Lacrosse Playground

Each Friday the Weekly Mashup brings you links to some of the articles you may not have seen that involve lacrosse or lacrosse players. Here are some of the news-makers from this week.

STX has released a sneak peak of what is expected in their Never Stop campaign. Featured are the shirts for Cornell, UNC, Maryland, ‘Cuse, and Hop. What is it about Carolina? Their gear is fly year-after-year, every year.

As some of you may know, UNC defender, Ryan Flanagan will be taking the semester off from school at the University of North Carolina and using the time to truly make a difference while also enjoying the experience of a lifetime. Ryan will be volunteering with Fields of Growth International in southwest Uganda. Fields of Growth International is a non-profit organization* that uses the game of lacrosse as a relational platform to foster friendships and deliver education, health care and various forms of human development.

Continuing to release more teasers for 2011, STX gives us a taste of the 2011 Assault gloves. After the jump you’ll view an assortment of different colorways you can expect the glove to offer.

We love the NCAA tourney a lot because of the new gear brands feature. UNC’s debuting new helmets for this weekend’s matchup against Tobacco Road foe, Duke.

UNC is going with new Argyle patterned lids for their Quarterfinal game against Duke this weekend. The Tar Heels will be wearing Cascade Pro 7s with a new wraparound Argyle decal that goes along the side profile and back panel. MORE DESCRIPTION AND PICS AFTER THE JUMP…

It is a well-known belief that UNC’s Billy Bitter and the entire Stanwick family get their wands strung by their dads. Now there is proof. Inside Lacrosse asked Steele during the Big City Classic about his stick and he gave a great explanation behind its purpose. He discusses his shooting strings, the ball placement, the shaft, and MORE.

Each week Lacrosse Playground features a different lacrosse athlete as part of our “Grip ‘N Rip” series, where we’ll find out what the best use to fine tune their game. This week we are featuring LXM PRO Tim Kaiser. Kaiser, a defenseman, was an All-American at UNC. View the video after the jump to find out what head he’s playing with these days. Keep Reading…

Boys’ Latin players have become a dominant fixture since the beginning of this millennium. Delaware’s Alex Smith, Carolina’s Shane Walterhoefer, and future Carolina FOGO RG Keenan. Smith has transformed face-offs. That’s a given. Check out the video and the Keenan Grip ‘N Rip after the JUMP.

As you watch UNC gain speed this season you’ll notice most, if not all, of them wearing blue bracelets on their wrists. The rubber bracelets commemorate the life of Michael Piegare, the now deceased brother of current Tar Heel Kevin Piegare. Michael, a Cold Spring Harbor native, played lacrosse at Pace University in Pleasantville, New York, and passed away 15 months ago. Kevin and his family continue to keep the memory of Michael alive with the bracelets and a website in his honor. VIDEO HERE…