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Treasure Hunt: Connor Wilson’s Booty

The season of gifting, otherwise known as the Christmas/Chanukah/Kwanza triumverate, is still over 6 months away, but there is so much sweet gear out there that I figure I might as well start my list right now. Shoot, I’ll dub this a treasure hunt (hints the post title), and I’m going to have the entire LAS team onboard this ship to share what they’ve got their sights on as well. While the lists will obviously be lacrosse heavy (this is LAS after all!), there will also be some other sick hard and soft goods included. Because let’s face it, we don’t just love sweet gear, we love sweet sweet gear too – This is a lifestyle!!

If you think I’ve missed something dope, let me know about it in the comments, or create your own list and email it to me (connor@lacrosseallstars.com).  If I get any submissions that straight up amaze me, I’ll post it and send you a goodie bag with LAS items TBD.  Trust me, being internet famous and getting SWAG will make all your efforts well worthwhile.

HARD BOOTY

Heads:

There are a number of heads on the market right now and while I obviously want ALL of them… The 3-4 that stuck out to me the most were the Reebok 10K, the Harrow CrossbowX, the Brine Gospel and the Maverik Bazooka.  The Reebok 10K could be seen all over the place in the NLL this past season and I’m dying to get my hands on their top head to see what Reebok can really do.  I’ve seen the 6K and the 9K and while both are good heads, it’s always fun to look at and use a manufacturers premium product.

I don't play for Tufts but I would rock this Brown and Baby Blue Reebok 10k fo sho!

Harrow has been making heads for a while now and they really seem to be getting the hang of things.  The design of the Harrow Crossbow X is nice but not too flashy and after a couple of years, most companies’ product quality improves greatly so I’m really ready to try Harrow’s stuff out for real.  They also have a one-piece head/shaft combo product that looks interesting and I’d absolutely love to get my hands on one of those.

This stick looks sick. Anyone who says otherwise is a Communist. Would be nice to actually try one though.

The Brine Gospel is expensive so I probably won’t ever buy one, however it does look pretty intense.  Lots of stringing options, a nice pinch, generous pinch and sweet design make the Gospel appear to be a top level stick.  Without trying it out though, I just can’t commit to any sort of complete review.  How stiff is it?  Can it take the beating an old, out of shape Dpole will give out?  Is it worth $115?  So many questions.

VERY expensive. But also VERY sweet looking.

The last head I want to try is the Maverik Bazooka.  I might just buy one of these bad boys as they cost about $40 and I’ve often found that select Junior heads will a) last forever and b) function just as well as the top of the line gear.  This isn’t true for a stick like the AV8 from STX but it is true for some of Nike’s beginner sticks.  I’d like to see where the Bazooka fits in and I love the large Maverik logo on the sidewall.  This could be a dye masters dream wand.

Sure, it's cheap and for beginners but that doesn't mean it's not awesome!

Pads:

I have CPro7 and the helmet is straight money except for one thing:  one of the screws on the side of the helmet that controls the size adjustment fell out and I can’t replace it with a random screw as it had a special plastic housing on it that also fell off.  I tried to get Cascade to send me a replacement part but instead I got an email with a list of helmet refurbishers I could send my lid to.  Yeah, I want to spend a ton of money sending my helmet to someone so they can overcharge me for a part and 3 minutes of labor.  No thanks.  Honestly, I’d rather have my helmet rattle.  Or… Try a new helmet… and I want to try the Warrior Trojan.

Evidently Warrior is going through a huge redesign of their helmets (even though they just released them!) and this can only mean that their product is going to be even better for next season.  For this reason alone I want to try out their product and who knows, maybe I’ll even convert over to the dark side!

So shiny and sparkly. So fresh and so clean, clean. Warrior's Trojan helmet.

Warrior also seems pretty willing to deliver custom helmets (like Duke’s flat black helmet or Harvard’s sparkly maroon masterpiece) whereas Cascade will only make pink helmets for the MLL.  Cascade has had an absolute strangle hold on lax helmets for the past 10 years+ but they are really going to have to step their customer service game up with Warrior right on their heels.

Another area of lacrosse equipment that is seeing a small revolution is padding.  Arm pads and rib pads are as light, protective and good looking as they’ve ever been.  There are a ton of good products in lacrosse and a lot of it depends on preference.  Where lacrosse has not made as many leaps and bounds, is in the shoulder pad department and that is where football comes in.  McDavid has developed breathable shirts with hexagonal padding inserted into the garment.  While this isn’t new and Brine did it years ago with their Rhinoskin, McDavid just has a knack for doing things better when it comes to padding since it’s really all they do.

McDavid dropping that Hexpad action on your important parts

The McDavid 6-Hexpad shirt features shoulder pads, rib pads, a pad for the sternum and one on the back to protect the spine.  The pads are designed for any athlete in any sport but the technology evolved from football and if the padding works for football, it will work for lacrosse as well.  The only lacrosse-centric problem is that the sternum protection may or may not reduce your risk for sudden heart failure if you take a rip off the chest.  More scientific review and testing will have to be done first.

Cleats:

I’ve covered protection pretty thoroughly starting with the head so I’ll end with the feet.  Makes sense, right?  I want me some Adidas cleats.  “Why?!?!” you may ask, and it’s a fair question because Adidas has not made the most visually stunning shoes in, well, forever.  The reason is that unlike my boy, 412, I care more about function than fashion when it comes to my feet.  And don’t try to dispute 412’s foot fashion fetish either, the guy wears Jordan cleats that weight 600 pounds.  ‘Nuff said.

Adidas Scorch 8 Superfly Cleats - grippy!

The Addias Scorch 8 Superfly cleats look ok (which is an improvement over blech) since the brand with 3 stripes kept it nice and simple and the cleat design looks like some of the best I’ve ever seen.  The spikes are long and multiple and would provide good up and down speed as well as providing a solid change of direction.  I can’t speak to their comfort level or break in time because I’ve never worn them but the look like you could play lax all day in them and then still make it out of the training room in time to drink some adult beverages.

SOFT BOOTY

Anon Sunglasses – the dopeness. Slight changes to old school shades keep them up to date and classic at the same time.  I bought some modernized wayfarers and they’re way better than what all the hiptards are wearing.  Trust me, I live in Brooklyn and know these things.

Creative Recreation Sneakers – they’re loud and proud.  You can get perforated leather, metallic finishes and super high hi-tops.  All of it is fresh.  I recommend checking them out if you’ve never heard of the company.  Good for skating, looking good and running away from juiceheads on the Jersey shore (simpler solution: don’t go there).

Alphanumeric (a#) plaid shirts – nothing too fancy, just wide stripes, classic patterns and bright colors.  It’s a shirt.

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About the Author: Connor is a life-long lacrosse player who doesn’t know when to give up on the game. He played and coached at Wesleyan University and now plays for the Southampton LC in NYC. Connor lives with his fiance in Brooklyn and thanks her for allowing him to keep the dream alive.

Contact him at connor@lacrosseallstars.com.