The men’s and women’s lacrosse teams held their annual stick switch Saturday, Oct. 28 on the grass field to support sport-wide camaraderie. Players enjoyed a stress-free game surrounded by friends.

“It was really fun because it wasn’t serious,” Andrea Yi ‘19 said.“It was a lot of being silly and it was funny watching the guys using the girls’ sticks and the girls using the guys’ sticks.”

Yi, along with Katelyn Wignall ‘20, Catherine Wiesehuegel ‘19, Evan Johnson ‘20, and Jack Baddour ‘20 played as goalkeepers, allowing them to see the difference in how each gender shoots the ball towards the net.

“Girls shots are easier to save than guys,” Johnson said. “Guys have a better grasp of what to do with the sticks. I guess they like to practice more with girls’ sticks, and girls don’t have much experience with the D-poles which are 6 feet long.”

The main difference between the men’s and women’s sticks is in the stringing. Boys’ sticks are required to have the stringing so that when a ball is placed in their stick, it must be completely below the plastic supporting the stings. The girls’ sticks must be strung so that the ball can be visible above the plastic. Though the differences may seem small, they make quite a difference in catching and throwing the ball, resulting in a lot of dropped balls and missed passes. When a goal was made, it was cause for major celebration.

“It’s funny watching when everybody makes a goal and they just huddle around and celebrate,” Sophia Bombach ‘21 said.

After the game, the two teams hosted a ‘tailgate party,’ bonding over pizza, cookies, music, and their mutual enjoyment of lacrosse.

“I think it’s a good way to unify both teams, especially with all the differences,” Johnson said, “and it’s also a good way to grow the sport.”