Handful of Local Stores Offer Lacrosse Gear

Lacrosse is growing in popularity in the East Bay, according to Ted Courtright, a buyer at Montclair Sports. Yet few sporting goods stores near Piedmont carry lacrosse equipment. A Lafayette store devoted to lacrosse has closed, Courtright said.

So where can you buy that crucial piece of equipment, the lacrosse stick, and other necessary gear? How much will it cost? And what should you look for?

Cheaper sticks have a shallower mesh pocket, Courtright said. This makes for easier passing and shooting, though it’s also easier to lose control of the ball.

The more expensive sticks have lighter shafts and stronger, more narrow mesh heads.

“It gets harder to control, but it’s harder for the defender to knock the ball out,” Courtright said.

Sports Authority, a giant sporting goods chain, located in Emeryville, may stock the largest selection of lacrosse sticks and other lacrosse equipment in the area at its Emeryville store (near Home Depot, just off Interstate 80). The store offers a number of sticks for men ranging in price from $29.99 to $99.99.

At the low end of the scale is the Brine Recruit Lacrosse stick for $29.99 which has a “slight offset” that allows new players to become adjusted to it. At $44.99, the Warrior Joker X is built for new lacrosse players, with a wide head design and a bigger pocket area. The curved head shape allows for easy groundball pick-ups.

Goalie sticks, which are longer than attack sticks, are available for $59.99 from the Brine and Warrior brands (both manufactured by the same company since 2006). Sports Authority also offered a Warrior Nemesis Goalie Stick for $99.99, on sale from $130.

At Montclair Sports, 1970 Mountain Blvd, Oakland, lacrosse sticks which are suitable for high school and some college play go for about $50 to $120, Courtright said.

The Brine Attack and Complete Sticks are available at Montclair Sports for $49.95, while the Brine Complete Stick costs $89.95. The Brine Clutch Head goes for $124.95. The store also had a sale on a lacrosse stick from the Nitrons brand, an older model that was $131 and is now $89.99.

Like Sports Authority, Montclair Sports also sells lacrosse helmets, shoulder and elbow pads, and gloves, as well as women’s lacrosse equipment.

The women’s sticks cost between $50 and $70 at Montclair Sports and between $29.99 and $59.99 at Sports Authority. Sports Authority also carries a Brine Women’s Starter Pack with a stick, eyemask and bag for $79.99. Women’s lacrosse doesn’t allow body contact, so most of the additional protective gear needed for the men’s sport isn't used.

For young beginners, both stores also sell Brine “Supertoss” mini-lacrosse kit, which comes with two sticks and a softer lacrosse ball. This goes for $26.95 at Montclair Sports and $24.99 at Sports Authority.

Big 5 Sporting Goods at the Alameda Towne Center, Park Street and Otis Drive, Alameda sells similar lacrosse starter kits for $19.99. The store also stocks a couple of dozen lacrosse sticks from the STX brand for $31.99.