Lacrosse? LaWhat?

Lacrosse is a team sport in which players pass, catch and carry a rubber ball using sticks with a netted pouch at one end. The object of the game is to accomulate points by shooting the ball into the opposing team's goal. It's a sport that is played with many variations: on a field with ten players per side; in an arena with six players per side; with wooden sticks; with plastic sticks; time differences and other variations.

The origins of the sport lie with North America's native Indian nations. Many believe that lacrosse is the root of which Hockey came from.

Last night Jim and I took Crystal to see a professional lacrosse game at Toronto's Air Canada Centre. The Toronto Rock were playing the Edmonton Rush from the National Lacrosse League. This version of the game consists of four fifteen-minute quarters with six men per side. Last night's game was easily won by the Rock 16 to 7.


It's a good idea that if you go to these games, that you like Rock music. Throughout the game a variety of hard rocking, toe tapping music is played. AC/DC, INXS, The Clash, Steve Earle, Cheap Trick, Jon Bon Jovi, Aerosmith etc.... But I think AC/DC is the team's favourite. After most of their goals, the sound system plays "For those about to rock, we salute you".

We all had a fun time and weren't sad that the Olympic opening ceremonies were on because I had the PVR recording the event at home. Once we got home, we watched them.

Perfect segue .... did you know that Field Lacrosse was once an Olympic sport? In 1904 Canada won both a gold and bronze medal. However, its the mohawk nation's bronze medal win that makes me chuckle. Here are the names of these bronze medallists: Almighy Voice, Black Eagle, Black Hawk, Flat Iron, Half Moon, Lightfoot, Man Afraid Soap, Night Hawk, Rain in Face, Red Jacket, Snake Eater and Spotted Tail ...

Travelling north to see winter

There is no snow in Toronto which is a huge disappointment to Crystal, my Korean Border, who wants to experience a snow storm and enjoy the wonders of frolicking in it.

For her benefit, I would really like there to be a snow storm here in Toronto - as long as she helps me shovel the driveway!!! However, I'm not sure this will happen (even though I read that Washington DC received a record 78cms of the white stuff this week-end).

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day so I decided to drive Crystal north of the city to where I heard that there was snow on the ground.

First we went to Port Perry, a little town on the shores of Lake Scugog, to see fishing ice huts. There were indeed ice huts - but only a dusting of snow meaning we'd have to drive further north! However, when looking at the ice huts I noted that many cars and very heavy trucks were on the ice so I decided to drive out there to get close to them. For Crystal, this was a new and scary experience as she never even had walked on ice before!


Here she is on Lake Scugog beside my car with the fishing ice huts in the background, in a moment that she'll never ever forget.

After getting off the lake I drove to Orillia Ontario, on the shores and at the intersection of Lakes Couchiching and Simcoe. Finally there was enough snow of the ground for Crystal to enjoy....

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Here I am lying on the icy surface of Lake Couchiching making a snow angel.


Here's the completed snow angel that Crystal made.

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Next Friday I'm taking her to an Ontario Hockey League game and in two weeks we hope to hit the hills for some snow tubing.