About the founder of the :

I grew up on Long Island which is an east coast hot bed for Lacrosse. I moved to the Chicago area in 1981 where Lacrosse was in it infancy as it was in most other places around the country except for the east coast. Fast forward to 2004 and my daughter was attending Fenwick High School in Oak Park, IL and they were starting a girls Lacrosse team. I watched their games over the next two years when the coach decided he was not going to coach any more.

Since I grew up in NY and knew more than most about Lacrosse, my daughter and a couple of her friends recruited me to keep the sport going at Fenwick. Now as many of you know, coaching is a full time job that does not begin when the season begins, nor ends when the season ends. Pretty much a year round commitment, but I said yes! In 2005, I began coaching the Fenwick Girls Lacrosse Varsity team, overseeing the entire program. Since Lacrosse was so new and there were no junior programs, every girl entering the program had never played. Stick skills had to be developed and fast to be respectable. This was one of the recurring problems, developing the skills necessary to catch and throw and the equipment did not help. Breaking in a new stick took several weeks if not months until it was just right and felt really good. Until the break in point, passing and catching was an adventure in who was the best ground ball team in the league.

We were pretty good at ground balls but, on the ground is not where the game of Lacrosse should be played. I started to make modifications to all the new sticks loosening up both strings and leathers to give them that broken in feel and maximum legal depth. This definitely helped and I could see the results in passing and catching efficiency. We actually were not the best ground ball team in the league anymore. I then ventured out into restringing the heads to maximize the best attributes of a broken in pocket. These included maximum legal depth, great feel, and specialized sticks for defense and attack. I read and re-read Rule 9 in the Rules Book to insure I was doing everything within the rules of the game. I had some brave players who allowed me to redo their sticks.

The early designs, although legal, were a little rough on the eyes but the Sullivan girls (Margaret, Katherine & Amy) provided valuable feedback which allowed me to improve on the early design. I restrung almost every girls stick in the Fenwick program which was about 65 girls. In 2008, I moved over to Montini Catholic in Lombard, IL and restrung most of the Varsity and JV teams sticks. As word spread I began getting more interest from other players and teams. The coach from Marian Catholic asked if I would do some of his player’s sticks and got orders for 15. We continuously seek feedback from the players using the COOL STICK and word continues to spread.

Please read our feedback area for comments from players about their COOL STICK.

We offer new sticks in Shooters Pocket for Middies and Attack and a Field Pocket for Defenders. If you just love your old stick, send it to us and we will restring it in any pocket and color available on the web site. If you have an old stick with broken strings, send it to us and we will make it like new in the colors and pocket of your choice.

There are many different heads available in the market. They all must meet Rule 9 specifications to be legal for play. The old adage, you get what you pay for, is certainly true. The lower end models in everybody’s line are made to be inexpensive and let players who may not be serious about long term play, get in and try Lacrosse for little money. However, serious players should buy equipment that they can grow into and makes them a better player.

At COOL STICK we are giving you the best stick at a reasonable price. Every stick is made with a custom pre-formed pocket to maximum legal depth and a feel like the old broken in stick that you love. When you add your own distinctive touch in the colors of your choice, it becomes a part of you.

Our new on-line store is also up. Please take some time to visit. From the store you can purchase pre-existing stick creations or come up with your very own COOL STICK. If you're not sure what you want yet, print out our form to help you make up your mind for a custom creation.