Week 12

I am going to use subtitles listed in order topically. I will start with the history of lacrosse. Then I want to move into the ins and outs of the game. After that I will start introducing the idea of club sports here at Ball State. When I have explained that, I will go into the actual team and thier games. Then I will follow with the social aspect of playing a club sport. Following will be a section on the players, the coaches, and the fans. Finally I will discuss what the interviews told me. I want to organize my paper like this for one important reason. Lacrosse is a sport. That being said the reader must be able to understand the game before they read about the players. They will need to know a lot of inside language right off the bat. I also think that it will be read easier.

Questions about final Paper

I am mostly concerned about getting everything to fit together enough to have 12 pages. I want it to be well written, but i think that i am focusing too much on the length. I want to know more about the introduction and the conclusion. I also am a little concerned that i might not have enough headings or ideas for headings.

Week 11

I have found it really hard to find the time to observe the lacrosse team. They practice late at night. I usually am studying around this time, or sometimes I am ready to go to sleep. I plan on getting the ten hours in sometime in the next few weeks. The easiest part is researching. There is a lot of information on lacrosse as a sport and as a club sport. There are even some information on Ball State's lacrosse club. If I could start over, I think I would have picked a different subject to study. I think I would have done Athletic Training students. I never realized how much time that they put into thier work. The blog has helped me see my ideas develop. I also can see my first impressions that I have long forgotten about. I want to use these to break the sterotypical adjectives that come to mind when you think of lacrosse players.

Box 30

I found two articles in the Ball State Daily News archives. One is about the lacrosse club team playing their first ever night game. It discusses how the team struggles with finding fans. I plan on using this to describe different things that the team has done. The other article is before the 2002 season. It discusses the optimism for that coming year. It also talks about post season playing. I plan on using the description used at the beginning. I also like the analysis of the loss.

Week 10.5

I think that mine are pretty self explanatory if you are an athlete. However, if you aren't you might have difficulty figuring out the meanings. Brad was correct on all of his because he is a part of the community.

Week 10

ball
head
shaft
glove hand
cradle
stick
stick hand
face off
butt
mesh

Box 25

Stick-the stick that they play with, has a net to catch the ball
Cradling-moving to stick to avoid dropping the ball
Catching-the ball being caught into the net
Passing-throwing the ball to another player
Loose Ball-a ball on the ground that needs scooped up
Check-hitting the opponent's stick to try to make them drop the ball
Shooting-throwing the ball aiming for the goal
Face-offs-two opposing players trying to scoop up the ball
Goaltending-saving the ball from going into the net
Glove Hand-goaltender's hand with the glove on
Stick Hand-hand that the golatender holds the stick in

Week 7

I am not sure of my plan yet to finish my mini-ethnography. I do know however that I need a lot more research in able to finish my paper. I know that I should get more background information on the Ball State lacrosse club team. I want to know how they feel as a team. In order to do this I want to have a few interviews. I also need to spend a lot more time with the team. However, this will not be able to happen until the spring when I start to travel with them. I hope to be able to see inside the game from a different view after this. I am putting a lot of emphasis on this time period for my paper. This is making the early papers hard because I do not have the main part yet.

Box 17

The field that the lacrosse players practice on is the practice football field. The lines that are the same that are found on a regular standard football field. The team usually only uses the field from the fifty yard line on. They use this field to host games too. This is a little condraditary. Football is the most watched game in America. Lacrosse is a sport that there is not a lot of information. Maybe they should look into getting their own field. Maybe the team and games would become more popular so more people would go.

Box 16

I have not started to describe the place that the men practice. However, when I do start to explain the setting around the players I have many ideas of what I want to use. I want to be able to tell my audience the differences of the places that they play to the places that they practice. I know that the team has practice inside the field and sports building on Ball States campus when the weather is not cooperating. When the weather is nicer they work out on the practice football field. While inside, they have late practice after eleven at night. When they get time outside they tend to practice from about 5 until dusk. They go until they can no longer see the ball.

After reading this through I realize that the field and sports building is an insider term for Ball State students. I think that I will describe the gym and the field that they use so that the reader can have a feel of where I am when talking about the play. I also assumed that the reader knew that lacrosse was played with a small white ball instead of explaining it.

Week 6

I can only make a few general conclusions about my community as of right now. I know that they play lacrosse for fun. If they were more serious about it they would play for a NCAA team. However, I know that they love playing the game, and they are pretty good at what they do. I think that any club team would be different on a different campus. They would have to be the same on the outside, but under it all each team has their own uniqueness that contributes to their success or failure on the field. All teams want to win, but some teams are more willing to give up when behind. While other teams, they are fighters until the end. The fighters are usually a group of teammates that gets along off the field. This mentality would change from school to school because the coaches, players, and fans are different. Under it they all play the same game that they love, but the similarities stop there.

Week 5

For my project I have only collected one source. I went to the Bracken Library and checked out four books. I also hope to have an interview after this weekend. However, I would like to have been able to read a little out of the books so that I can have a general knowledge about lacrosse and its rules. I know that most of my sources explain the positioning on the field. I hope that I will be able to read about it. Then I want to use my knowledge to better connect with the players. I hope that this will save me time because then they will not have to answer any questions that I might have about the general game. I am still looking for a magazine article or a newspaper article. I hope that those will give me more insight on the game itself. I have one problem though when I am looking for articles about lacrosse, they are mostly about Duke lacrosse players because of the trouble that they got into awhile back.

Week 4

Academic sources are sources that are written for an academic purpose only. They are for research more than entertainment. Professors demand the use of these sources for many reasons. The main reason is that they want the writer to be sure that the information is valid. Another major reason is that the professor wants to know that none of the articles are more opinion that sounds like fact than a formal article. A non-academic source is a popular one. If we look at the example of magazines we can see that there are popular magazines, like Sports Illustrated, and academic magazines. A writer could use a non-academic source if they wanted opinions on the matter at hand. They can also use them if they need records or general knowledge. If used however, they need to be extremely careful to make sure that all the information that they collect is correct.

GOOD URLs for INFO

http://ju-sport.blogspot.com/2007/11/what-is-lacrosse.html

Respond to First Fieldnotes

Yesterday for about an hour I watched the head of the lacrosse team, Heath, and the goalie work one on one in the gym. They were squeezed in between a volleyball net and some guys playing soccer. They did not play with a net but rather worked on reaction time. At first all they did was warm up. They just threw the ball back and forth with their sticks. Every time that the ball came towards them they would spin their stick in their hands. When I asked why they added all this extra movement, Heath told me that it was so that the ball would not fall out as easily. I was shocked at this. I figured moving the stick would cause it to fall out. Heath would fake a shot and the goalie would mirror image him as to read shots. Then Heath would shoot the ball and hopefully the goalie would catch it. It seemed to me that Heath knew what he was talking about and that the goalie got a little better in just an hour.

Week 3 Question

I have picked a research location that I hope will challenge me. I have chosen to study the men's club lacrosse team. I plan on going to some of their tournaments with them and be able to examine them in their own environment. I also hope to interview some of the coaches and players on and off the lacrosse field. I think that some people would never even think of a club team as a subculture. Therefore, if I asked someone on the street they would probably think that my choice is little weird. When most people think of subcultures they think of groups of ethnicity and race. However, if you look at a single sport, that in itself is its own subculture. The coaches, players, fans, and even the officials are involved in this subculture. I think it will be very interesting to see how these people interact in the exciting game of lacrosse.

Search Terms

Terms:
Lacrosse, Club sport, Team

Locations:
Library, Games, Interviews, Google, Blogs

10 Qs For Men's Lacrosse

1. How does the club work?
2. Who is in charge of the big picture and who is in charge of day to day?
3. How many times a week do you practice?
4. Is club lacrosse taken as seriously as high school lacrosse?
5. What are the different positions in the game?
6. Where do you travel for tournaments?
7. What responsibilities that club teams have that college teams do not have?
8. What is the equipment that you use?
9. Why is lacrosse not as big of a sport as other sports?
10. What is the season for lacrosse?

Agree or Disagree with Personality Test Results

My personality type according to the test that we had to take was ESFJ. I was surprised that for the most part I agreed with everything. I am a very outgoing person. The E in my four letter description means that the person is comfortable in large groups and take the first step in a conversation. The S is for sensing. I am very far on the "s" side of the spectrum. I would look at something and describe it by what I saw. The Feeling was exactly like me. In the example of the little league baseball team I was exactly how she described. I first thought that they would take only the good players. However, afterwards I thought that they could somehow make money to take the other two players. J was the one that is closer to the middle than any of the others. I like to be spontaneous, but I need to know what is going on. I do have a schedule, and I need to know when I have tests. However, when it comes to plans that are not included with school, I am very last minute.

Response to Andy Moore

I agree with Andy’s factors a lot. I think that everyone wants a subject that will interest them because this assignment has a lot of commitment. His comment about how easily it will be to visit is a valid point. We are all busy with class, sport teams, and having fun. I think that we all want something that will not take a lot of our time getting to the site. I did not even think of the factor of the size of the group. That is a good point.

Box 11

During my field study there are many factors that may come into play. I am going to be studying the subculture of the men's lacrosse team. The biggest part will be that I am a female. I will be with mostly males during this process. Another major factor is the fact that I have no idea how the game is played. In order to receive a deep knowledge, I will have to become acquainted with the games and its terms. However being a former athlete myself, I am sure that I will be able to understand the game fairly fast. Scheduling would have been the biggest factor, but I have worked that out. I am going to become the lacrosse manager, giving me the opportunity to travel with the team.
I am a club athlete at Ball State also. Therefore, I know the commitment to a team that is felt by the players. I also can relate to the player's passion for their sport. However, not knowing how the game of lacrosse is played I will be able to separate myself without bias. I am excited to learn a new sport because I do have a deep understanding of the pull that sports have on people. As I become more apart of their culture, I hope to be able to tell someone what lacrosse is all about.

Box 2

I am apart of the club volleyball team. I have a very specific way of getting ready for a game. On the ride to our tournament, I have to listen to music. I have a certain song that I listen to right before we play too. This song is all about being the best and how I will beat anyone. After that I have my own personal prayer that always includes a personal saying. This saying is along the lines of keeping me and the opposing team free from injury. It also includes asking me to perform my best possible. Even after my short prayer I do not open my eyes. Instead I vision one thing that I want to do well during the game. Then I stretch, warm up, and mentally get ready to play. However, if I miss one step, I feel as if I cannot play my best.

Week 2 Question

When I am look at the different cultures that I might study I look for many different factors. The major factor though is the one that I will be able to get along with the people involved. I do not want to be in a situation that I feel uncomfortable. Besides that I am going to be looking for something that I will learn something new, and it will be interesting. The last major factor in my thought process is time. I have a very busy schedule. I need a group that I will be able to become involved with without jeopardizing my study time. I am looking to learn many different things during this experience. I hope to learn whatever I am able to, and I hope to have a better understanding of the culture. I am ready to be taught about a subculture from an insider’s view.

Tentative Subculture Choices

Cru, The Lutheran Center, Men's lacrosse Team, Black Student Association, ASL

Box 1

• Basketball
• Rituals
• Touch poster, pray before leaving locker room, dribble 3 times before a free-throw, chew gum every game, Listen to music
  
• Behaviors
• Work out, Run, Drills, Stretch
• Inside Phrases
• Hustle, Free-throw, Jump shot, Warrior, North Carolina
• Volleyball
• Rituals
• Touch the state sign, Pray before game, Drink Blue Gatorade, Serve ten balls, Chew gum, Back stretched, Listen to music, Call Trish, Subway
  
• Behaviors
• Work out, Run, Spike, Set, Stretch, Team meetings
  
• Inside Phrases
• Side out, Volley, Pass a three, One, A, B, C, Hut, 95, Slide, Mine, Suicide, Game Day
  
• Lutheran
• Rituals
• Pray before meal and bed, Go to church Christmas Eve
• Behaviors
• Baptism, Communion, Church, Prayer, Read the Bible
• Inside Phrases
• Christ, Trinity, Martin Luther, Luther's small Catechism
• Athletic Training Major
• Rituals
• Talk to Kiley, Email coaches, Watch the trainers during games
• Behaviors
• Go to Athletic Training classes, Tape ankles, Observe trainers, watch games
• Inside Phrases
• Blood born Pathogens, Training Room
• Ball State Student
• Rituals
• Shower at night, stay up late get up early, Don't eat breakfast, Watch game on Sunday, Wash clothes on Friday
  
• Behaviors
• Go to class, Take naps, eat
• Inside Phrase
• Carter, Greeks, The Village, The Cow Path, Bell Tower, Chirp, Thirsty Thursday
  

Being a volleyball player during high school made me part of a very special subculture. Game day was the biggest part of it. Before the day even started one of the coaches or a teammate would call your cell phone and simply say, "game day." They would immediately hang up and move onto the next person. We would all dress the same for the day, and when seen in the hallway would talk about our game plan. As soon as the last bell would ring everyone would go over to Subway to eat. Right before the game we would blare music, dance, sing, and get ready. After a short prayer the cheer that has been passed down from team to team is yelled. Everyone touches a sign that says Woodlan Volleyball, State Champions 200_. The game then begins.

Cultures/Subcultures I belong to

• Caucasian
• Athletic Training Major
• Missouri Synod Lutheran
• Volleyball
• Basketball
• From Hoagland
• Ball State Student
• Hoosier
• Brunette
• Warrior (HS)