WOODBURY ‒ Every time contact is made in a girls lacrosse game, that annoying whistle blows – but all the players know that in a boys game, it wouldn’t even be a thought.

That’s the struggle of girls lacrosse.

Girls lacrosse is very different from boys lacrosse: While the boys get to push and shove and check, girls aren’t allowed to touch opponents above the waist or check too close to the face.

More contact would benefit the world of girls lacrosse. Juliana Bailey, a junior lacrosse player at Nonnewaug, thinks there are disadvantages to the rules girls have to follow. 

“I think girls lacrosse should include more contact and more checking,” Bailey said. “When the ref blows their whistle for every empty [a violation] or illegal check every two minutes, it gets kind of annoying and discouraging.”

Mariah Manzano, a sophomore at Nonnewaug, has her doubts about the current rules and sees good in potential change.

“I feel like [the rules] are just trying to protect us, but it’s a lot harder to play the game when you have so many rules,” said Manzano.

Caroline Donnelly, a sophomore at Litchfield High School, the school with which Nonnewaug co-ops in the Northwest United program, feels as though girls should have the same ability to be physical as guys do. 

“The boys are able to use their sticks and come into more physical contact with the opposing team more than we are,” says Donnelly. “It is understandable why they’re able to push and cover the ball, but it is unfair that the girls do not have the slightest bit of “power” they have.” 

From the boys’ side of view, decreasing the contact rules would benefit the girls but also give boys more of an opportunity to play normally while playing against the opposite sex in co-ed games. 

“I think if they wanna lighten up on the [girls] rules and allow more contact, I think that’s great,” says Liam Sandor, a junior at Nonnewaug who plays for Northwest United. “But personally, I don’t think that girls should play on the same team as guys because then it forces the guys to take in easy on them, and even if that’s not what the girls are expecting, it kind of just is an unspoken rule.”

Donnelly knows the risks that come with the boys rules, but she still wishes for her playing time to include more contact. 

“Although the boys use helmets and more padding, the rules of women’s lacrosse have been changed over the years to become even more different from the boys,” says Donnelly. “The girls should be able to have more contact with the players without having to use extra padding for helmets. The rules continue to evolve to become more and more unnecessary.”

Bailey seeks more freedom in her playing. Lightening up on the contact rules would allow her and many to play as they wish without that constant whistle in their ear.

“I wouldn’t want to have the same exact rules as the boys and have to wear all that equipment,” said Bailey, “but I would like a little more freedom when it comes to checking other players and being able to be more physical.”

Manzano agrees with Bailey and thinks the rules should lighten up a little. 

“I don’t think it’s fair that the boys get to be rough and we don’t because I feel like it’s a lot more exciting to watch and more interesting to be able to have physical touch,” says Manzano. “So I think girls lacrosse would just be way more fun if we were allowed more freedom to play the game.”

If girls lacrosse included more physical touch and actually let us play the sport how it’s supposed to be played, the game would be more beneficial for the players. Girls should be allowed to express how they feel on the field — and sometimes that means we just need to hit someone.

This is the opinion of Chief Advocate reporter Deme Jones, a sophomore on the Northwest United girls lacrosse team.