In the interest of full disclosure, Amanda Ruvinsky is a member of Girls Lacrosse.
  The PSAL Boys Lacrosse Champions and girls semifinalists are gearing up for their upcoming season.
These athletes practice all year round to keep their stick skills up and bodies fit. Since the Midwood field renovation the athletes have to adapt to a cement surface different from what they are used to. The Lacrosse stars are used to a turf ground with hash marks. This is harder for the new players to understand the rules of the game.
Practices are now held on Tuesday-Thursday from 2:00 -4:30 across the street from Midwood High School in the elementary schoolyard. Outdoor practices include running on the sidewalk and stick drills. Indoor practices consist of conditioning, stairs, and running.
“The practice held across the street is a good way to maintain your skill. However, it doesn’t improve them much. We aren’t allowed to use regular lacrosse balls, and we use balls that are lighter and softer than lacrosse ones, therefore it is harder to catch them and that takes a lot of getting used to,” said Miriam Avrutin ‘14.
The daily practices varies with the weather. “If the rain isn’t too severe we still manage to pull through and stay out but if the rain is hard than we practice indoors and do some tough conditioning which helps us for the upcoming season as well as the outdoor practice,” said Malik Arrindell  ‘13.
           Some may feel that the schoolyard isn’t benefiting them as the field would have, but Arrindell feels otherwise. He says it’s not the location that makes the players, but it’s the players themselves who dedicate their time and effort into practices to become players and a better team.
            The Girl’s Lacrosse team historic rivals are Beach Channel High School in Queens and Tottenville High School in Staten Island, who are the 2011 champs. The Boys Lacrosse Team who were undefeated last year, also have rivals like Columb,us High School, who were 2010 City Champs.