Lacrosse Sticks

Much of the lacrosse stick’s development could be credited to STX, one of the major lacrosse sport equipment manufacturers. Before the STX era, before lacrosse players greatly improved their game performance with the use of modern synthetic materials, lacrosse players have one thing much in common with each other and maybe the native American Indians that use to play the archaic sport – a crude, wooden lacrosse stick that’s inefficiently balanced, heavy and cumbersome, with weak structural integrity and broke against the rigorous demands of the sport. Even after several centuries of playing the game, the lacrosse sticks remain virtually unchanged – until STX formulated the first lacrosse stick.

Fashioned out of northern hardwood like hickory, these lacrosse sticks are very hard to manufacture, and at the time cost a bit more than what it should today. Because they are made by hand, each of the hickory lacrosse stick would differ characteristically against another, making the process of choosing one hard. If in case a lacrosse stick broke, which is saying almost frequently, the player has to adjust against his new lacrosse stick since as said no two sticks are evenly similar. There would always be slight differences: maybe a thicker buttress than the other one, or a slightly steeper curve on the shaft or the cup head is more clinching to the ball, such difference can spell huge game divergence. Schools and colleges that participate on intercollegiate lacrosse are said to spend a full day just to sort the inventory of a local lacrosse stick dealer for just around 60 lacrosse sticks. Thus the need for a good material for lacrosse stick is very much desired and withstanding.

Then came the inception of the STX Company. It was around 1970 when Richard B.C. Tucker Sr. introduced the STX Company with the first lacrosse stick product. It was a double wall, synthetic lacrosse head feature, having a Dupont Adriprene urethane rubber over a plastic molded head. Its being light and the Adriprene urethane rubber gave it slick control. And the best feature, all sticks are equally, consistently and efficiently made.

The shift of the lacrosse stick was surprising at that time, and many sports purist resisted the idea of having to use synthetic crosse for the game. It didn’t last long however, as players by and by found out that the new invention was far better than the traditional mainstays. By the next year, STX flagship product, to be dubbed on the later generations as simply “the first lacrosse stick”, became the only lacrosse stick type to be played when scoring goals during the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Championship. That was on 1971 and incidentally, it was also the first NCAA Lacrosse championship.

What made it better than the traditional wood carved lacrosse sticks? The ease of construction for one allowed for synthetic cheap lacrosse sticks, and the manufacturing faster. While wood whittlers could only produce so many, these factory-produced synthetic lacrosse sticks fulfill each order and several more extra for shelf space. There’s no difficulty in choosing one: all synthetic lacrosse sticks have basically the same characteristics. While a really good traditional lacrosse stick could outshine any synthetic make specification wise, the consistency of synthetic lacrosse stick manufacturing supercede such yield. It became clear then, lacrosse sticks have to turn to synthetic manufacturing for improvement. And it did become better.

Nowadays, the best designs for lacrosse sticks come from the big three in lacrosse equipment manufacturers, STX, Warrior Lacrosse and Brine, Co. Each offer yet another innovative design in the lacrosse sticks, yet no lacrosse player can ever forget where such design came from.