Remember in The Sound of Music, when Julie Andrews sang:
“Sunshine on game day and a stable of middies Two-handed attackmen and role models for kiddies Unbreakable heads, strung up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things…”
No?
Well, I do. At least, I think those were the words…
But I’m not here this week to talk about my favorite things (maybe some other time). Instead, I’m going to list my least favorite things.
Keep in mind, please, that I have the unique (?) perspective of a high school coach, a college coach, a lax dad, a referee, a lacrosse writer, and a fan. So I’m coming in from all sorts of angles…
But I don’t want to sound like some ancient curmudgeon – like Gran Torino’s Walter Kowalski, Jeff Dunham’s old-timer Walter dummy, or even The Muppet Show’s Waldorf and Statler. I don’t consider myself a grumpy person; it’s just that I started a list and, well, I kept adding to it. At one point I had 11 gripes; I think this final draft has closer to 25… and I’m guessing I’ll think of a few more after I hit SEND.
Now, the definition of a pet peeve is “something that a particular person finds especially annoying.” Another source defines it as “a minor annoyance that an individual finds particularly irritating to a greater degree than the norm; it is a personal dislike.”
Like, it bothers me when I see players wearing hoodies under their jerseys on game day. At practice? Maybe. But not during a game. Under Armour makes plenty of better options.
Or a player (or referee) wearing a knit ski mask/facemask to keep their chin and mouth warm. Overkill. Chances are it’s not that cold… and I know about lacrosse in the cold.
Those are minor annoyances, just like eye black and mouthpiece rules. Eye black used to be used to deflect the sun from your eyes; now it’s a silly way to call attention to yourself. Scholastic rules limit its use to one single stripe under each eye; college, pro, and youth rules have no restrictions (seriously, I’ve seen eight-year-olds with excessive, even ghoulish, eye black!).
And mouthpieces? They’re required at every level (except pro?), but coaches, players, and refs too often look the other way. And who can blame them? You can’t see them, they make it hard for players to talk (which coaches demand), and I’ve heard arguments claiming that they don’t provide as much protection as we originally thought. I’ve seen games come to a complete halt when referees try to enforce the rule. I don’t have the answer, but it seems like mouthpieces have become something that no one wants to talk about.
And along those lines, did you know that protective cups are required equipment at the scholastic level? To me that’s a no-brainer, like the warning on plastic bags that says “This is not a toy. This should not be placed over one’s head.” No kidding.
I’m amazed that so many people play lacrosse without wearing a cup. “It’s uncomfortable,” they argue. Well, even more uncomfortable is getting hit with a shot in that area. In fact, it can be more than uncomfortable. Rule or no rule, in my mind, a cup is just as much a non-negotiable given as gloves and a helmet.
Unfortunately, the rule is genuinely unenforceable. Referees were told from Day One that there would be no “cup-check,” pat-down, or visual inspection, like there are supposed to be for shoulder pads and mouthpieces. Players know that, so there’s nothing to prove that they are or are not wearing a cup.
In college, where shots are often in the 100-mph range, there is no such rule. Hmm. As a college coach, I would be in favor of one. I hate to see players get hurt, and wearing a cup would certainly prevent a lot of the painful incidents.
Instead, refs ask coaches before each game, “Are all your players properly equipped?” As long as the coach says “Yes,” everyone takes the other guy’s word. In fact, refs are told not to start the game if the coach says anything other than “Yes.” Answers like “To my knowledge” or “I think so,” we’ve been told, are not good enough. Officials are assured that, legally, the coach is the one who is liable, not the referees.
Let’s talk some more about equipment.
Since the NFHS and NCAA mandated shoulder pads with chest protection in 2022, shoulder pads have become chest pads. I have no problem with the added chest protection, but suddenly players are wearing shoulder pads that provide very little (or no) shoulder protection. Kids don’t even call them shoulder pads; they’re chest pads now.
Rulebooks also prohibit altering manufactured pads, but so many models of shoulder pads have Velcro-attached shoulder caps and/or bicep pads, and players don’t have to be told what to do with those. Who is enforcing these rules? Not players. Probably not coaches. And probably not referees.
And what’s with the popular fad of defenders wearing their tiny little elbow pads above their elbows, often out of view? As a referee, I’ve been tempted to penalize a player for not wearing arm pads, only to see eventually that he was wearing them.
And now lacrosse officials are being asked to make sure that chin pads are on the chin, not above or below.
Are we over-officiating, or just under-preparing for a contact sport?
And it doesn’t help anyone’s job when the pros aren’t wearing chest pads, shoulder pads, arm pads, mouthpieces, or cups – and are wearing eye black even when they play indoors.
How about sportsmanship?
I don’t like the trend of the sideline chanting during their team’s penalty kill. What’s up with that?
I don’t like sideline chirping, either, but I feel like that’s a losing battle.
I don’t like taunting, often exhibited by waving at, or standing over, an opponent.
I wrote about the choreographed (rehearsed?) sideline goal celebrations years ago, but they’re still around. Why?
As a referee, I don’t like it when the ball-carrier gestures for what he thinks is/was a penalty. In fact, I’m more likely to call a conduct foul on him than I am a late slash or trip.
And I know that it comes with the territory, but I’m not crazy about spectators who “help” when I ref. I usually turn around and assure them that “I’ve got it; thanks.”
As a coach, I get annoyed with ill-advised, lower-percentage passes (like making an iffy pass when you’re two strides from the midfield line and a successful clear; skip passes in general, but especially early in EMO situations; forcing a pass to a breaking long-stick; you get the idea). I think there’s a difference between being conservatively cautious, and just plain-old careless.
I don’t like watching selfish plays. It’s a team sport.
I don’t like it when a defender doesn’t push out on an attackman when the rest of his team is riding hard.
I never liked it when a teammate didn’t call out a pick (BAM!)
I get annoyed when players take stupid penalties, especially the delay-of-game technical assessed for rolling the ball away from the point of the violation.
Bad game films bother me, too. Sometimes the camera is positioned so high or far away that it looks like tiny ants playing lacrosse. You can’t see jersey numbers. And those automatic HUDL cameras sounded great – unmanned! – but I’ve seen too many instances where they followed substitutions instead the ball, and you end up watching an empty, player-less midfield while Team A is scoring on Team B… off camera.
Someone - please! - build a better mousetrap.
Am I being unreasonable?
What are some of your lacrosse pet peeves?
Thanks for reading this week. Please consider subscribing at roadtripdad.com to receive weekly RTD pieces via email. It’s free – really! No fine print; no catches.
Once again, please, drive carefully, and put down that cell phone! Donate blood. Get vaccinated, and then get your boosters. Volunteer. Put a dollar in collection jar, and stay safe, stay smart, and stay kind. Help someone in need – and be sure to take care of your crew!
- Dan Witmer
Dan is the author of four books: The Best of Road Trip Dad – The Laker Lacrosse Collection is an accumulation of 45 articles written for www.JustLacrosseUpstate between the years 2012 and 2018, about the history and traditions, the people, and the stories of the Oswego State men’s lacrosse program. … and piles to go before I sleep – The Book of Wit is his memoir describing his 33-year career teaching HS English and coaching at Hannibal Central School. His third book, The Best of RTD – A Lacrosse Coach’s Handbook contains more than 55 weekly Road Trip Dad blogs spanning 2012-2020, featuring Xs and Os, highs and lows, and even some Dos and Don'ts, and plenty of advice for coaches of all levels. His latest book, The Best of Road Trip Dad – On the Shoulders of Giants: Upstate’s Lacrosse Founders and Legends, profiles more than 50 icons who helped grow the game in Upstate NY. All four books are available at www.amazon.com.
Dan grew up in Lynbrook, NY before coming to Oswego State to earn his teaching and coaching certifications. He then taught English at Hannibal High School for 33 years before retiring in 2015.
In addition to coaching the Oswego State Laker men’s lacrosse team part-time from 1982-2010, Dan also coached JV and varsity girls’ soccer at Hannibal for 16 years, girls’ ice hockey at Oswego HS for 8 years, and boys’ JV and varsity lacrosse at Oswego HS for 12 years.
Dan is now in his 18th year assisting Summit Lacrosse Ventures with their various tournaments, especially the annual Lake Placid Summit Classic, and he worked for 3d Lacrosse for three years as well. He has served on the staffs of the 2014 FIL World Games in Denver, the 2015 FIL Indoor Championships in Syracuse, the 2018 FIL World Games in Netanya, Israel, the 2022 U21 World Championship in Limerick, Ireland, and the World Lacrosse Championships in San Diego in 2023. He was the game ops staff director for the World Lacrosse Men’s and Women’s Box Championships in Utica in September of 2024. This year he created Witmer Solutions LLC, a lacrosse event staffing and internship offering service that he hopes will get his foot – and others’ – in the door at lacrosse events worldwide.
Dan served as the Community Service Coordinator for the Oswego State athletic department from 2010-2023 and has been a certified lacrosse referee for the past seven years. He has also been the Volunteer Event Organizer for the annual St. Baldrick’s fundraiser in Oswego for the past 18 years, raising more than one million dollars for childhood cancer research.
In 2023, he returned to the Oswego State coaching staff as an assistant coach, where he currently serves as defensive coordinator and alumni liaison.
Dan and Sue Witmer live in Oswego, while their sons Brian and Eric are currently living in Prague and Denver.
The hope is for many more road trips to come.