<\/p>\n\n\n\n
CORTLAND, NY \u2013 For most sports, snow signals a delay, a postponement, or even a cancellation. But for many lacrosse players across the northern United States and Canada, and especially at SUNY Cortland, snow is simply part of the game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Whether it\u2019s early-season matchups or surprise April snowstorms, athletes often find themselves lacing up their cleats in sub-freezing temperatures, battling the elements as much as they do their opponents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Slippery Footing and Slower Play<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Unlike sports such as hockey or skiing, which embrace the cold, lacrosse is traditionally played on grass or turf surfaces are drastically affected by snow. Once the field is covered in snow, traction becomes an immediate concern. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Senior Attacker Caden Yancey is familiar with playing in the snow as, hailing from Syracuse, New York, he’s been playing through it for his entire career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s like trying to sprint across a skating rink,\u201d said Yancey. \u201cYou can\u2019t cut the same way, and you\u2019re always adjusting your steps.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Cleats are often rendered ineffective on slick fields, especially if the snow begins to melt and refreeze, creating patches of ice. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Players must rely more on balance and short, controlled movements rather than explosive cuts. Making the normally fast-paced game slow down to a crawl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Visibility and ball control<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Snowfall also affects visibility, not just for spectators, but for players trying to track a small, fast-moving ball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn a snowy game, you\u2019re lucky if you can even see the ball leave the stick,\u201d said Jack Obrien, a Senior midfielder on SUNY Cortland. \u201cWe sometimes switch to orange or yellow balls just so we can see them.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Even with brightly colored balls, handling becomes a challenge. The cold can cause sticks to stiffen, while the moisture from snow can make gloves and shafts slippery. Cradling, passing, and shooting all become less precise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou don\u2019t realize how much feeling you lose in your hands until you\u2019re out there for 30 minutes,\u201d Obrien said. \u201cIt\u2019s like trying to play piano with frozen fingers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mental toughness and preparation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the difficulties, playing in the snow is often viewed as a test of mental toughness, something senior captain and defender Christian Lembo embraces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI tell the guys, if you can play in this, you can play in anything,\u201d said Lembo. \u201cThe weather isn\u2019t going to stop us from getting a win.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Practices are often adapted to focus on fundamentals rather than full-speed scrimmages. Drills are slowed down, and conditioning is emphasized to keep players warm and engaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For some, the snowy backdrop even adds to the sport\u2019s appeal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s brutal, but it\u2019s also kind of beautiful,\u201d Lembo said. \u201cThere\u2019s something cool about playing with snow coming down, everything quiet except the sound of cleats and sticks. It\u2019s a different kind of intensity.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking Ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As lacrosse continues to grow nationwide, especially in colder regions, many teams are investing in indoor practice facilities and weather-resistant equipment. Still, for many programs without those resources, the snow remains a constant opponent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n For teams like the Red Dragons of SUNY Cortland, snow will always be one of the toughest opponents they face year in and year out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As they have already faced this foe in 2 of their matchups this season, including their game against Brockport early on in the season, and once again when they played R.I.T. just two weeks ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether it’s a flurry or a full-on storm, lacrosse players continue to dig their cleats into the frozen turf, proving time and again that grit isn’t just part of the game. It\u2019s a requirement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CORTLAND, NY \u2013 For most sports, snow signals a delay, a postponement, or even a cancellation. But for many lacrosse players across the northern United States and Canada, and especially at SUNY Cortland, snow is simply part of the game. Whether it\u2019s early-season matchups or surprise April snowstorms, athletes often find themselves lacing up their […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":422,"featured_media":4780,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8173","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-featured-news-article","category-sports","entry"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/20210507_06533.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/43\/2024\/03\/20210507_06533.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Josh Michel","author_link":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/author\/joshua-michel02\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/422"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8173"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8173\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4780"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.cortland.edu\/dragon-chronicle\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}