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Wooden Sticks Making a Comeback?

wooden3Are wooden sticks making a comeback?  Probably not but I have seen a little bit of coverage lately and that is more than I usually see!

Max Seibald has picked up a wooden stick from Alfie Jaques (not to mention he got to meet Oren Lyons, the legend himself!) as a gift but no word on whether or not he’s actually going to use it.  I’ve been trying to get Max to come play a little lax some Sunday in NYC to test it out but so far… no luck.

I took matters into my own hands (literally) and found out that you can buy wooden sticks from the Mohawk International Lacrosse company located on Cornwall Island, which is Mohawk Nation Territory or part of Canada, depending on who you ask.  I tend to side with the Akwesasne on this one, but I went to Wesleyan (and played sweet lax there!) so I’m easily dismissed as just some bleeding heart liberal.

MOH-TRADMISS_160_160
The Mohawk Plastic head I bought is called the “Mission”. Its kind of like a Brine Edge!

Anyway, I called the phone number and ordered a stick.  They still don’t do online purchasing so I actually had to call and speak with a rep, and in this day and age of technology, the random human interaction was actually pretty neat.

As an aside, I also ordered one of their plastic heads and was pleased to learn that a) the head only costs $55 unstrung b) the head is stiff as hell and will basically never break and c) they actually make the plastic heads in North America, whereas every other company has their production facility outside of NA, with most operating in China.  They all blame costs but if the Mohawk can produce a stick in NA and sell it for only $55, I don’t see why companies like Warrior, STX and Reebok can’t do the same.

So I got a Mohawk Wooden Box Stick and had to try it out.  I play in a fall Sunday lacrosse league put on by Ulax right here in NYC on the Lower East Side and that presented the perfect chance to whip out the woody and let ‘er rip.

Dodging with a Woody. Ok, that clearly doesn't sound good.
Dodging with a Woody. Ok, that clearly doesn’t sound good.

In my first game I used the Mohawk Plastic Stick on my longpole and it did not dissappoint.  Stiff but light while also being wide, just like a dman likes!

I stuck around and played 2 more games as a middie and attackman to try out the wooden stick and I must say, it was AWESOME!  The ball sits in there snugly and is hard to dislodge.  The catching is nice and soft because of the excellent traditional string job.  The throws are consistent and the stick feels pretty balanced in my hands.  Somehow I managed to drop an assist or two and even score a couple of goals before the day is done and I would not call myself an offensive specialist by any means.  I can handle with the best of the long poles  but I’ve got nothing on true attackmen… yet this stick made me feel like one.