Coach Fred McFarlin hopes to generate local interest in a sport he’s known for over 50 years. Photo Credit -Tom Boné

Coach Fred McFarlin hopes to generate local interest in a sport he’s known for over 50 years.
There was a time, some hundred years ago, when a thriving sport in North America and Canada had hundreds of players on each side, fighting over a small ball on a playing field that could stretch some 15 miles.

The game, called lacrosse, could last for days.

Fred McFarlin wants to bring that sport to Havelock, but he promises the rules have changed.

He should know — the better part of his 71 years have been spent either playing or coaching lacrosse, and he’s established a track record for helping the sport take root in practically every community he’s called home.

At each stop his first challenge was to dispel myths about the sport, and explain the rules.

“People who have only seen professional games on cable get nervous,” he said.

“Professional lacrosse has taken on some of the reputation of professional hockey, where you have some serious body contact. But that’s not the way youth lacrosse programs are run.”

The game looks like a cross between soccer and field hockey, with the players maneuvering sticks with scoops, cradling a rubber ball slight smaller than a baseball. The field of play is smaller than the average football field.

Girls’ lacrosse teams operate under strict rules prohibiting body and stick contact, while the boys’ teams can get rougher.

The sport’s governing body, USLacrosse, estimates over 250,000 players are now in leagues nationwide.

McFarlin said the fast-paced games call for stamina and speed, which allows for anyone to participate, regardless of size.

“And it’s not that expensive either,” he said. “Average costs to equip a team are typically higher than soccer, but much lower than football.”

McFarlin is hoping to find lacrosse converts for one last time in his long association with the sport.

He grew up in Baltimore County, Maryland, which he describes as “a hotbed for lacrosse nationwide.”

He traveled to Ithaca, NY, where in the early 1950s he began playing on the Cornell University Lacrosse team.

“I never got real good at it,” he confessed, “But I learned to love the game.”

The love of the game continued for over 50 years, as he moved through careers that included a stint in the Navy, several federal jobs, and high school coaching positions. He coached football when he had to, but always managed to find opportunities to coach lacrosse. If the community did not have the game, he began organizing leagues.

That organizing ability came in handy in Long Island when he helped form the Long Island Junior Lacrosse Association in the early 70s. He then moved to northern New Jersey, and did it again, this time running the Northern New Jersey Youth Lacrosse Association for nearly 15 years.

His move to northern Virginia included taking on coaching responsibilities for a community lacrosse league, then on to the Robinson High School where he was an assistant coach for four years then head JV coach for five years.

“At Robinson the teams were known as the Rams,” said McFarlin. “Kind of a coincidence I guess, but when I got here I started thinking why not have a Havelock Rams lacrosse program?”

McFarlin took the idea to athletic director Wilbur Sasser, who listened, but couldn’t promise anything.

“It’s not that he wasn’t interested, but it came down to a question of the school budget,” said McFarlin.

Undaunted, Coach Mac went to David Guthrie; youth sport director for Marine Corps Community Services at Cherry Point. “He’s interested,” said McFarlin with a glint in his eye.

“We’re very interested,” countered Guthrie with an emphasis on “very.”

“I’ve only see one match in my life,” he said. “But it’s obvious this is a fast-moving sport that can be exciting to the players and spectators. I can see why people say they love it.”

We have to see the level of participation we can generate,” said Guthrie. “With our military community having come from such diverse backgrounds, I’ll bet we’ll find interested parents. The question now is how many.”

McFarlin has also approached Havelock Recreation department’s Mark Seymour.

“The big thing is to get the word out,’ McFarlin said. “I’ve got the time and I’m willing to meet with anyone. The encouraging part is I’ve got folks from the base, the city and the county who have promised to put out feelers.”