The earliest athletic contest played at Podunk was the game of Lacrosse. These games were played over the entire length and breadth of the island in rough and tumble contests that often lasted for several days. As time went on, the surrounding communities began to limit the territory which could be trodden upon, until finally a standardized playing field was decided. With the introduction of the ostrich onto the Podunk campus in 1915, came the most radical advancement to the game of Lacrosse in over a thousand years. The various strains of the bird were brought to the school by the Australian rancher and philanthropist, Sir Edmond Cassowary, as part of an ill-fated research project intended to supply liquid and powdered eggs to Her Majesties troops throughout the world during the First World War. Despite all attempts, the birds were never able to be successfully encouraged to lay sufficient eggs on a regular basis to establish a production farm. Left to themselves the birds reproduced and soon Podunk University was the home of the largest and most varied collection of Ostriches in the world. Recent findings have supported the long held belief that the first to saddle and ride the largest of these birds were members of the Class of '24 from the state of Texas. All accomplished riders and Lacrosse players, the participants quickly established the game of Mounted Lacrosse. Played with reckless abandon, news of this exciting new sport quickly spread. Challenges were extended to all of the neighboring schools with Polo teams, but only Harvard, now brave enough to admit women, took up the call. Regrettably the match never came about, for though the players were willing, their well-bred ponies twitched and kick at the very scent of so strange an animal and could not even be spurred onto the playing field. An inter-team game was quickly commenced and Mounted Lacrosse has hence forth remained solely an inter-mural sport at Podunk University.