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BALTIMORE, Feb. 24, 2015 — US Lacrosse representatives have reached an agreement with the Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) to delay implementation of the new standard for women’s lacrosse eyewear until January 1, 2017. Until that date, both the current standard for women’s eyewear, ASTM F803, and the new standard passed in 2014, F3077, will be legal for all levels of play governed by US Lacrosse rules.

“We want consumers to understand that there is no significant change to eyewear products between these two performance standards,” said Melissa Coyne, director of games administration at US Lacrosse. “The primary difference in the two standards is the testing protocol that equipment manufacturers will now be utilizing.”

ASTM bylaws require a review of its standards every five years. During the review of F803, which is a general eyewear standard used for multiple sports, a request was made to develop an eyewear standard specific for women’s lacrosse. That standard became F3077. While some manufacturers have released products that meet F3077, others have not. For the 2015 and 2016 seasons, women’s eyewear products meeting either standard will be legal for play.

US Lacrosse rules have mandated the required use of protective eyewear in women’s lacrosse since 2005, and all women’s eyewear products have been required to meet the performance standards defined by ASTM F803. Markings on the outside of the product packaging confirm that the eyewear complies with the ASTM standard.

“The standard is designed to provide the best possible eye protection for women’s lacrosse players,” Coyne said. “The new standard is an updated version that includes better and more consistent test methodology, but does not drastically change anything structural.”

US Lacrosse maintains that protective equipment is just one essential element in producing a safe playing experience. Having certified coaches with sport-specific education, utilizing trained and certified officials, and mandating the use of age-appropriate rules are all critical safety components as well.

About US Lacrosse
US Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is the national governing body of men’s and women’s lacrosse and the home of the nation’s fastest-growing sport. US Lacrosse has more than 430,000 members in 68 regional chapters across the country. Through responsive and effective leadership, US Lacrosse provides programs and services to inspire participation while protecting the integrity of the sport. Bookmark, like and follow US Lacrosse at uslacrosse.org, fb.com/uslacrosse and @uslacrosse, respectively.

About ASTM International
Established in 1898, ASTM International provides a global forum for the development and publication of international voluntary consensus standards for materials, products, systems and services. ASTM standards are used in research and development, product testing and quality systems, and help guide manufacturing and trade in the global economy. ASTM membership includes more than 30,000 technical experts from 150 countries around the world. Approximately 12,000 ASTM standards are published each year and can be found in the 80-volume Annual Book of ASTM Standards or online at ASTM.org.

Check out Stylin Strings latest Ship Out Shout Out. This installment highlights our new UVA dyes and UVA kit giveaway. Skaggs mentions #Stringleague, the #supplyorderoftheday, a California Plus, and a fantastic LAS Pita by T-bird.

Check out the sick Lacrosse Sticks we build here at Stylin’ Strings Lacrosse, Media, and Apparel. You can check out our site for all of your Stringing and Dying needs, and our Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube for up to date info on what we are up to at the studio and get the lowdown on some cool contests and events. Links below.
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Good afternoon Media Friends,

We are reaching out to you today to announce the Penn State Men’s Lacrosse is partnering with Cascade & Maverik Lacrosse. I’ve attached the press release for this partnership as well as included imagery for custom Penn State equipment for download off of our FTP site. All images have been sized 900×600 and for web security the links are set to expire 2/28/15 — please download all the images and include in the release. We’d very much appreciate you sharing with our team, cc’d, your posted link for this release so that we can echo your efforts through our social media channels. I’ve also included Jen Heisel who is the Assistant Director of Athletic Communications at Penn State for any questions.

Cascade Helmet Photos

Penn State MAVERIK gloves

Penn State MAVERIK heads

Penn State MAVERIK shafts

As the release mentions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to Tory or myself with any questions you may have in regards to the partnership.

Thank you for your time and effort — I’m looking forward to catching up with you all.

The most frequent questions we hear from our customers are “What is the best head?” and “What head should I buy?” We are here to help, whether you’re buying your first head, or you’re experienced and looking to try something new.

These rules of thumb will help you weigh different aspects that come into consideration when selecting a new lacrosse stick. Before we dive into the selection criteria, we would like to explain that there might be subsequent letters and/or numbers given in the head model’s name that denote what level of play is intended for the product. Each head is listed on our website with full disclosure regarding the legalities of individual items, so feel free to review this material on your own.

One of the first main factors that must be taken into account is price. Accordingly, a high price doesn’t necessarily translate into a better product. Higher prices will, however, broaden your selection to include heads that offer advanced technology, such as enhanced plastic molds like c-channel technology, better plastic compounds, and R&D by professional athletes. To offer a personal example, while one of us attended Lynchburg College, one of the All-American midfielders would use nothing but an AV8, STX’s staple beginner level head. He went on to play for the Philadelphia Wings and occasionally saw pictures of him still using an AV8.

Players of the same positions tend to prefer the same features when selecting a head. Attackmen tend to be the most picky and lean toward the tightest pinched heads to offer the most ball protection for cradling one handed. They also value lightweight heads to be able to quickly avoid checks by defensemen and offer more of a feel of the ball when seated in the pocket. Popular choices for these players include:

Midfielders tend to use heads falling in between the characteristics of predominantly offensive or defensive products. A head with a moderate pinch and a stiffer construction are favored due to enduring more abusive play than would be encountered at the attackman position. Popular choices for these players include all heads listed above in the attackman section, plus:

Defensively, wider heads dominate because the position is extremely reactionary, where wider heads allow passes or shots to be picked off and knocked down easier. A wider head also helps make quick ground ball pickups smoother. Stiffness is also an important factor for defensemen because stiffer heads transfer more of a check’s energy to the opposition, offering the greatest opportunity to dislodge the ball, or leave a nice welt. Popular choices for these players include:

All Universal

• Brine Triumph
• Brine Edge X
• Brine Cyber X
• Warrior Revolution X
• Warrior Revolution 3X
• Gait Saber
• Maverik Tank
• STX Hammer U
• STX Proton U
• STX X10 U

Other characteristics to consider are the layout and quantity of stringing holes along the bottom sidewall rail, the head’s offset, and the location of the widest part of the sidewall structure.

More stringing holes allow for a greater number of pocket configurations and stringing the perfect pocket becomes less of a chore. Locks and double knots can be placed in the exact position for the pocket style being created.

The offset of the head refers to the dropping down of a head where the shaft is inserted into the head, also referred to as the throat area of the head. This innovation gives players a more precise feel of the ball and better ball retention while cradling as well as increased accuracy and precision when passing and shooting.

Lastly, each head has a portion of the sidewall that is wider than the rest, and some portions are longer than others. Maverik has done a great job explaining this feature with their newest line of heads:

The Optik head features what Maverik calls a “Level 2″ sidewall, meaning that the widest part of the sidewall construction is close to the throat of the stick. This adds protection and precision to players who use mid to low placed pockets.

Alternatively, the Maverik Tank features a “Level 5″ sidewall, meaning the widest part of the sidewall construction is closer to the scoop of the head, giving immediate control to those who like their pocket to sit higher up.

Please note that this is a separate characteristic of heads, one that is different than the pinch of the head when looking at the face.

There are many factors that go into selecting the most appropriate head and this is a broad overview of where to start your search. We will expand on this article in the future to cover this subject in more detail, so be sure to check back soon. As always, if you have any questions we are more than happy to assist you over the phone at 717-846-0800 or by email at sales@stylinstrings.com.

COLT LACROSSE SHAFT
Carbon handles are improving and the market for quality suppliers is definitely on the rise with companies like Epoch and now Colt Lacrosse on the market. Colt has been a supplier of high end high quality Hockey sticks for a while but have decided to enter the lacrosse market. For their first outing they have done a great job. I know from speaking to the guys over at Colt during development they didn’t skip any corners and spent a long time developing their shafts. They wanted to make 100% sure they were only supplying players with the highest quality product. Their first shafts simply called the Colt and the Colt Box impressed us quickly and are now in regular use with 2 of our players. Due to a pretty bad knee injury I had some major help from my guys James (testing the Colt field shaft having primary experience with field lacrosse) and Andrew (testing the Colt Box as he is primarily a box player. He even took the shaft back to Buffalo, New York with him over winter break and putting the shaft through its paces with some guys from the Tonowanda Reservation.

SHAPE Colt BOX 9 out of 10/ Colt 9 out of 10
Colt lacrosse opted for a traditional octagonal shape with their shafts without rounded edges. As a result the shaft fit well into your fingers allowing the use to become natural. Andrew and James both said the shafts felt great in the way of shape and held up well when giving stiff checks especially in the box game where crosschecks are very important. All Colt shafts come at the box length making them a little long for the field game but are able to be cut down easily to meet the required 40-42 inch length for a shorty in field. Overall both shafts earn a 9 out of 10

GRIP Colt BOX 7.5 out of 10/ Colt 7.5 out of 10
The Colt line of shafts both feature a graphic that adds a lot of grip when playing. For those who enjoy a grippy shaft this is a great feature but from our experiences it is not exactly long lasting as checks cause the graphic to peel and fall away and for those who are not as big a fan of grip a bit of tape will reduce the stickiness of the handle. The lack of longevity on the grippy graphic reduces the score on these handles but is something that can be improved on later models.

WEIGHT Colt BOX 7 out of 10/ Colt 8 out of 10
The Colt shafts are thick when it comes to the carbon layering used in them increasing the weight. On the side of the BOX Andrew definitely noticed a significant weight difference even from other box shafts but said that you can really feel the power you get behind your checks and shots when using the shaft, leading to this shaft definitely being popular with the more defensive players who lay the lumber for their teams. The field Colt is also very heavy when compared to other shafts but being about half the thickness as far as the carbon layering goes it is still lighter than the BOX and for those looking for the older heavier feel this will be popular. The Colt BOX brings in a 7 out of 10 while the Colt brings a little better 8 out of 10 for weight.

DURABILITY Colt BOX 9 out of 10/ Colt 7.5 out of 10
Andrew and James put these shafts through the ringer for durability and overall the Colts came out swinging. The BOX is definitely the stronger of the two being much thicker and after several games while back in NY visiting the Tonowanda Reservation Andrew feels confident that breaking will not be an issue with the Colt BOX. You can lay heavy cross checks and take absolute hammers to it without any noticeable scratches or dings which is pretty great as the normal box shafts he brings here to Florida are dented and bent pretty regularly from play. The Colt field version is much thinner and looks like a traditional wrap when it comes to the carbon fiber so though it can take or give a check we don’t see it holding up in the same fashion as the BOX since the reduced thickness takes away from what makes the BOX such a tank on the field. Lay lumber with confidence with the Colt Box rating 9 out of 10 and feel good giving and taking a good field stick check with the Colt rating 7.5 out of 10.

LOOKS Both 8 out of 10
Looks don’t make or break a shaft but hey I’ll always say it if you’re going to spend money why not have it look nice too? The Colt line of shafts look clean with the silver black and yellow nothing fancy but the graphic is large so those who want a blank will want to remove the graphic. Overall the shafts look nice but their performance is really why you will want one 8 out of 10.

OVERALL Colt BOX 8 out of 10/ Colt 8 out of 10
The Colt line of shafts is their first take at lacrosse and honestly they did a really good job. Time will tell how they hold up against competition but definitely for players looking for another carbon shaft to try out give them a nod. If you’re a box player looking for a hammer to lay down this is definitely your shaft it might just be the next Orange Crush. Colt receives a respectable 8 out of 10 on both of their shafts

Los Angeles, CA.; February 7, 2015; StringKing Lacrosse is proud to announce the release of Grizzly Mesh™. A 12-diamond, ultra-light goalie mesh, Grizzly Mesh™ is designed and engineered to help goalies make more saves, surrender fewer rebounds and throw sharper outlets.

“We waited on making goalie mesh for so long because we wanted to create something special,” said StringKing Co-founder and President Jake McCampbell. “To make a game-changing goalie mesh, we focused on three main attributes: weight, rebound control and consistency.”

Weighing only 83 grams, Grizzly Mesh is the lightest goalie mesh ever created. More than 30 grams lighter than other goalie meshes on the market, Grizzly Mesh significantly reduces the overall weight of the goalie’s stick, making their hands faster so they can make more saves. New FlexLite™ fibers not only reduce the overall weight of the mesh, but also create a controlled horizontal stretch designed to absorb the impact of the ball and help it die in the pocket.

A new knitting pattern creates a deep, channeled pocket that allows goalies to throw outlet passes with more accuracy and consistency than ever before, and like all StringKing products, Grizzly Mesh™ is made with all-weather materials, ensuring that the pocket will not stretch, shrink or change over time regardless of conditions.

“As a former goalie, I take a lot of pride in our goalie mesh,” added McCampbell. “We chose the name GRIZZLY because it’s representative of the way the position should be played—big and aggressive. You don’t have to be a big person to be big in the net, and we hope Grizzly Mesh™ inspires that attitude.”

StringKing Grizzly Mesh™ is now available online and at local lacrosse retailers for $39.99. To learn more about Grizzly Mesh™ as well as where to buy, visit StringKingLacrosse.com

The #1 mesh in college lacrosse and the official mesh supplier of the MLL & NLL—there’s a reason why the best trust StringKing.

By now, every lacrosse player and parent should be aware of the NHFS pocket rule changes that will be implemented in the 2016 season. The main change is that all shooting strings must be within four inches from the top of the lacrosse head as well as pass a 90-degree stick check. A 90-degree stick check you have seen when a referee holds a players stick upside down to see if the ball rolls out freely. This means you must have straight shooting strings no more than four inches measured from the top of your lacrosse stick only arced with the top of the head. All players will need to conform to these revisions after this season and quite frankly should do so immediately this pre-season if possible.

Reason #1 – The new pocket rules will result in better hands, as you will not be able to depend on the U shooter.

As a veteran professional who strings a variation of pocket styles on a daily basis I believe every player should have a 2016 legal pocket. “The wand doesn’t make the wizard” as some have so eloquently put it. There is only one excuse that I may accept in this matter and that is you’re a high school senior not planning on playing the sport of lacrosse next year. If this is the case then feel free to keep what you’re using.

Reason #2 – The edge it gives you in the game.

Getting used to the new rule sooner will give you an advantage over those hesitating to do such. Thus giving you enough time to adapt and adjust to what you’re eventually going to be using anyway. Hours of wall ball with a new pocket that will be perfectly legal next year can only help improve your game. Practice makes perfect, whether you’re using a certain type of mesh or traditional stringing the rules stay the same.

Reason #3 – You plan on playing in college.

Finally, knowing that you are well within the NFHS rules and have nothing to worry about is a perfectly good reason to switch today. NCAA rules are a bit stricter so getting used to a pocket that falls in both of these categories would provide you with a nice peace of mind that will last you until graduating from a University with a degree.

If you have any questions on re-stringing your head or would like us to help make the switch you can call or email us and we will gladly walk you through the process. You can also see a full line of college legal pockets at http://www.stylinstrings.com/Category/NCAA-Compliant-Lacrosse-Pockets. You can send a head to us or purchase a new head from all the major leading brands.

-Van O’Banion