The technological developments in the sport of Lacrosse have been tremendous as the game has risen in popularity. In a sport that was designed by Native Americans with wooden sticks, the equipment keeps advancing.
It is also a sport that is played in spring, and at this moment mostly on the East Coast. East Coast springs are marked by rain and even snow in some teams preseasons. The wet weather has forced people to seek a way to protect their mesh from the elements.
A product that epitomizes the technological growth of Lacrosse products is LawWax. Founded by Jon Gozzo, LaxWax is at the forefront of technological developments in the sport. Gozzo was a lacrosse player himself and was looking for a certain tackiness in his mesh. He, a surfer, decided to make use of surf wax but says it was missing a certain something. That motivated him to find a solution.
“I was out of lacrosse for a few years and when I came back into it, all I saw was mesh. And there were so many kinds of mesh,” Gozzo explained to SportTechie. “I went back to the surf wax but again it was still missing the tack and had application issues. Players I coached complained their wax mesh would still bag out and surf wax was just not ideal. So, I was driven to figure out a way to make a specific blend for lacrosse.”
What Gozzo came up with was LaxWax, an innovative way to help to protect mesh from the elements of rain as well as provide a level of “stick” or “tack” that helps keep the ball in your stick. This product is not designed to compete with or displace weatherproof mesh, but provide a way to maintain the advantages of those products.
“With waxed nylon meshes LaxWax not only provides tack to the pocket but the more you play with those pockets, they lose their waxed characteristics. With LaxWax, you can instantly rejuvenate the pocket closer to its original state” Gozzo said.
Gozzo described the process of development citing the sensitivity of wax as a challenge that had to be overcome during development.
“Wax is very sensitive. Temperature is paramount. Besides finding the proper blend of materials, finding the right temperature to melt, pour and get your final product is everything. Most companies use a blend of paraffin and beeswax which can make a yellowish soapy consistency. We use a proprietary blend of waxes and other agents for our formula to make it not too hard or too soft but just the right blend to have the wax contour around the weave of your strings. Not just on the surface,” Gozzo said.
As a lacrosse player myself, the problem of water ruining mesh is something that is constant. Over my career I have used a separate stick in the rain because I wanted to protect the mesh in my primary stick. I have also bought weather proof mesh only to find that after enough usage, that mesh will be destroyed by the rain as well.
It is for these reasons that LaxWax is an attractive option. The idea of being able to, for a very fair price, buy a product that will maintain the aspect of weather protection is something that sounds perfect to Lacrosse players. One tube is priced at 14.99 and a team pack of twelve tubes is price at $149.99
Weather protection is not the only use for this product. Gozzo describes it as a “toolbox” for your bag. He cites the ability to use it on gloves to help for grip on the stick as one of the many other uses for the product.
As the game of Lacrosse grows, players and coaches will be pushing the technological envelope to help gain an advantage. LaxWax is a product of this drive.