How to Buy Lacrosse Gear

Casey Bass: Today on Clubhouse Gas it's a holiday shopping special we're going to help you shop for kids Lacrosse gear. You got a kid, you look in the, get into Lacrosse and you are not really sure what to do, we're here at Breakaway Sports and they are going to help us, and kind of take us through step by step. What your kid need for Lacrosse, may be they will help you out, when you put stuff one of the Christmas tree. So stay tuned to a special holiday shopping edition of Club House Gas. Casey Bass: We are glad to be joined by Cullen Littlefield, Cullen, thank you so much for joining us. Cullen Littlefield: How is it going? Casey Bass: Well it's going pretty good now. The extent of my Lacrosse knowledge goes back to our very first show ever, go back and look at past shows all the way at the bottom. Casey learns Lacrosse and Jimbo taught me and I showed up in my catcher's gear. So, I mean, I need some help here. What we are talking about today is getting close to the holidays, parents are going out shopping and a lot of parents, those kids are just starting to play lacrosse, really I have no-- like if my kid wanted to play lacrosse, I have no idea what to get for him. So I am hoping that you can take me through the process of fitting my -- gearing my kid out as a Christmas present to get ready to play lacrosse, can you help me out with that? Cullen Littlefield: I can do that. Casey Bass: Alright, so let's start off with, I got an eight year old, he comes, he said, dad I want to play Lacrosse, I'm excited lets play Lacrosse. So I want to outfit him for Christmas, show me what it's going to take. Cullen Littlefield: Okay it's going to take a pair of shoulder pads, right here this is just a small pair. It's not as protective as the high-end ones because at the younger level they are not really -- there is not as much physical parts to the game. It's still protective but it's a on a lower end. Casey Bass: Now I don't know if you can tell by looking at me. But I played a little football might be and I wear shoulder pads, they were a lot different than this. Cullen Littlefield: And these are like when we quarterback shoulder pads, that's it. Casey Bass: I don't even know that they would go that far, I don't know that put a quarterback in this. Well we move on here. But this is important, this is what we need. So what is this -- this is for about an eight year old. And whats that going to run me. Cullen Littlefield: The shoulder pads themselves are going to be about -- honestly. Casey Bass: Twenty thirty bucks. Cullen Littlefield: About thirty-- Casey Bass: Thirty, Thirty five bucks. Cullen Littlefield: Thirty five bucks. Casey Bass: What we are going to do, if we are going to buy it as a package? Cullen Littlefield: Buy as a package? Casey Bass: So what's the rest of the package. Cullen Littlefield: Those package you are going to get these shoulder pads right here, you are going to have a pair of gloves, pair of arm guards-- Casey Bass: And that's going to go on my elbow? Cullen Littlefield: It's going to go from about here to here-- Casey Bass: Okay. Cullen Littlefield: On the arm. It helps protect where the glove ends and where the shoulder pad ends. Casey Bass: So we are starting to get a bunch of gear here. What else we got? Cullen Littlefield: We also got a helmet, probably one of the important parts, I mean parents are really going to want to see their head protected. Casey Bass: Well if it's my kid he his going to have a hard hit. But most kids would really probably really want a good helmet. If the gear is of his father's you are a big thick skull and not much to protect anyway. Cullen Littlefield: Yeah but I mean, all these-- all the helmets that are sold, they all have to go through a strenuous review process by NOCSAE which is the -- is a headgear board for contact sports. So all of them come straight from them approved. Now this is going to be in the package that they would buy. Package for you know an eight year old kid is probably about $180 without the stick. Casey Bass: Really! So you get all that stuff including the sleek helmet which any kid would just be excited -- Cullen Littlefield: Yeah. Casey Bass: For Bucket. Cullen Littlefield: Bucketing. Casey Bass: Well that's not bad at all, so show me the stick , let me set this down. Cullen Littlefield: The stick when you buy with the package is going to run you about $25 more and so that puts you about two or five. Casey Bass: Two more bucks. Cullen Littlefield: Yeah, I mean you can out fit the kid for just over 200 bucks which is you know great because this is tends to be an expensive sport for some kids so-- Casey Bass: Well this is will last them for more about two years for all gear. Cullen Littlefield: It should last them and you know until they outgrows for the most part. Casey Bass: What about the stick, how long is it going to take them to outgrow the stick. Cullen Littlefield: The stick actually all the sticks are a regulation size, so it's going to go until it breaks and these don't break unless it's -- Casey Bass: Misuse -- Cullen Littlefield: Just really misuse it and -- Casey Bass: Which a eight year old tend to do sometimes. Alright so we have outfitted my eight year old, for 200 bucks. What about a little more advanced player, let's say a 9th grader, 8th grader, 13, 14 years old. Cullen Littlefield: Okay you are going to look at a say a heighten pair of a -- pair of these gloves right here which are going to run you about a buck 20 or so. Casey Bass: Okay. Cullen Littlefield: Which is a -- I mean as you go through levels it's all about more comfort and naturally whole lot more protection because they are going up in the levels and you know the action is a little bit more fast pace and hitting is a little bit harder. Casey Bass: Now how do all this gear, you are a Lacrosse player, out of all this gear to you what is your most important piece-- Cullen Littlefield: The most important piece is probably the gloves and then the stick. The gloves, it's an extension of the stick to you. I mean it's your connection between you and the stick and the stick is, without the stick the game is useless. Casey Bass: Well that makes sense, the stick is not going to do you much good if you can not hold on to it. Cullen Littlefield: Exactly. Casey Bass: Alright, so we have got gloves, it's a bigger glove more heighten glove and then and now you are going to-- Cullen Littlefield:-- You want a more heighten stick and sicks after a while, if you are really looking for a you know something more heighten they can run pretty expensive. I mean this whole combination right here could actually run you about, about 200 bucks, just the stick itself. Casey Bass: Now the difference being when you now outfitting your eight year old who is just starting to play you have to buy everything. But as you start to get up you can buy one piece at a time. Cullen Littlefield: One piece at a time. It makes it a whole lot easier and also I mean these, the high-end heads and shafts on the sticks, they-- I mean these the shafts become more durable, lighter and the heads also become all the more durable and little bit lighter. Casey Bass: Now as a Lacrosse stick is like a baseball bat. For me playing baseball, there were twelve guys in the team there were twelve completely different bats and even the guys who had the same make of bat, even the same weight and length, , it was a different bat, you didn't want to hit with the other guys bat you had some tape on or whatever. Cullen Littlefield: It's the same way one of the things that makes lacrosse one of the most unique sports is no two guys on the field have anything alike on their stick usually. Casey Bass: Right. Cullen Littlefield: I mean everybody's pocket and their stringing is completely different, everybody uses a different head, everybody uses a different shaft, everybody uses a different tape job on the shaft. Casey Bass: Alright cool, cool. Alright so I have got gloves, I have got a new stick and I am guessing you don't give something to cover my big noggin. Cullen Littlefield: Yeah, as you go up you want a more streamlined helmet, as you go up in the levels. If you can tell the difference between the last helmet that I showed you, the other one was , kind of, boxy-- Casey Bass: --So I can have more peripheral vision. Cullen Littlefield: You got a little more peripheral vision and like you said you know with the vision, the sideline are a whole lot different I mean it's a whole lot more streamlined look and actually because of the shape of it, it tends to become a little bit more protective. Casey Bass: Little bit more because it just blows glance off the head. Cullen Littlefield: Glance off the head. Casey Bass: That makes perfect sense, so a parent can just come in here, say this is what I am looking for my kid. You guys can help them out, walking through everything that he need. Cullen Littlefield: Yes. Casey Bass: Now what about a goalie? That a little bit different-- Cullen Littlefield: Goalie is a little bit different. On their helmets actually, because you know throats are a little bit open and you don't want to shot because the shots can become really quick at the higher levels. -- Casey Bass: How fast does the ball come? Cullen Littlefield: The fastest shot recorded is about 109 and most high school players around here probably shoot about 70s -- Casey Bass: And that's from what distance from the goalie? Cullen Littlefield: That's about 12 yards, 16 yards. Casey Bass: It's a little closer than our overall fastball. Cullen Littlefield: Yeah, just I mean, so you usually have got a plastic throat guard right here. The stick is a whole lot different, because I mean as you have saw with the other one, it was a little thin, a little narrow. Now you have got this wider head for the goaltenders, because I mean who wants to try and stop a shot - at 80 miles-- Casey Bass: If I was a lacrosse goalie I would probably just stand like this, that will be - or either way that will be the two positions. So this - so you get this with this can go on the same stick, the use of same stick -- Cullen Littlefield: Any shaft can go on any head. Casey Bass: And then the defensive players-- Cullen Littlefield: Defensive players actually -- they use a 6 foot long pole, it's to help keep the - those steady offensive players a bit -- Casey Bass: Now but for an eight year old just starting out you probably just going to put them on a small-- Cullen Littlefield: They are all going to be on the short sticks, Casey Bass: Because they are going to play everywhere. Cullen Littlefield: Yes. Casey Bass: What do we have different things for the goalies of that age? Cullen Littlefield: Now they usually, I mean they just have the other head they have the throat guard and a chest protector and let them go. Casey Bass: Alright cool. Well thank you so much buddy I really appreciate it. Cullen Littlefield: No problem. Casey Bass: Parents find your specialty store and get on in there, tell them what you need, these guys will be more than happy to help you out right there breakaway sports. Thanks buddy. Cullen Littlefield: Thanks. Casey Bass: We are going to see you right back here tomorrow for another edition of Clubhouse Gas.