While the cold weather prohibits most sports from being played outside, it hasn’t stopped some ISU students from participating in one of the most competitive field events indoors.

Ben Perry, president of the ISU Lacrosse Club, said the club’s goals are to compete in the United States Lacrosse Intercollegiate Associates (USLIA), to learn the sport of lacrosse and, most importantly, to have a good time.

“I think a lot of people join because they are curious about the sport,” said Perry, junior in transportation and logistics. “Lacrosse is a big sport on the East Coast, and we are lucky we’ve had the opportunity to bring it here.”

Iowa State introduced the club in 1992, just when the sport was beginning to pick up throughout the Midwest. Since then, the club has joined the Upper Midwest Lacrosse League (UMLL), and it has recently joined new league USLIA, which is run by the Minnesota Lacrosse Association and governed by the NCAA.

Perry said the club competes mostly against teams from Minnesota, as well as the University of Iowa and the University of Illinois.

“Minnesota is better than most teams only because many high schools offer the sport,” Perry said. “Texas, who we played a few years back, is also a big competitor, but they are not in the league this year.”

Perry said the 30-member group, which includes freshmen to seniors, practices twice a week and attends anywhere from 12 to 15 tournaments per semester.

“Just being able to play with so many different guys has been really exciting for me,” Perry said.

Steve Bertling, member of the Lacrosse Club, said he began playing lacrosse in high school and thought it would be fun to join an on-campus club.

“The great thing about the club is that no previous experience is required,” said Bertling, senior in chemical engineering. “About 75 percent of the guys in the club now never even picked up a racket until they joined. It takes a lot of time and effort to learn the sport, but you’re in a comfortable environment.”

Bertling said the club has been growing every year since he joined in spring 1997 when there were only 15 members. The club is encouraging students to contact any member for more information.

“Anyone who is just looking to get involved in a sport that doesn’t have a huge time commitment but has a lot of fun,” Bertling said.

Upcoming tournaments will be held Feb. 2 through Feb. 4 and March 26 through March 27 in Minnesota, and April 1 and April 2 in Ames.