Sue Strobel, instructional coordinator for health and physical education, quoted that figure Monday night during a presentation to the Cecil County School Board.

Filled with facts and figures, Strobel's presentation reflected hours of research as school officials continue to explore the possibility of adding lacrosse and cross-country as high school spring sports in the 2005-2006 academic year.

No proposal has been drafted at this point for either new sport under consideration.

"This is informational only,'' noted School Superintendent Carl Roberts before Strobel delivered her power-point presentation during the informal session.

Lacrosse is growing in popularity throughout the United States, particularly in college and some high school athletic programs. Its higher visibility has prompted some students here to push for the sport.

Closer to home, two teams of high school students currently compete in a recreational lacrosse league in Cecil County.

Other forces also may be at play.

"It has been named the official team sport of Maryland through the (Maryland General Assembly) legislature this past winter,'' Roberts commented.

In the first year, according to Strobel's presentation, the goal would be to establish two junior varsity teams at each of the five high schools, one squad for boys and one for girls.

This, in part, would allow the lacrosse program to develop a couple of years before adding varsity teams.

The startup costs would include coaching salaries, equipment, uniforms, officials and transportation to away games.

Expenses would total $145,630, with about $87,000 going toward the boys' program and the balance, about $58,000, covering the girls' program.

After the county buys equipment and uniforms for the teams, which will total 10, the cost to maintain the junior varsity lacrosse program would drop to $56,140 in the second year.

However, in the third year, costs would jump to $126,170 with the addition of a boys varsity team and a girls varsity team at each school.

At that point, counting junior varsity and varsity, there would be 20 high school lacrosse teams in the county.

In the forth year, the total cost of maintaining the junior varsity and varsity lacrosse programs in Cecil County would be $92,220, and it would level off from there.

Cecil County Public Schools would seek private partnerships to help offset expenses for the first and third year of the lacrosse program.

Approximately 350 to 400 students in this county are expected to participate in the lacrosse program when it's fully operational, and some of them may leave other spring sports to do so.

"It will affect spring sports, but it will not jeopardize them. It may dilute them a little,'' Strobel said, adding, "The greatest effect will be seen in track and field."

According to Roberts, students leaving one spring sport to play lacrosse would create openings on other spring sports teams, including baseball, softball, track-and-field. This would give other students a chance to compete in spring sports.

Meanwhile, compared to lacrosse, establishing a cross country program in the five public high schools would be less of an undertaking.

That's because a cross country team would, for the most part, be an extension of each school's existing track-and-field team. In fact, according to Strobel's presentation, cross country runners would wear track-and-field team uniforms.

Equipment would include paint to mark the courses, stop watches and medals for place finishers at meets.

The total cost to maintain a cross country program in Cecil County would be $16,432, which, in addition to paying for equipment, would cover coaches' salaries, fees for officials and transportation to away meets.