Eyes on the ball, junior Andrew Kincaid follows the white rubber sphere flying across the field. He runs towards it, crosse, or lacrosse stick, forward. He scoops it into the head of the crosse. Cradling the ball with a swift jerk of his wrist, Kincaid lifts the crosse into the air and launches it across the field.
Kincaid started playing lacrosse this past summer and became interested after seeing it played on television.
“My ninth grade year, I tried to start a club, but it didn’t really work out,” he said. “The club didn’t work because, at the time, most people just had other priorities or other school sports that took most of their time.
Kincaid searched online to find a possible lacrosse team to play for, and found Little Rock Lacrosse Lightning, which costs $100 in the fall and $200 in the spring. Kincaid now plays as their starting offensive midfielder.
“When we get the ball on offense, I actually play down on the crease, which is right in front of the goal, and I try and score a goal,” he said.
Out of the 23 players on Kincaid’s team, most of them attends Catholic High School. While a few go to Maumelle High School and Hot Springs High School, Kincaid is the only player from Bryant.
Little Rock Lacrosse Lightning practiced at Fellowship Baptist Church before moving to War Memorial Stadium. They practice Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for two hours.
“I enjoy the fast pace of the game, and it’s a lot different than any other sport,” Kincaid said.
With the fast pace, Kincaid said there are bumps and bruises that accompany it.
“You can get beat up pretty bad,” he said. “The worst injuries I’ve had are bruises and turf burns.”
Despite the minor injuries, Kincaid said he plans on playing it in the future.
“There are a couple of colleges in Arkansas that have either club teams or NCAA teams that I would love to play for,” he said.
Kincaid said they compete against a team out of Fayetteville, an Oklahoma team from Edmond and teams out of Texas.
“It’s an opportunity to not only have fun, but make it to the next level, which really pushes me forward,” Kincaid said.
