Last week we told you a few tips on how to protect your pocket after a rainy/muddy game. This week we’ll look at a couple of common mistakes you should avoid if you want to protect your head and pocket.
Traveling with your gear- We’ve all left our sticks in our car. But be careful when you do so, especially when its summer time. Keep in mind that how you squeeze that stick in your care could mean your stick comes out in less-than game shape. Take this summer, when one unlucky LPG staffer had four d-poles in his car. Now, four poles in small space is definitely not a good idea (and yes, he knew that before hand). As a result of that cramming, one of the poles came out with the head bent at about a 45 degree angle. Not good. If you have to leave a stick in there, make sure it has the space. Don’t squeeze it into a space where it doesn’t fit and don’t leave it in too hot of a car for too long.
Watch the Fahrenheit- Temperature shock can affect a head. Take your head from a warm interior to a cold snowy day and that big temperature change leaves your head vulnerable. But it works both ways. Many of you may have tried to bake your head and seen how malleable the plastic has gotten. Any extreme temperature change means your head is at risk – either becoming more vulnerable to cracks or shattering or more vulnerable to bending.
Take care of cracks- When you notice a crack in your head, take care of it. Either switch it out for a new head or treat the crack (super glue works fine) so that it doesn’t break further. The last thing you want is to ignore a small crack and have your head shatter in the middle of a big game.
Putting your gear on your stick- Let’s review how you are supposed to put your gear over your stick. Now, listen carefully: helmet, then pads. We see so many people put their pads on their stick first, then slip the helmet over. All that does is push your pads against your head and mess up your pocket. Put the helmet over the shaft, then slide your pads on.
Keep the anger in check- We all get pissed when we let up a goal, but slamming your stick on the ground (which you know you’ve done at some point) won’t help. Remember, you paid a lot of money for this stick. Take care of it.
These are some of the most common mistakes we see from laxers and it just takes a little extra effort to take care of your stick. Just remember, you spend $100+ to pay for your head and you want it to last as long as it can.
