LaxTV Forums | A Forum About The MCLA

Maybe I'm becoming weak but I think I'm gaining a new respect for the riddel helmets as worn by team USA

We have a guy on our team that had so many concussions with the Cascade brand, he swears by the Riddell.

Yeah it is heavier, but he says you don't really notice it. I think if the Riddell Style is good enough for the NFL (where concussions are a way of life) then there is something to it.

I like Michigan's look, i believe they are Riddell users.

JW wrote:We have a guy on our team that had so many concussions with the Cascade brand, he swears by the Riddell.

Yeah it is heavier, but he says you don't really notice it. I think if the Riddell Style is good enough for the NFL (where concussions are a way of life) then there is something to it.

I like Michigan's look, i believe they are Riddell users.

Michigan does use Riddell. Maybe someone from there could answer this rumor I've heard. I've heard that the Riddell cages are two wide for the ball, and there have been occasions where the ball has actually passed through the face mask. Is this true?

Happened to us once in the past two years. I've seen it happen with other cages as well, though. All cages have to pass the same testing. I've been told it has more to do with the ball, which has slightly looser standards of certification. They can vary slightly in size, surface texture, etc.

Along that line, Riddell has come out with a new cage this year that does not slip side to side as many cages do. It's a good innovation.

I've said before, we switched to Riddell for two main reasons:
1. Concussions. We had a problem with them before. We haven't since the switch.
2. Design. It's the only helmet on the market that is designed such that the Michigan wings and stripes can be accurately painted on.

any pics of the new Riddell helmet with the stripes?

The Warrior ball has been the culprit in many of these instances. The ball when shot at high speeds tends to take an egg shape. My conference has banned the use of Warrior balls in games. It would not shock me if this has happened with other companys balls this is just what I know.

Posters on lax.com said the riddell helmet looks like a fish head. I guess people are afraid of change.

Anyway, Michigan will always have one of the best helmet designs in the history of sport regardless of which company they use.

Laxman50 wrote: My conference has banned the use of Warrior balls in games.

Care to elaborate on this?

I didn't realize a MDIA conference could supercede NCAA rules.

I am in the NCAA D3. As I found out today after I posted it is not a rule but a request by the athletic trainers in our conference. I am not sure if all teams follow this but I know ours dose.

I know there are certain rules or exceptions to them that occur in some conferences. I know the UMLL passed something to make Olaf's goals legal for games. I have seen other minor changes with fields to help with league administrative issues. Some of the fields are neutral sites so there are problems with those. Obviously these do not affect the play.

Balls will go through facemasks. This is a bigger problem when they get wet. I have seen it in Cascades. I heard some officials talking about this problem. I am not sure what you do to prevent it. We do not like face shields and adding bars might restrict vision. Adjusting the ball might help, but then you have to change a lot of sticks. I am not really sure if we have a good solution.

We had a ball get through one of my player's face masks during a game last year. It barely got through so no injury occurred. I called Shamrock and they told me that this was happening primarily with Warrior balls. I couldn't verify whether this was the case for my team. They had changed the design on the helmet to decrease the distance between the bars and they sent us a new helmet free of charge. I have players using both the Riddells and the Cascade CPX's. Some players complain about the bulkiness of the Riddells and also about cuts on the forehead due to the padding used. The CPX's are much lighter, but don't fit as well (no conforming air pocket like the Riddell) and definitely not as much protection as the the Riddell.

Coach Paul

What dealer do you go through to paint your helmets?

We deal directly with them. Riddell approached us initially to be their first college team two years ago, and we've been fortunate that they've wanted to keep that relationship. For the first year it was straight through Riddell. They restructured last year, and now we deal with Shamrock lacrosse. They are Riddell's partner in this. They handle all of the lacrosse business for Riddell. Shamrock has the helmets painted by the Riddell factory, and when we get them retouched we send them straight back to Riddell. (Their manufacturing facility is in Ohio, not too far away.)

I am considering transitioning our team over to the Riddell helmets. We had two concussions last year and another near concussion. The helmets are heavier but overall I think it is probably not too noticeable. They also seem to be a little more expensive than the cascades according to our Shamrock rep here. I have heard of the foam causing cuts on the forehead as well and our Shamrock rep mentioned to me that it is usually caused by players under-inflating the helmet, but then again he is trying to sell helmets.

The nice thing is our Shamrock rep told us at our conference meeting that they are offering a single helmet for around $60 plus shipping even with basic custom colors to try out. If you dont like it you can return it or just keep it for the $60. I think I will pick one up and let some of my players try it and make a decision.

What are they charging as a team price if you order multiple helmets?