LACROSSE

(French: the crosier), competitive sport, modern version of the North American Indian game of baggataway, in which two teams of players use long-handled, racketlike implements (crosses) to catch, carry, or throw a ball down the field or into the opponents' goal. The goal is defined by uprights and a crossbar framing a loose net. The distinctive feature of the game is the crosse, the implement used by the players to carry, catch, and pass the ball. The crosse is a staff of wood, usually hickory, the top being sharply bent to form a hook from the end of which a thong is drawn and fastened to the shaft about 2 or 3 feet (0.6 or 0.9 m) from the end of the handle, forming an oval triangle that is woven with a loose network of leather, nylon, or gut to form the pocket with which the ball is handled.