Editor’s Note: This multi-part series Women’s Stringing Roundtable on #TheGopherProject will provide insight from experienced stringers and representatives from stringing manufacturers. As we have just finished the stringers point of view portion, it’s now time to see how women’s lacrosse mesh has impacted the sport from the view of the manufacturers.
Women’s lacrosse pockets have always had more restrictions than men’s pockets. With the recent relaxing of the rules and allowing women’s lacrosse mesh pockets, it will be interesting to see how the game evolves. Let’s introduce our panel for this part of the roundtable:
Nick VanRensselaer and Austin Atkinson of ECD
Julie Gardner of STX
James Miceli and Evan McDonell of Epoch
Kit Smith and Matt Schuler of String King
How has the introduction of mesh for women changed your plans?
ECD: The announcement of the adoption of mesh in the women’s game allowed us to enter into a new market space, while still sticking to our strengths of mesh and pockets. We always planned on entering the women’s lacrosse market, but the introduction of mesh accelerated that plan.
STX: The introduction of mesh has definitely changed our plans for the future. Fun fact: our product team played a huge part in the push to make mesh legal on the women’s side of the sport. Mesh has obviously become extremely popular since its introduction to the women’s market. It allows for a strong hold in the sweet spot, less pocket maintenance, and a lighter weight stick overall. Keep an eye out for what we have coming out as soon as this fall!
Epoch: Our focus and effort into the women’s game is a huge factor for Epoch’s plans. When we were developing the Purpose head, we realized there is a lot room for new women’s specific technology to be introduced into the evolving women’s game. Mesh is just the latest example of this. Teaming up with UNC has also elevated our focus to develop more in women’s lacrosse equipment.
StringKing: Originally, we had no plans to get into women’s pockets, but as soon as we heard the announcement that mesh would be incorporated into the 2018-2019 rulebook, we started sewing and cutting existing men’s meshes and stringing them up into women’s prototype pockets. We thought at first it would take some time for women to transition from traditional pockets to mesh pockets, but we’ve been getting overwhelmingly positive feedback from women on Day 1 of using pockets strung up with Type W and now Women’s Type 4. The mesh pockets are easier to string and replicate and give players greater hold, control and consistency.
