February 4, 2010
Kicking the crosse
by Paul Quill/
"Illegal procedure, kicking the crosse, white ball!"
You hear this kind of call frequently throughout the lacrosse season. It's not an unusual call. However, the following is a very unusual call, or "non-call," with regard to "kicking the crosse."
Midfielder A1 was running up the field with the ball, with midfielder, B1 in hot pursuit. B1 throws a beautiful, one handed, wrap check that "helicopters" A1's stick. The ball pops out and bounces onto the turf. A1's stick twirls around and around and then falls to the ground. As A1's stick lands, it actually covers the ball! In all of my 25 years of playing, coaching and officiating lacrosse, I had never seen such a thing. A1's stick actually flies around and around through the air, and when it landed, the head completely covered the ball!
B2 swooped in, kicked A1's crosse, and scooped up the loose ball. Team A coach: "Hey, hey! He can't kick the crosse! — Come on ref, you know he can't kick the stick!"
In this instance Team B absolutely can kick your player's crosse.
NCAA Rule 6 Sec. 8 A.R. 45: A1 drops his crosse with the ball in it. B1 kicks the crosse on the ground to try to gain access to the ball. Ruling: If the ball is stuck in the crosse, immediate whistle and award the ball to Team B. Otherwise NO FOUL.
Dropping the stick with the ball in it is much more likely to happen than having the flying stick land on the loose ball, but either way once the stick is loose — no longer being held by a player — it's as if the ball itself was loose and the ball — and stick covering it — can be kicked.
A couple of things to keep in mind; if A1 attempts to retrieve his stick, he will be called for illegal procedure, participating in the play without equipment. If B2 deliberately kicked A1's crosse while it was on the ground and not covering the ball, he would be flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. You can "kick the stick." Of course, only when it is not in a player's possession and it is covering the ball!
