Uniquely Canadian sports

Canada is a nation of sports enthusiasts. The most visible sport is, of course, hockey, but there are two sports other than hockey that are uniquely Canadian and which contribute to Canada's national identity.

Lacrosse

Lacrosse is a team sport that has been around since the days of the aboriginals. It was used as a way for young tribesmen to work through disagreements, to settle conflicts that arose between tribes, and to train the youth to become warriors. It was a rough game for them, and they took it seriously. They considered it to be ‘the creator's game’ which gave lacrosse its spiritual aspect.

Although it was called several different things in native tongues, the French missionaries named it lacrosse, meaning bat or stick. Lacrosse is played with sticks that have nets on the end. The objective is to use these netted sticks to send the ball through a goal protected by the other team.

Lacrosse is still popular today, and is played by both professional lacrosse teams and college teams. There are 10 men to a team,who occupy the positions of attackmen, defensemen, midfielder and goalkeeper. Women's lacrosse has different rules geared toward less physical contact.

Dog Sledding

Because of the climate, dog sledding is a winter sport of choice in many northern areas of Canada. Competitions are held amongst teams of sled dogs who pull their driver (musher) in timed races across a specific course. The length of the races varies. Some are very short while others are long-distance. The number of dogs in a team also varies, depending on the individual competition.

The dogs involved are usually Siberian Huskies or Alaskan Malamutes, but other breeds are also used. Sometimes cross-breeds, which are intended to capture the strengths of more than one breed, are used.

Dog sledding has its own unique terminology. ‘Whoa’ will stop the dogs, and ‘hike’ starts them off. ‘Easy’ is the command that will make them slow down. ‘Gee’ and ‘haw’ tell the dogs to go right and left, respectively.

Lead dogs are those who are at the head of the harnessed pack and are very special animals that have an instinct for leading. Swing dogs (point dogs) are located directly behind the lead dogs, and it's their job to swing the team around turns. Wheel dogs are hitched next to the sled and are responsible for guiding it in tight spots. The rest of the dogs are simply team dogs who supply additional pull.