Sideline Stories: Dan O’Gorman, Northmen and Irish National Box Lacrosse
Originally from New York, I moved to Maine to attend college at the University of New England where I played lacrosse all 4 years. When I finished, I was looking for ways to continue playing the game I love.
I picked up box lacrosse for the first time in 2014, when I traveled to Ireland to work on getting my dual citizenship and trying out for the national team. Though I learned a lot, I did not make the final roster for the world games. Since then, I have continued to play lacrosse in all forms and try to take in as much as possible. The last four years I have been playing in a nationwide box lacrosse league. Unfortunately, the last two years I have been dealing with an ankle break suffered two summers ago, followed by surgery eight months later. I was not back to 100% until this past fall. In October, I attended a tryout in New Jersey for Ireland’s box lacrosse team; I was informed I made the final roster a couple months ago! I will spend time in Hanover, Germany this summer to compete in the European Lacrosse Championships. This is thrilling as fifteen to twenty countries will battle for gold!
This opportunity also means even more to me because Ireland is where my father’s parents were born. Both grandparents came to America when they were young to build a better life for themselves and their future generations. I was never fortunate enough to meet them, as they passed before I was born, but I feel like in a way, being able to represent this country is a way I can connect to them spiritually!
As far as the difference between field and box there are actually a ton. In field lacrosse, you have three attackmen, three midfielders, three defense and one goalie. The midfielders can play offense and defense so if your team has the ball you have six players in your offensive end (3 attack, 3 middies) and if your team does not have the ball you have six players playing defense (3 middies and 3 defensemen). Certain players on the field are allowed to have poles up to 6 ft long that play
defense in the field game. Another big difference is the goalies and goals in the games. In field, the goals are 6ft tall by 6ft wide. Goalies have a chest/torso protector, a helmet with a throat guard, and gloves. In box lacrosse, goalies are absolutely covered in head to toe with gear and they are also standing in a goal that is 4ft by 4ft 9 inches. Since the goals are so much smaller and the goalies take up so much more space, it is more important to be an accurate shooter when playing box as opposed to a fast shooter!
There are other differences as well as many similarities. Both have face-offs to start periods/quarters as well as face-offs after a goal is scored.
In box lacrosse, you play in a hockey rink with either a turf or hard, athletic surface. All players have the same length short stick. And there is a 30 second shot clock. Box Lacrosse is five on five with a goalie and all players play all over or at least have the ability to do so.
Because Box Lacrosse is played in such a tight space, stick skills end up needing to be even more accurate than when playing in the field where you can spread out. You will find that even the best field players in the world that play professional, play box.
This is something I will continue to train for and I am beyond excited to meet countless athletes from all over the world. It is going to be an experience of a lifetime. It is pretty neat to add onto the fact that a guy from Maine will be taking the international stage.
I have come to learn that this state takes a ton of pride in each other and people from “here.”