Lacrosse is such a popular sport on Long Island and it has become very common for lacrosse players to play the sport year round. School lacrosse is played in spring, but a lot of these players join teams that play in fall, winter, and summer too. But even though this can be good for the players, there are many people who disagree with people playing year round.

There are a few cons of playing  lacrosse year round. First, it can definitely get expensive. When you join a club team like East Coast Elite or Legacy, you have to pay to be on the team including uniforms, other merchandise, tournaments, travel, etc. This can definitely add up and is not for everyone. Another reason is it can give you a packed schedule with school homework and more.  For club lacrosse there are tournaments in the fall and summer every couple weekends and practices once or twice a week. So it could get busy, especially if you play other sports or have stuff going on. Sometimes you feel like you’re too busy and can get stressed out. 

But there are also pros of playing lacrosse year round. One reason is that it definitely gets you better at the sport and it prepares you for lacrosse in the future. Drew Walendowski, East Islip Class of 2025 goalie and current Villanova Lacrosse player, thinks it’s important.

“From my experiences, the kids who don’t play lacrosse year round end up falling off,” he said. “Lax is a true skill-based sport, so the kids who forgo playing year-round lose out on crucial development.”

You definitely need practice to get better and Walendowski knows – he worked hard and went to a D1 school for lacrosse.

The solution is that it’s okay to play lacrosse year round, but you should definitely play another sport besides lacrosse for your benefit and you should also spend time getting organized so you don’t get stressed out.