A recent Free Speech letter caught my eye because it stated that lacrosse was a great game for “girls and boys too frail for football.”

The only reason I can imagine for writing such an ignorant and inflammatory statement is to incite an uproar. I’ll bite.

I am the mother of a 10-year-old boy who is a nationally ranked BMX racer and who was inspired by a classmate to give lacrosse a try for the first time this spring. The spring season has just ended and our family will be back.

Unlike football, lacrosse requires that the players are in constant motion, running up and down a 110-yard field during the one-hour game. As stated at uslacrosse.org, “The game is to be played with emphasis on the proper development of stick, team, and sportsmanship skills.”

In addition, ALL players are afforded the opportunity to play; no bench-sitting here. Lacrosse players are required to suit up in a helmet with a face mask, a mouth guard, shoulder and elbows pads and fully padded gloves in order to protect them from body checking, falling, skidding, tumbling and often forceful stick contact.

However, with this game, I have absolutely no concerns that my child will suffer a life-altering head injury. No violent “take-out” checking, using the head or shoulders, is allowed. Any and all personal fouls are taken seriously.

Lacrosse requires extreme intelligence, concentration and unbelievable physical conditioning. We found the parents, coaches and players to be nothing less than exemplary in their behavior and commitment. Lacrosse evokes the discipline and respect, from everyone involved, that is not often found in other youth sports.

To say that participating in a sport such as lacrosse indicates that a boy is “frail” is precisely the kind of uneducated, unsophisticated attitude that perpetuates the cycle of turning young boys into brutish Neanderthals.

Michelle R. DuPuis

Peachtree City, Ga.

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