Thanks to our friends over at Laxshopper.com for allowing us to use this graphic and text. This is huge information for all of us in the lacrosse retail business and has a lot to do with how your heads will be measured in the future.

"Not that heads are lasting super long these days anyway, but odds are with the recent declaration by the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Rules Committee that they redefine the specifications for the head part of lacrosse sticks that your current head will no longer be legal in a few seasons.

We haven't done extensive testing, but word on the street is that few, if any, heads meet these specifications. From a quick glance, the measurement at 3 inches appears to be the one that catches heads most.

We all still have two full seasons to enjoy our tightly pinched heads, so keep shopping for the head that best fits your current needs with these upcoming rules in the back of your minds.

Here is what they declared:
Starting with the 2009 season, the lacrosse stick will have the following dimensions, in addition to the current specifications:

The measurement at the widest part of the crosse shall be a minimum of 6½ inches measured at the inside front of the crosse and a minimum of 6 inches on the back of the crosse; The measurement up from the stop to the 5-inch mark may not be less than 4¼ inches at the front and back of the crosse; The measurement up from the stop to the 3-inch mark may not be less than 3¼ inches at the front and back of the crosse; and The measurement up from the stop to the 1¼-inch mark may not be less than 2¾ inches at the front and back of the crosse.

Below is an illustration depicting how we interpreted the new specifications:

A couple things that should be interesting as this news gets interpreted and soaked in: 1) Will the Youth, High School, Pro governing boards follow the NCAA's lead 2) Can a widget be created to simplify the application of this rule or will refs need refresher geometry courses? 3) Has the NCAA just mandated that over 200,000 heads need to be bought in the next two years?"

** Courtesy of Andy Sharp @ Laxshopper.com