goalie: crazy or smart?

[juskellaxin]

ok so i was at a pickup game today and a friend of mine playing attack on my team walked over and asked me. "Hey you know, i realized something. I dont know if goalies are really as crazy as people think." I asked him what brought him to this conclusion and he replied," well, i just ran 30 yds through defenseman beating me everywhere with metal poles in an attempt to shoot. i missed so basically all i did was waste energy." I laughed and then he chuckled and commented," then i realized that the goalie, who sat there and watched me get beat, was smirking. He was sitting pretty and callin the shots as we all got whooped (the opposing D shut out the offense and we lost 3-0) So being a goalie isn't really crazy like everyone says. You guys are just the smart ones who realized they didnt have to run to play lacrosse." At this point me and one of my poles were laughing hysterically at this attackman... I found this highly amusing and i felt i needed to share this with the goalie community. so wut do you guys think? crazy? or smart? I say both

[laxgod1790]

Don't worry! I still think you're crazy!!!!!!! I am an attackmen as well. Granted stick checks to the shins and other various body parts do hurt. They do not hurt as much as a point blank shot to any part of the body. You also have to be a slight bit crazy to even step in front of a shot. Nevermind purposefully throwing your body into a shot just to have it done again.

[bplaxg33]

BOTH!!!! I feel the crazy part is letting someone throw a ball at you upwards of 80MPH and even 90 or more.

smart i don't have to run and get to have some thugs beat up some smaller kids (attackmen) yah such a good feeling being the ring leader.

[EHSLAX12]

well, think about it this way. even thought they may get whacked, we as goalies are at a much higher risk for injury then a field player. whacking flesh may do damage or even break a bone, but getting hit with a ball in the same area at such high speeds theoretically could have a higher chance of breaking a bone. getting hit in teh chestpad with the ball could possible rupture your spleen or another organ because of the velocity it could produce.

[OldGoalie]

well, think about it this way. even thought they may get whacked, we as goalies are at a much higher risk for injury then a field player. whacking flesh may do damage or even break a bone, but getting hit with a ball in the same area at such high speeds theoretically could have a higher chance of breaking a bone. getting hit in teh chestpad with the ball could possible rupture your spleen or another organ because of the velocity it could produce.

Eh, I don't think statistics would agree with you. Anecdotally, from my club, way more field players got injured (shoulders, knees, concussion) than any of the goalies did. I would say my experience in high school and college backed that up as well. I rarely saw goalies get seriously injured, and never saw one break a bone (other than a thumb) from getting hit by the ball.

[juskellaxin]

haha well thanks for the input. and ya know, i've played 7 sports and never have i broken so many fingers as i have when in goal

[W.E.Lax]

take a shot to the heart at the wrong time and u will die

[W.E.Lax]

so my friends says

[Lacrosse4life31]

BOTH!!!! I feel the crazy part is letting someone throw a ball at you upwards of 80MPH and even 90 or more.

smart i don't have to run and get to have some thugs beat up some smaller kids (attackmen) yah such a good feeling being the ring leader.
well put! i agree 100%

i gotta say... juskellaxin, you tell stories really well. TELL MORE!!! lol

[lax39er]

take a shot to the heart at the wrong time and u will die

Thats is true but the odds of hitting your heart on the R on T part of the PQRST cycle are very rare.

[juskellaxin]

haha thanks. I really cant explain how funny it really was tho. This kid was struttin around before the game lookin like a hardass and suddenly he was whining and all dazed and confused. It was great. And as the the hitting the heart thing, all new CP feature a small added palte infront of the zyphoid process(sp?) that disperses that blow so it isnt taken as a direct impact the the heart region. so if you properly utilize your equipment, you cannot die

[SellsLax15]

you've gotta be pretty freakin crazy to stand there and got shot at with out flinching

[thekeep4]

yeah ithink both too. thats a funny story

[bmxinspired]

Eh, I don't think statistics would agree with you. Anecdotally, from my club, way more field players got injured (shoulders, knees, concussion) than any of the goalies did. I would say my experience in high school and college backed that up as well. I rarely saw goalies get seriously injured, and never saw one break a bone (other than a thumb) from getting hit by the ball.

thats because theres more field players TO get hurt
put it this way lets say 5 out of 25 of your field players get hurt. so thats 5/25 or 1/5 or 20% of your players
now 1 of your 3 goalies gets hurt. so thats 1/3 or 33%

20%to 33% if you had the same amount of goalies as you did field players.
but no matter what stats show goalies have an increased risk of getting hurt.

[LO_LAX_45]

I have two words to prove that ALL goalies are crazy............... CUP SHOT!!!!!

[meestagoaliemon]

Crazy or Smart...I say BOTH!!!

In and out of net, goalies are just absolutely psycho. The two goalies on my team(which I am proud to be one of) are completely insane. It's pretty funny. Our varsity goalie is emo, so things are usualy interesting at practice.lol

On the other hand, you have to be smart in order to play goalie. We don't run as much, yeah it's true, but we have to be able to think on the fly and react as quickly as possible to EVERYTRHING that happens down at our end of the field. Plus, we always have to be alert of what's going on, and obviously you have to be darn good at what you do. What juskellaxin saw was a good D-Unit. If you have that, the less experienced goalies are better off, but if your defense's poop hits the fan, like mine occasionaly does, the goalie has to be ready for whatever comes at him and take it, no matter how bad it hurts.

Besides, those who think they can get out of running by playing goalie usualy end up sprinting out of net on the first or second cranked shot.

[moondog]

Goalies don't just sit in the crease anymore and absorb shots--the position has changed, and it continues to be in the process of changing.

Since I can play every position well, I often find myself crossing the midfield line over 12 times in a game as a goalie. And I take ridiculous checks to the elbows, legs, and arms--because everyone wants to get the goalie hurt.

So some goalies are much more aggressive and athletic than others--and some love to take risks, while others are serious wussies. I am out of the cage and up the field all the time, and I take tons of checks and do TONS of running.

So don't be so quick to reduce goalies to fat, immobile props in front of the net.

Some goalies, like myself, get TONS of assists, are out of the net a lot, and are contributing in pushing the position to a whole new level of overall athleticism.

[juskellaxin]

Goalies don't just sit in the crease anymore and absorb shots--the position has changed, and it continues to be in the process of changing.

Since I can play every position well, I often find myself crossing the midfield line over 12 times in a game as a goalie. And I take ridiculous checks to the elbows, legs, and arms--because everyone wants to get the goalie hurt.

So some goalies are much more aggressive and athletic than others--and some love to take risks, while others are serious wussies. I am out of the cage and up the field all the time, and I take tons of checks and do TONS of running.

So don't be so quick to reduce goalies to fat, immobile props in front of the net.

Some goalies, like myself, get TONS of assists, are out of the net a lot, and are contributing in pushing the position to a whole new level of overall athleticism.
I'm not saying goalies are fat or lazy. I'm 240lbs and run a 4.9sec 40. I was realying the story as it occurred. I agree w/ the running. while i dont go as far a 12 times a game, i occassionally take a stroll across midfield