Whitesboro New intercollegiate programs at SUNY Utica-Rome and Utica College. Fledgling girls varsity programs at New Hartford and Rome Free Academy, and a second-year boys varsity program at Lowville. New junior varsity programs at Clinton and Whitesboro next year.

Lacrosse is enjoying increased visibility on the area sports landscape these days. Yet the game has been contested, spiritedly, in an organized area adult league since the early 1980s.

The Tri-City Lacrosse League prepares to open its 16th season next week with registration and a player draft at 6:15 p.m. today at Marcy Elementary School on Maynard Drive, and a pair of scrimmages on Thursday.

"It's a well kept secret, which it's not supposed to be," said Brent Dodge of Utica, an 11-year veteran of the four-team league whose games are played at Whitesboro High School and Marcy Elementary.

Tri-City has given post collegiate players, as well as active collegiate and high school varsity players, a steady outlet since its formation in 1984 by a trio of Whitesboro grads. "Geno (DeCondo) and I were sitting at the end of our respective college benches, and we knew we needed to play," joked co-founder Bob Leary,

who played lacrosse at Herkimer County Community College and Oneonta State, " So Jack (Angrisano) took (up the idea) and formed a league."

Adult lacrosse as a rule doesn't exist on an organized basis outside of the sport's eastern hot spots, like Washington, D.C. and Maryland, Long Island and , on a smaller scale, Syracuse and the Mohawk Valley.

"Where we offer guys an opportunity to play, in a lot of areas, if you're not a superstar in college you're done in two or three years, " said Leary, the former Whitesboro and current SUNY Utica-Rome coach.

While nowadays newcomers to the league have played competitively at the high school varsity level or higher, there were exceptions in the past. Don Wisniewski liked to watch Syracuse University lacrosse, but didnÕt learn the game for real until his early 20's when he started playing it as one of the league's original members.

"I just played catch and when they started the league, they were looking for players and I just signed," said Wisniewski of Marcy, "Basically, I just hustled and played defense.

"The skill level at that time wasn't nearly what it is now, so you could get by with a lot less skill."

Wisniewski said that in those early years, play in the Tri-City League was rough-and-tumble and at times less than friendly.

"I don't know if it was more competitive or people had more tempers," he said. "But it's not like that anymore."

As charter members advance on 40, the tempo of Tri City games has slowed somewhat. Guile counts for as much as grit, but games are still a great workout.

"I'd much rather do that than play softball," Wisniewski said, "I just like the hustle and running hard, playing good defense, I like playing with the older kids and the younger kids."

The league, which has spawned several youth programs, is a natural training ground for up-and-coming high school laxmen. Whitesboro junior Jason Semo just completed his second varsity season and will return this summer to play for Sullivan Construction in the Tri-City League.

"It makes me stronger because I'm playing with older people," said Semo, a standout attackman for the young Warriors, "And I guess less intimidated. And basically that's one of the biggest factors in lacrosse, just taking the ball to the cage.

It makes me play at a different level-Run harder, push a little more, because I'm playing against my coach (Whitesboro High School's third-year coach Kevin Powers)."