Clifford “Cliff” Kigar was a 2015 US Lacrosse All American following his senior season at Olentangy High School in Lewis Center, Ohio. He continued his lacrosse career at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, competing four years on the men’s varsity team. Cliff Kigar has coached the Haymakers Lacrosse program since 2015.
Lacrosse participation in the United States has stabilized following a slight dip in 2020. Research shows that more than 2.1 million American athletes were playing the sport in 2019. However, lacrosse suffered the same consequences as every team sport during the COVID-19 pandemic, with participation falling to 1.88 million in 2020.
The sport had made a slight rebound by the close of 2021, with participation just shy of 1.9 million athletes. Lacrosse is one of the more popular high school sports for girls, with annual participation approaching 100,000 students.
Lacrosse is particularly popular in Delaware, a Mid-Atlantic hub for the sport, and cities as diverse as Gainesville, Florida, and Erie, Pennsylvania. The states of Maryland, Washington, and Texas are also home to thriving lacrosse communities.
