Tierrasanta A I

ILLEGAL STICKS:
The league decided in 2008 that the penalty for a stick determined to be illegal because of a slight measurement deficiency was too heavy handed for middle school lacrosse.  A concern was noted that the sticks were either illegal at time of purchase or so close to minimum specs that it didn’t take much for the stick to unintentionally become illegal. There are three measurements that are causing concern:

         Minimum overall length of stick is 40” 

         Minimum width at widest point of head is 6-1/2”

         Minimum length of head is 10” Illegal sticks carry penalty of 1-3 minutes. 

A stick that is illegal because of deep pocket is a 1 minute penalty.  If a stick was found illegal because it was altered to gain an advantage, the penalty will be 3 minutes.  By default, if a stick is illegal because it did not meet the minimum dimensions, it is deemed to have been altered to gain an advantage and therefore subject to a 3 minute penalty, regardless of whether altered by the player intentionally or as a result of normal play on the field. Based on discussions with Bob Duggan, he is not aware that sticks are frequently found illegal because of the measurement issue. 

The SDCLA has implemented a modification of the rule so that a 1 minute penalty will be assessed for not complying with the dimensions, unless the official concludes it was clearly altered by the player for the purpose of gaining an advantage.