STRINGING AND STRATEGY
Why romantics might not appreciate the beauty in these classical pursuits BY RYAN BOYLE
CEO, TRILOGY LACROSSE
f you could become an expert in only one of the following, which would it be: stringing a stick or diagramming X’s and O’s? Only those utilizing a classical methodology can master these crafts. In “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” Robert M. Perisig explores the concepts of classical and romantic understanding as they apply to a cross-country trip on a motorcycle. “A classical understanding sees the world primarily as underlying form itself. A romantic understanding sees it primarily in term of immediate appearance,” Perisig explains. “If you were to show an engine or a mechanical drawing or electronic schematic to a romantic, it is unlikely he would see much of interest in it. It has no appeal because the reality he sees is its surface. Dull, complex lists of names, lines and numbers. Nothing interesting. But if you were to show the same blueprint or schematic or give the same description to a classical person, he might look at it and then become fascinated by it because he sees that within the lines and shapes and symbols is a tremendous richness of underlying form.”
I
This passage struck a nerve with me. How much do I really know about lacrosse, a sport that I have tried to master for nearly 30 years? Two critical aspects of the game come to mind when analyzing the classical vs. romantic dynamic:
20 LACROSSE MAGAZINE » May 2016
stringing a stick and creating two- dimensional strategies via X’s and O’s. Through a romantic lens, neither is quite as it seems. Superficially, all sticks are the same — a plastic head frame, netting that holds the ball, a series of strings that attach the netting to head, and horizontal strings that affect the ball as it releases near the top of the plastic. Romantics would celebrate the artistic creativity behind the heads — the different color strings, inventive dye jobs and the use of leather in traditionally strung sticks. With strategic diagrams, romantics would see a bunch of X’s and O’s with various straight and dotted lines. This aspect of the game would seem like a waste of time. “Players win games. Give the ball to your best player and everything will be fine.” Their favorite part would surely be coming up with fun and inventive names to inspire their players or serve as pneumonic devices. For example, at Princeton, all plays initiated from the wing were named after birds — Pelican and the like — while 1-4-1 sequences were natural disasters — Thunder, Lightning and Hurricane. Romanics would eat that up. As a player, learning how to string a stick should be a fundamental skill. It allows you to match your skill set and preferred style of play directly to the instrument responsible for performance. Understanding the variables of your stick also allows you to adjust it based on weather and wear- and-tear.
At clinics, when I notice a player A Publication of US Lacrosse
©JOHN MECIONIS (RB)
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
