High strung

Lacrosse is one of the fastest growing sports in the nation. One of the most important components in the game is the stick itself. Like the game, the stick has evolved over time. Until the late 1980s traditional wooden sticks were commonplace. Today, companies like STX, Brine and Warrior issue new models on an annual basis. 

Whether players use a wooden stick or a top of the line modern model, no two sticks are made alike.

Alf E. Jacques, a stick maker from Onondaga Nation, has been making traditional wooden sticks for 47 years at his home in Nedrow, N.Y. Jacques makes around 200 sticks a year — a process that takes eight to 10 months to complete. All of his sticks are made in the box (or indoor) lacrosse style. Although he performs the entire process on his own, Jacques said he hopes someone else will learn the process in order to carry on the Onondaga game of Deyhontsigwa'ehs, roughly translated to “they bump hips.”

Shaun “Kaz” Kazimer is a manager at the Syracuse branch of Lacrosse Unlimited. His specific style of stick stringing and dying has caught on in the local and national lacrosse community. He strings sticks for all three of the Powell brothers, several members of the Syracuse University men’s lacrosse team, and collegiate players and programs across the country. Inside Lacrosse Magazine has featured his work several times. 

Even on a single team, there fails to be a consensus on the best type of stick as each player develops his or her method on stringing, taping and equipment.