School/club junior hockey sticks

NicfromSweden 13
mani 8
bigmick 6
JiMMM 5
majwalrus 5
serbulator 4
Gocu 4
silky 4
johncoxon 4
ArchusXV 3

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[Lion]

In a world away from £250 sticks.......

Schools and clubs I know tend to have a small supply of hockey sticks that children who do not own their own stick can use.  Where clubs are trying to get new members these are important so that people do not feel they have to make an outlay before trying the sport.

These are obviously the sticks at the cheapest end of the market, sub £20.  Some seem OK and you are able to hit the ball with, others feel like they are going to snap when just stopping the ball.

I've been asked to recommend some to get so just wondered if anybody had any recommendations or advice?  Do you know of any manufacturers/retailers that do bulk offers?

Many thanks.

[bighitter]

Hi Lion,
Welcome to the forum!!
Not sure of exactly what they offer, but this looks interesting:  http://www.hockeyfactoryshop.co.uk/acatalog/CLUB_AND_SCHOOL_OFFERS.html
You could also try e-mailing them if those are a bit big for what you want.  Also if you look at their clearance sub-site you might get some ideas.

[keely]

Lion, I recently filled an order for 60 sticks at an elementary/junior high school (ages 9-15) with Mercian Pirhana painted sticks (found here for example: http://www.hockeyfactoryshop.co.uk/acatalog/Hockey_Factory_Shop_Mercian_Junior_Stick_71.html). We've been very happy of the quality so far and they look sharp, which is important in getting up the glamour quotient to attract the kids' interest.

(Disclosure: my company is a reseller of a variety of hockey brands including Mercian in our geographical area.)

[g9]

Where clubs are trying to get new members these are important so that people do not feel they have to make an outlay before trying the sport.

These are obviously the sticks at the cheapest end of the market, sub £20.  Some seem OK and you are able to hit the ball with, others feel like they are going to snap when just stopping the ball.

We see that here too at a recreational club level...trying to get kids into the sport at the grass roots, but also finding equipment sized to them.  No good having a 36" stick when the kids are not much more than that in height! 

I have just started working with Mercian via our US representative Savage Field Hockey to help answer a need for more and better equipment ranges in our area.   The spectrum of sizes they have is really one of the things I like best as a coach, but equally as important I have always been impressed with the quality of their products, so I think you could probably not go wrong in seeing what they have to offer relative to your needs.  Take a look at the web site and see who to contact in your area.

http://www.mercianhockey.com/images/img08/RR_Pg%201.jpg   this is the page...Rebel range for the kids' sticks. 

[The.Rampage.Rado]

Do not go for Grays Surf500...

I'm clearly not satisfied - sold a couple of them to kids in my club and one already is brocken, another 2 are having problems with the top edge - the fiberglass reinforcement is too weak and then they bang theyr sticks the edge look like s.....t.

I've ordered another 5 but when I clear them I will order no more...

Otherwise they are light and in various sizes but if they break at the head joint with no more than a month of training what's the point of spending those ~10 pounds...

I can't say a word for Grays' Wave but I doubt they will be any better...

[Su*x]

i think something you need to bear in mind is that the juniors will be playing at different levels and strengths...

(back in the day) my school purchased bulk orders of sticks...and week after week myself and a friend would break them every week without fail...
so maybe you could purchase a few heavier/durable sticks in case you have some people who have big hits! 

[The.Rampage.Rado]

What hits...

I remember back in 2001 when I was 12-13 we played with green Rucanor sticks. Mine got broken in the handle because of knot in the timber but otherwise they had no problems with chipping timber or falling heads...

The kids now are not much stronger in their 12s.. :D

[Su*x]

think i was about 12 at the time...i broke 2 sticks in the first session, then 1 a week for the next 4 weeks....
at the point the school politely requested i purchase my own stick!