It wasn’t too long ago when lacrosse players pretty much put their sticks away in the closet once the first snows fell. Now like other sports that have become year-round endeavors, area lacrosse players have found a place to play during the winter months, too.

Over the weekends indoor league lacrosse is becoming popular. For the third consecutive year, Randolph’s Indoor Sports Pavilion has expanded its boys and girls indoor leagues for youth and high school athletes.

“In the lacrosse program there are just short of 2,500 kids in total,” Indoor Sports Pavilion’s Jeffrey Walder said. “The kids come from all over the state. They come from Bergen County, a lot of kids in Morris County, Some in Essex, Somerset. It’s a pretty broad cross section throughout the state.”

It wasn’t long ago when the 76,000 square foot indoor facility was known as the West Oaks Tennis Club. Once the Morris County Tennis Tournament was held in the spacious building when weather conditions forced the tournament indoors. Then about three years ago the facility changed ownership and was converted into playing areas primarily for both indoor soccer and lacrosse leagues.

As the sport of lacrosse has grown so has the interest in conducting winter leagues. The age groups range from youth leagues to the high schools. Walder said the high school league has grown from 14 teams to 52 over the last three years. In the girls lacrosse league, the facility has had to turn teams away.

“We run on a Sunday from eight o’clock in the morning to eleven at night with lacrosse,” Walder said. “The activity speaks for itself in terms of the number of teams here. It dominates our weekends. It dominates our Monday nights. It runs all the way through April by the time we finish with teams that are training in or out of season. We also have an alliance with Patriot Lacrosse and Steps Lacrosse who do clinics and summer programs for the kids on the boys and girls side.”

The facility, which also hosts leagues and clinics for soccer, baseball and field hockey, continues a growing trend of indoor facilities that are accommodating lacrosse. Turf City in Wayne and the Rex Plex in Elizabeth are a few of the places in North New Jersey that winter leagues have popped up and found a home.

“A lot of kids go to summer camps,” Randolph defenseman Ben Pravata said. “Then they take winter off and they have all that summer stuff erased basically. You get here; it’s not full contact. You get your rust out here and start your (spring) season with your stick skills sharp.”

As sports seem to become more specialized, there are fewer and fewer two-sport or three-sport athletes. In the past, athletes that didn’t have an interest in basketball or wrestling or hockey would just lift weights or find other less productive ways of passing the time until spring.

“I’d be at home watching NFL football, getting lazier, eating and getting fatter,” Pravata admitted.

The lacrosse teams are basically organized by towns and are coached by town parents or high school boosters. Although some teams are mixed, the squads generally try to keep the players together from the same town. The athletes say it makes a difference with team chemistry and camaraderie.

“It builds the bond for the season,” Chatham attackman/midfielder Billy McCutcheon said. “The kids that are sitting at home are going to be out of the loop when the season comes.

“It rekindles some friendships. Other kids play different sports. You get to see them again and really gear it up. … If they show up here, you build the team and it prepares everybody.”

The league games are played in 25-minute halves and the contests between the two fields are staggered to minimize the traffic in the locker rooms as well as the parking lots. The spongy artificial turf field is surrounded by heavy nets, which knock down most errant shots and keep sideline spectators safe. There is also an observation area where games can be seen from up above.

The facility is also unique because most indoor lacrosse is played in tight confined areas. There is enough space at ISP that defenseman are allowed to use long sticks. Indoor lacrosse is also much quicker game than its outdoor counterpart.

“The bigger field is nice,” Mountain Lakes freshman attackman Jason Rigg said. “Going against the deep poles, you get ready for the season. It’s not just you and the short sticks. You get used to going one handed more with the deep poles. You get better and your shots get better. You have the back up so you get more shots and you get more reps.”

Because the league is recreational there is also a pick-up game feel to it. Sometimes athletes get the opportunity to play in positions they normally wouldn’t because their teammates might have other commitments. There are also chances for players to experiment and work on their skills in a competitive atmosphere.

“You can work on the left hand (for cradling and shooting) a lot,” Randolph attackman Alex Decker said. “You might turn the ball over but you might get your left hand much better. During the season, if you do it in the game and the ball falls out, the coach yells at you.”

Decker and Pravata had just gotten off the field with rest of the Randolph after battling a team from Seton Hall Prep. Although there are scoreboard clocks, the only seasonal scorekeeping is in the players’ minds.

“It doesn’t matter with wins and losses,” Decker said. “A lot of kids are missing from week to week. Today we were missing a couple of people on attack so the offense wasn’t as crisp. It gives a chance for other guys who might not play as much.”

The facility also hosts some lacrosse tournaments that provide a transition from winter to spring. Last but not least, the overall competition is good. That’s why athletes who would normally be sitting at home on the couch eating snacks are getting a lot more exercise swinging sticks this winter.

“Good players are here,” McCutcheon said. “It’s not just running around.

“The teams that are playing indoors are going to be the top teams in the state. They are coming out here, doing a good job and playing hard and it’s going to play off in the spring season.”