'Just Give it a Try,' Lacrosse Player Says

Common are the nights when parents might find themselves at basketball, soccer or football games — but when it comes to sports, local students aren't limited to such traditional options.

Port Washington High School senior Dakota Kwasny is among the students who took his skills to a less common sport: Kwasny is a Lakeshore Lacrosse player, and said he believes the sport actually combines aspects of basketball, soccer and hockey.

"It's a very northeast game — and it's just spreading across the country recently," he said. "It's kind of exploding across the country. It's gotten really big south —and it's starting to work its way west."

The Lakeshore Lacrosse team is a part of a club sport and recruits players from the following high schools: Shorewood, Whitefish Bay, Nicolet, Pius, Port Washington, Grafton, Homestead and Cedarburg, according to its website.   

A lacrosse game uses 10 players on the field per team, Kwasny said. Three players are known as attackmen, there are three midfielders and three defensive players — as well as the goalie.

"It's a very fast-paced physical game," he said. "It's just fun — it's got a good atmosphere … there's a good camaraderie on the teams."

Player Luke Zoromski, a student at Cedarburg High School, said Kwasny is the reason he started playing lacrosse. The two had previously played hockey together.

"It was just fun — it was kind of like a good mix ... similar to hockey and just like all the other sports I played, it was physical and a large amount of skills involved," he said.

Both said the sport can be expensive, but buying entry-level or secondhand equipment is one way to cut corners — and borrowing equipment might be a good option for players not sure whether they are ready for the longterm investment to the game.

"I believe it's one of the most fun sports out there, it's personally my favorite sport," Kwansy said. "Just give it a try — that would be my number one suggestion."

Dakota's dad, Brad Kwasny, is following his son and the team throughout this season. The results of team games can be found on Patch in this blog about Lakeshore LaCrosse.