Looking for an excuse to get in shape, have fun?

The Lacrosse season is about to get underway and players all over are gearing up to hit the fields for what appears to be a great time for the northwest novelty.

Adam Paris, a Portland State student, is looking for a few good men to help him get a lacrosse team together. Paris wants to introduce the sport to the Portland State campus, where it has never existed.

Besides being able to play with a great group of guys, Paris is hoping to enter the team in various tournaments throughout the lacrosse season. He is very adamant about getting a club together and makes the point that schools such as Linfield and Lewis and Clark have lacrosse teams, yet Portland State has a much larger student body and still lacks a lacrosse team.

Paris began playing the sport when he was in high school and said it grabbed a hold of him and to this day, has yet to let go.

“I like the sport a lot,” Paris said. “It’s basically got any aspect of any sport,” he pointed out. “It’s spreading like crazy over the Northwest.”

So far, Paris has a few scrimmages in the works, and hopes to be able to scrimmage with teams from Oregon State University and the University of Oregon. The games will not be NCAA sanctioned however, as Paris’ team would strictly be a club sport. With a little elbow grease and increased participation, the sport could one day be sanctioned by PSU.

However, there are a couple of requirements to join the club. First off, participants should be somewhat athletic and in decent shape. Secondly, Paris wants students who have a serious desire to play. And the third requirement is to have a good time.

Those seeking more information about Paris’ club should either call him at 503-246-7612 or send an e-mail to [email protected].

Students seeking to play lacrosse year round can turn to Lacrosse Northwest, which is an offseason lacrosse company.

Lacrosse Northwest provides diehard lacrosse players of all ages and genders with locations to play the sport all throughout the year. Besides providing venues for people to play, Lacrosse Northwest provides group and private lessons for those seeking to improve their skills.

Doug Foster, who heads up Lacrosse Northwest, said there can be up to six different leagues for people to play in at any one time. These leagues are divided up on a gender and age basis.

There is a fee required to participate in Lacrosse Northwest, which varies if you want to play indoor or outdoor. The indoor fee is slightly higher and stands at $95 and the outdoor fee is $80, both cover a season of eight games.

Although that may seem pricey, the money goes to pay for referees, fields to play on and other vital ingredients.

Besides being the companies’ president, Foster is a lacrosse player and coach and makes sure to provide players with the best possible coaches and officials from around the Northwest. He also takes pride in the fact that the program takes care of everything for the players so that all they have to do is join, show up and play.

“It’s a great way to play a no pressure style of game,” Foster said.

“There’s not that much commitment involved. This is a more relaxing way to play.”

People seeking more information about Lacrosse Northwest should visit its Web site at www.laxnw.com or contact Foster at 503-295-7774.