Chavez wood stick blog

[laxhawker]

I see that this little article has brought in quite a few votes on the affirmative. Nice to see the old boys read this page as well. However there is no way that the "woodie" will ever make it back onto an NLL floor or any other except maybe masters but even then highly unlikely.
They belong on basement wall or trophy cases that depict our history not out on the floor.
The growth of our game and the demand for more and more hi-tech equipment would not ever allow the "woodie" to make a come back. No they should and will remain the subject of many a tale spun by the Old Guard that used them to a wide eyed child on his knee thumbing thru the family photo album and reminiscing about the days that " grampa" played lacrosse in one of the most "Violent leagues in the world" ( sorry couldn't resist).

[Laxwizz]

I think we might see them back in the NLL someday, that is if RBK decided to make them.

LW

[ripperbs]

Woodies are still used by a number of players in the MSL

[RockStar#666]

Originally Posted by ripperbs

Woodies are still used by a number of players in the MSL

And like 98% of those players are goalies.



I'd personally like to see them allowed for NLL.

Not because they're any better, or that they'll improve the game, but because they're such great tools of vengeance.

[laxhawker]

Originally Posted by ripperbs

Woodies are still used by a number of players in the MSL

Name said players! Other then goalies, they wield wood they are corpses. No oppositipon would allow a player to come out with wood and not go back with it broken or him beaten up...that is CODE.

[RockStar#666]

A few "technophobic" vets and a few Native players still rock retro sticks, but it's getting rare. Wood had mostly disappeared from MSL before my time watching. Pat McCready was the last non defensive player I saw using one, and even he only used it for part of one season in the last several


Very little advantage, and lots of disadvantage.

[laxhawker]

I call BUULLL-Sh*t. what year? don't just spout back it up. Nobody uses wood and you know it Native or not.

[shawn house]

There was a couple of woodies used by the Iroquois kids at last summers U-19 world field lax championships in Coquitlam

[shameshame]

if your playing boxla out west with a woodie that means you been play SR lax for a hell of a long time. the woodie is grandfathered in and only a handfull of lax players (out west) that are still in shape can use it. Once you move to tupperware you can't go back.

personally I would love to see the woodie make a come back.. it take alot more telant to play with a wooden stick, less egg and spooners... I also think it would make some poeple think twice about swinging thier stick as much as they do...due too pay back is a b*tch.

[RockStar#666]

Originally Posted by laxhawker

I call BUULLL-Sh*t. what year? .......

McCready was screwing around with one two or three seasons ago. Other Brampton fans can back me up.

Other than that, I've seen a couple St. Regis or Six Nations defenders as recently as Summer 2008.

None spotted this summer, but I didn't see Nations, and only saw St. Regis once.

We're talking like maybe one or two runners in the league now though.

[Canadan]

It's rare for the runners to be using the woodie in Senior B also, once again, except for goalies.

[Laxwizz]

Last guy I can definitely say that I saw with a wood stick was Doug Hill from Peterborough and that was maybe 3-4 years ago.

LW

[bclaX70]

I don't recall seeing anyone use a woodie this summer except for the goalies.

[baron]

You still see the odd wood stick in Jr. Like a previous poster said Six Nations defenders have been known to use them. Saw players with wood at the Minto in New Westminister.

Biggest laugh was at the World Field Championships in London Ontario, 2006. Some Iroquois players used wood in prelim games, and for the pre-game warm up vs the USA, a few Team Canada defenders came out with wood long poles.
Maybe a message was being sent....

Still see many goalies in MSL, WLA, Junior A, B use wood sticks, although the big plastic ones are showing up more often now. The NLL should allow proper box goalie sticks, and stop using the field tupperware.

[Dave S-C]

I bought a woodie in 2008 and started used it for Senior C last season as well as in the last two Alcan Cups I've played in.

Last time I saw one used beside mine was in 2008 during a West Coast Senior B game. There is - or was - a player up in Prince George Senior C League that used one as well, but I think he retired a couple of years ago or stopped using it.

[Dave S-C]

Originally Posted by shameshame

if your playing boxla out west with a woodie that means you been play SR lax for a hell of a long time. the woodie is grandfathered in and only a handfull of lax players (out west) that are still in shape can use it. Once you move to tupperware you can't go back.

It's only grandfathered in the WLA which has an outright ban on them now. West Coast Senior B I am not sure what their rules are and how they are allowed. Senior C Leagues (2 of the 4 I am aware, West Central and Prince George) currently have no rules governing their use although in Prince George the referees are instructed to call slashing and highsticking infractions tighter on someone using wood.

[wingswin]

in the late 1990's I played in the PBLA and 1 guy used it then.

[laxhawker]

lets face we are on here talking about singular sighting of guys using woodies, its more like spotting UFOs then a regular event. They belong on mantles or basement or office walls not on the floor. By todays standard they are cumbersome, slow to swing, hard to adjust, in short too much work. yeah they are cool to talk about I have a Logan Special restrung, urethaned and hanging in my office good coversation starter.

[Stonewall35]

I personally would like to see more players use the wood stick. I feel that if a player can use the wood stick effectively, then the plastic shouldn't be as much of a problem.

As for what is used today, most goalies (myself included) still use the wood stick, even though there are lighter options that are just as big now (Warrior Wall, Gait Quad).

On a final note, I believe that tradition is more important than technology when it comes to sticks. The only thing I would modernize on sticks is the pocket.

[RockStar#666]

Wonder if they could modernize the woodie? Improve on hundreds of years of technology with space age materials, just like hockey.

Thinking 1-piece composite construction. Bonus - could be formed with offset head, nicely sculpted scoop, etc.

Pocket could be an updated traditional with some synthetics (nylon pocket lace, and synthetic gut wall at least.....haven't seen an all-leather since the antique I poached from e-Bay a few years back ) .

Now, if you watch hockey, you'll know that the head breakage in men's box would be insane with composites. Damned if this wouldn't be nice for the the "old, fat, slow and drunk" non contact / light contact play many of us are doing though......I know I can shoot better with a woodie, just not as hard due to the extra weight.

Sadly, the potential market is way too small, so this will never happen. Still would be cool.

Oh well, until this happens, I've got a nice ca. 2004 Mitchell that I screw around with once in a while. One day, I may treat myself to an Alf Jacques. I had a chance to meet the man a few years ago and talk stick tech. I have never seen better handmade woodsticks than his.

[Dave S-C]

Originally Posted by RockStar#666

Pocket could be an updated traditional with some synthetics (nylon pocket lace, and synthetic gut wall at least)

On almost all woods seen now have creosoted string for their walls and not cat gut.

But the strange thing is, at least for runners' box sticks, woodies are suprisingly still cheaper when made with all the leather and string than many tupperware sticks cost brand new with their plastic and nylon.

My Mohawk wood cost me $150 brand new while my usual piece of tupperware (STX narrow head and deBeers shaft) cost me in the neighbourhood of $220 (buying head and shaft separately).

[laxhawker]

Dave iI assume part of the price of the Tupperware is R&D and you don't have to pay the young first nations again for the R&D they did 50 yrs ago cause the design of the woodie is the same today...bit narrower is all. technology is the Key to anything moving forward thankfully lacrosse is no acception.

[Dave S-C]

Originally Posted by laxhawker

iI assume part of the price of the Tupperware is R&D

Who knows? One would think woodies would be a lot more expensive due to the craftmanship that goes into them and it takes like a month or so to produce a stick (because it takes that long for the wood to dry after being bent into shape). Go here to see how they are manufactured: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YCXvmZpzM0

Once a tupperware is designed, it's pretty dang easy to mass produce them in Bangladesh or wherever on the cheap. How many plastic heads can a factory make in one month?

I think much of the price on tupperware is simply profit mark-up by the manufacture and not a real indication of their cost of manufacture.

[laxhawker]

nice research Dave, seen that video before and its cool but it does not negate the fact that they just are not practical in todays game.

[Dave S-C]

Originally Posted by laxhawker

it does not negate the fact that they just are not practical in todays game.

Why aren't they "practical"?