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Abstract

International Journal of Exercise Science 11(4): 269-280, 2018. Lacrosse is a field-based, intermittent sport that requires players to use a stick with a shaft and mesh pocket to manipulate the ball. However, there has been limited analysis of the characteristics of collegiate club-sport players, and whether stick carry influences the sprinting speed of lacrosse players. As a result, this study investigated the field test characteristics of collegiate club-sport female lacrosse players, and the effects of stick carry on linear and change-of-direction speed. Nine players (seven field players, two goalkeepers) volunteered for this study and completed: vertical jump and standing broad jump; 30-meter (m) sprint (0-5, 0-10, and 0-30 m intervals) and modified T-test without and with a stick; and the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test. Magnitude-based inference analyses via effect sizes (d) compared the field players and goalkeepers. Data was pooled for the 30-m sprint and modified T-test to examine the effect of stick carry via paired samples t-tests (p<0.05) and effect sizes. Field players performed better in most field tests (d=0.93-2.45), although goalkeepers generated greater vertical jump power (d=2.01). With regards to the effects of stick carry, there was a significant difference between the faster 0-5 m sprint interval without a stick compared to with a stick (p=0.02), but this had a small effect (d=0.25). There were no differences between the other sprint intervals and modified T-test (p=0.08-0.39; d=0.06-0.19). When contextualized with comparisons to other female collegiate athletes, the results indicated limitations in training exposure for collegiate club-sport lacrosse players. Furthermore, stick carry generally did not affect speed.

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