).
Women’s lacrosse is still a growing sport and changes are happening every season. Bishop O’Dowd competes in the Bay Shore Athletic League (BSAL) and in the North Coast Section (NCS). This league includes Berkeley, Northgate, Davis, Piedmont, and Clayton Valley.
Program Information
Program Philosophy
The philosophy for women’s lacrosse has always been TEAM.
T=Together
E=Everyone
A=Achieves
M=More
Teams
We field varsity and junior varsity teams. The varsity team will generally carry around 20 players and the junior varsity team can have as many as 25 players.
Season
Lacrosse is a spring sport with the season beginning in early February with tryouts and ending in mid-May with end of the season championship games.
Tryouts, Games, Practices
Official tryouts will be held in early February. There will be preseason conditioning starting in October after school. Conditioning dates, location, and times to be announced at school.
Those that have had at least 1 year of playing experience, whether on a club team or at another school, can try out for the varsity team. If you are a senior, you may only try out for the varsity team.
After the teams are selected, practices will normally be held Mondays – Thursday either early morning (6:15am – 7:30am) or after school (3:30pm – 5:30pm). Game dates and times will be announced once all leagues have met. Please Note: Once selected as a team member, players are expected to take part in all practices and games.
Equipment
The school will provide uniforms for all team members. Those playing goalie will be provided with all goalie equipment. However, all team members will need to purchase the following equipment in order to play on the field:
- Lacrosse stick
- Mouth guard
- Authorized Eye protection gear
- Turf shoes
The following are optional equipment items that can be purchased:
- Field gloves
- Water bottle
- Cleats
Previous Experience
Soccer. Basketball. Cross-Country. Track. Swimming. If you have played any of these sports, you would be great for lacrosse. You will use skills you have learned in these sports to play lacrosse. However, even if you have not played a sport before you are welcome to come out and give it a try.
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