LaxTV Forums | A Forum About The MCLA

I've not been able to find anything on this, so I thought I would ask. Is it illegal to have tape on the crosse? I cracked the top portion of my sidewall, but it is still together and reinforced by several pieces of plastic before the bottom of the sidewall. I used electrical tape so that it wouldn't wobble with the ball in my stick, effect the inside of the crosse, or drastically change the width. However I'm sure there is some kind of rule against playing with a cracked head or using tape, even if I can't find it. I'd buy a new head, but I'm graduating and am unsure if I'll use it after the season.

Thanks.

There is no strict prohibition against the repair you seem to have described, as long as the repair does not restrict the ball from coming out of the stick. That said, there has been lively debate elsewhere on this topic. Here are the pertinent rules;
Under Illegal Procedure. Section 6.b. talks about Illegal Actions with the Crosse. One of them is to take part in the play of the game without a crosse. There are some A.R.'s that follow;
A.R. 22. A broken crosse is considered as no crosse.
A.R. 27. If the head of the crosse is broken so that a player is prevented from performing the normal functions of cradling, shooting and passing, the crosse is considered broken. This includes a head that is completely broken away from the handle of the crosse or any part of the head that is separated from the remainder of the head, even though it is still attached by the weaving.

So the other discussions have centered on whether a repaired crosse is still considered a broken crosse, and whether it poses a safety risk, since it is more prone to breaking, and you may put somebody's eye out with pieces flying everywhere. Being an old-schooler who has fiberglassed my old all-wood stick (I know, you wonder what I'm talking about), I come down more on the side of leniency, if the repair doesn't seem to present a hazard. That said, I have also tried gluing plastic heads, and that usually lasts until the first ground-ball attempt. My advice to you, spring for an inexpensive new head to get through the season, and keep playing club ball next year! (Hint, almost all manufacturers have heads priced for start-up programs (like $30), and there is very little difference with the $100+ sticks, except for fancy marketing. I even heard this from a mfrs rep). I'm usually telling kids - "it ain't the wand, it's the magician" - practice enough with a cheap stick and you'll be far ahead of where you would be if you don't practice as much with a top-of-the-line one.