Girl Goalies

[KHSGoalie]

i am a guys lax goalie. i listen to some of the macho crap and drown out the other stuff, but one thing is nagging me alot... do all girl goalies wear those huge shin guards? i understand the need for protective gear and all but when they make a low save all they do is move their legs. i do that sometimes too but i feel it the next day. i wear goalie shorts and chest protector but arent the baseball catcher's shin guards a bit excessive?!?! its like saying who needs this stupid stick and ill just jump in front of them and not even feel it. thats not a goalie and it never will be. it takes skill not shin guards to stop a 90 mph shot at your feet.

[dirtnsnow]

My guys team has a girl goalie. She's the 'monthly celebrity' or whatever at goalienation.com check it out. No, she doesn't wear shin guards.

[ohlordy11]

When I first began to play goalie I wore shinguards because my groundball stickwork was not good. However, I no longer wear shinguards. Most advanced girl goalies do not wear shinguards. Also making a save off a shinguard makes for a horrible rebound.

[KHSGoalie]

thanks for reassuring me, it just seems that shin guards defy the point of being a goalie and taking one for the team in order to stop a goal.

[LancerLaxGoalie]

i used to play guys and i only wore my chest protector...but when i switched to girls they made me wear shin guards and goalie pants cuz supposedly its mandatory but i got some real thin shinguards cuz the ball hits my stick not my body. a lot of the goalies are also field hockey goalies so they play using there bodys cuz there in that habit i guess.

[LAXgryl]

I was the goalie for my girl's team last season and I definately needed the shin guards. I know they rebound easily and defies the whole idea of taking one for the team, but when you have two or three games a week and is constantly being shot on, it does come in handy. Keep in mind that my left shin guard cracked because it was shot on so hard during Rapid Fire. I mean, wearing a helment and chest protector also defies the idea of taking one for the team, right? But you need them because they keep you safe. I actually don't think shin guards are mandatory for the girl's game (or at least at the high school level in Washington state), so people can choose to wear or not.

[sumSum]

Yeah, people can choose to wear shinguards. Most goalies start out as soccer or field hockey goalies so it comes natural. I've seen a few girls with those hideous baseball shinguards and it makes me cringe. My club team goalie stopped wearing shinguards last year or something like it as far as I know. When I asked, it means more flexibility. I think it should be someone's choice to wear them or not. I think the idea with starting with them than learning to play without is good.

[laxbabe2121]

its your choice, i mean, if you feel like you're not moving around quick enough with the shin guards, then get them off. Our school goalie doesn't wear them, but her first year of playing, she had them strapped on. Just make sure to snap the head of your stick down towards the ground in front of your shins, so you don't erally need the guards. remember to always make the save in front of the ball, and jump towards the ball.

[laxchc11]

all my goalies for the past 6 years have wore shinguards, no matter how good they were. One time, however, we played STAB's team and they had the sickest goalie ever. She was a guys goalie for a girls team... PHENOMENAL. Needless to say, she didn't wear shinguards. Every person I've met who knows that goalie ( girl or guy) thinks she's a badass and they respect her (she's playing at Duke now). Heres my point ... guy goalies get shot on at least 2 times as hard as girl goalies (unless you're Jen adams, its a fact that mens shots are harder and faster then womens), yet you don't see the guys wearing shinguards. Com'on girls... its a fact that women have a higher threshold for pain then men, so if they're not mandatory, why wear them!? Maybe when you're first learning goalie, I can see that, but not at the college level. By that point at least you should be able to utilize your stick in order to prevent the ball from hitting your shins.

[laxbabe2121]

well done laxchic

[sumSum]

I agree. You gotta be tough...but I've never been in the cage so I shouldnt really say.

[liongirlylax]

i have never worn shin guards while in goal... its not about whether or not i can "take" the pain, or whether or not i'm good enough not to need them. i just feel good not wearing them. i think anyone who steps into goal is tough enough already, and anything you wear to make you feel safer about goaltending is worth it! being a goalie is 90% mental, i think all goalies will agree with me on that, and what you wear while in goal is part of that. i dont think it's as much about actually needing them physically as mentally. it's more about confidence than anything else.

[sumSum]

Now that makes sense...way to enlighten us field players Lion.

[ohlordy11]

I agree with Lion. I think the skill factor relates to the confidence and comfort factor in the goal. For another point (and I might regret saying this), I have never been hit in the shin, very often the knees, but not the shin, and I have been playing for 5 years. However, it really depends on comfort and nothing else.

[LAXgryl]

Yeah, I agree with everyone so far. It's a choice, but really after awhile you should be able to mentally and physically block it; it's skill wise. I remembering when I first started playing goalie last season (will not be comtinuing this coming season; likes the field much better), my coach never told me to wear shin guards in the first place. She also didn't tell me that you can't wear it either, so I guess after a week or so of Rapid Fire, I decided to wear them myself. Remembering back, my coach did really emphasize the fact that it's all mental.

Okay, I've learned a lot and it's great to hear what everyone had to say about shin guards. I use to think that everyone just wore them like we do mouth guards, since at every game, goalies wore shin guards. Oh well, I'm not playing goalie this year, and I really do idolize people who do decide to play goalie. It takes so much confidence...I guess I didn't have this because my team really needed a goalie, so I just played it to help out.

[LiquidMercury16]

Well I think shinguards look dumb in my oppinion. And if I'm playin somethin I might as well look stylin while im doin it heh. I think girls shouldn't wear them cause they don't get shot at as hard. And the reason helmets and chest protectors are required is cause you can die if ya dont wear 'em ya won't die from not wearin shin protectors. Granted you won't die from not wearin a cup in guys lax but thats a fate worse then death in my oppinion....

[LaXDaVe]

Exactly liquid. Getting hit there is like....omg...The pain cannot be expressed in mere words. You gotta feel it, lol. Its like all your insides are being crushed or something and ....AHHH! PAIN! :agree :laugh

[liongirlylax]

i kinda think you guys are missing the point... you wear the cup not becuase your life is in danger, but because wearing one helps your confidence... i mean, come on! what is the actually likely hood of your getting nailed in the balls unless you play goalie? im definitly not saying it wont happen (i've seen it happen) but its the same thing with the shin guards, its 90% confidence, and besides, getting hit in the shin CAN be very painful...
and besides, i agree, liquid, about girls not shooting as fast, but i do think more girls shoot bouncers and the like than do boys (i swear, watch a couple games sometime if you dont believe me)

[LiquidMercury16]

ok first off i get hit in the shins a lot and gettin hit in the balls is about a 100 times worse then gettin in the shins id take a 1000 shots on my shins for every one time gettin hit in the balls

[liongirlylax]

no, i didnt mean to say that it was even comparable to getting hit in the balls, but just that if you get hit in the shins a lot, then maybe not getting hit in an sore bruise is worth looking stupid

sorry, i didn't mean to offend you

[laxchc11]

who cares about getting bruises though!? It's all part of the game.

[LaXDaVe]

Face is Mercury, women will never get it. It hurts so bad you cant believe, and unless you're a guy thats been hit there before you have absolutely no clue.

[laxchc11]

no no no, i wasnt' talking about GUYS getting bruised there ( I KNOW thats hurts) I'm talking about theresno big deal w/ girls getting bruised from getting hit w/ a lax ball. Ya'll know what i mean

[LiquidMercury16]

yah i know what ya mean i agree with ya. Who cares if ya get a few bruises here and there. If they didnt make me wear shoulder pads and arm pads in the league im in right now I wouldn't I hate pads id wear my helmet I dont wear a cup though cause for most part its unlikely to get hit there unless your in goal and runnin with a a cup on is very uncomfortable

[liongirlylax]

liquid- i completely know what you mean. as a girl goalie, i dont wear shin guards, or any more padding than is required by the US lacrosse women's rules... i just think that girls should be allowed to wear whatever they want in goal, and that they shouldn't be questioned about it... is that too much to ask?

[LiquidMercury16]

Its like this...would you question a guy who was wearing golie gear and the whole kaboodle if he was playin long pole? If he had rib guard, shoulder and chest pads huge arm pads throat protector ya know everthing ya can wear. Of course ya would question that. You'd be like why the hell ya doin that its part of the game to get hit and what not. So to me i think the girls that do wear shinguards are hurting the sport. I think honestly girls are ready for same rules as guys lax and I think by wearing shinguards it sort of gives them reason to be like oh no the girls are too weak to play with guys rules. So ya see by girls doing that then they hurt the game. Just a theory of mine

[LAXgryl]

LiquidMercury16 - I totally respect your theory, but I think by saying that we're hurting the game by wearing shin guards blows it out of proportion. I know that I only played goalie for one season, but honestly if I didn't have my shin guards I'd be not just bruised up, but maybe could've injured my shins (one of my shin guards cracked). I agree that after a while you should be able to block balls that might hurt your shins since being goalie is really mentally being able to block the shots. But really when a goalie is starting out, she (I speak for the girl's game since I don't play boy's lacrosse) should be able to have that option to be fully protected. Then after a while when she builds up her confidence shall she go without shin guards.

It's funny how you're comparing us girl's lacrosse players with boy's lacrosse....we run in knits for heaven's sake! I say give me a long pole and let me hit! I'd be all for boy's lacrosse :D

[laxbabe2121]

physically though, if a guy gets hit in the shins, its a bruise. if a girl, it could shatter her shin. i'm not saying we're not as tough, but we are... as girls more.. hmm what word should i use to prevent us from sounding like barbies. ok fragile. we're more fragile. its all up to you though, if you feel more comfortable wearing them, that's fine. if you feel more comfortable w/out them. that's fine. no one's really gonna make fun of you if you wear shin guards. i've never seen a goalie get taunted beucase she's wearing extra pads.

[LiquidMercury16]

yah ill admit that girls are more frail so to speak and that bones probably are more damageably but im all for girls playin with guys rules and what not so long as they keep the skirts haha

[LancerLaxGoalie]

maybe they made me wear pads last year cuz i was in u-14's? it was the other teams coach that talked to the ref about it...made me mad i dont know why they would care. i will try getting away with it this year now that im playing hs....i dont really like wearing a lot of pads and bruises are just battle wounds....when i look at one i can remember the shot i got it from and how much it stung...its just an adrenaline rush when u get hit. well the whole game of lacrosse is an adrenaline rush..girls or boys.

[apmlax85]

As a goalie myself I feel the need to add my 2 cents to this topic. My feeling are thus; if you want to where shin guard and what not, be my guest. The ball hurts, and it hurts a lot, so I can't really blame a person for not wanting to subject themselves to that. It's harder to move, yes. But I for one can attest to how hard it is to move when one is down and out after being hit hard. I understand the the whole macho attitude, I have it myself, but I see nothing wrong with a person who does not share this. Just my thoughts, I havn't really been paying to much attention to the topic so I dont know how much this relates

[LongHornMiddie]

LADIES...LADIES...LADIES...how bout we all kick off our pads and head back to my place

[deeegoalie]

Last year I wore those big ugly catcher shinguards *shudders*. It was my first year ever playing lacrosse, I was a freshman, and I thought I was going to be playing on the frosh team, but they pulled me to varsity. I was very scared then and all the goalies wore them, so I had no clue I didn't have to and I sorta wanted to...

I went to a summer clinic and tried without shinguards and it wasn't bad, so I'm probably going to go without them, or at least get the smaller lax rolldown shinguards I've seen. I don't know how many times the ball has hit off my big ugly shinguards and went right back in the middle... not a good thing!

I definitely agree with everyone else who said it was pretty much all about confidence. If you're afraid then you're gonna want as much protection as possible but you should soon become more confident when you know what your capabilities are...

[Wales-lax]

i wear shin pads sometimes- depends how bruised my legs are but i like it better when i don't

[hankooklax]

yeah girls tend to bruise easy on the legs. but thats what i've seen in general. I dont really care so long as its not a guy wearing shin guards.. thats just crossing the line

[LatinBabe]

i dont wear them... but yeah, i got a bruise or two. just make sure i wear blue jeans at school to cover them... their not sexy.. lol! :rofl

[Bouncing_Soul]

...or are they??


grrrrrrr

[KHSGoalie]

nope, definately not sexy...

[LatinBabe]

they really do not turn guys on... they get jealous that a girl is tuffer than they are! lol...

Katy

[LaXDaVe]

Well in my opinion, if its not your first season in goal and you still wear shin guards, you suck. =P

[laxbabe2121]

hahahhaha, even in HS some varsity goalies wear shin guards, its up to the goalie.

[KHSGoalie]

ours does.... but unfortunately they went 1-14 in their first varsity season with a frosh goalie who'd never played... so sad... alcohol hurts so many

[CTLaxer]

My goalie wears shin pads. I keep telling her to take them off but her dad makes her wear them. Apparently she likes to listen to her dad more then her coach....pffft

[deeegoalie]

I get in fights all the time with our JV goalie (I'm the varsity goalie) about her big catcher shinguards. She swears by them because she says she makes most of her saves off her legs. She got pissed off when I said she's making cheap saves by relying on her shinguards so much. I laugh at her when she's scrambling to fix them when the clip comes undone because she tried to bend.

If I ever make any sort of comment (no matter how small) about getting a bruise on my shin or my knee she says "well if you wore your shinguards..." I want to kill her when she says that. She's always trying to prove me wrong because she's pissed that I'm on varsity and she's not...

I mean I have no problem if you wear shinguards, but I have a problem when people say how I should be wearing them and yelling at me that I better not say anything about getting a bruise because if I was wearing shinguards I wouldn't have that problem...

[LancerLaxGoalie]

yeah well ur on varsity ....you own her. shin guards suck. goalie pants suck. i hate them they make u look so unintimidating....i have about 10 bruises on my legs right now and i love it. and if she has to rely on her shin guards tell her to play field hockey

[btkid08]

well, being a goalie, i will tell you a few experiences with pad issues. The V goalie on our girls team wears soccer shin guards, goalie pants, the big a$$ warrior chest protector, and sweat pants and a sweat shirt over this. she wears this even if its 95 degrees out at practice, god damn insane. you think the girls have it bad with getting crap about wearing pads? a guy at player choice lax camp last year was wearing warrior goalie pants at the goalie workouts. Well the counselors heard about this and absoultely railed this kid in his thighs the entire time, and i mean these were pro lax players doing this.

[RYU]

Originally posted by btkid08
a guy at player choice lax camp last year was wearing warrior goalie pants at the goalie workouts. Well the counselors heard about this and absoultely railed this kid in his thighs the entire time, and i mean these were pro lax players doing this.
Thanks for sharing that anecdote. That was great! He deserved the pelting. :clap

[btkid08]

oh and another things, if anybody get us lacrosse magazine, go into the part where the whole page is just one picture and look at the one of the Notre Dame girls goalie. SHE HAS NO GLOVES ON!!!! WHAT IS THAT?

[cherylz]

crazy-ness! She's asking for a couple of broken fingers that's it

[RYU]

I don't know if very many other college women's goalies don't wear padded gloves, but I know of a couple others at the high school level who do the same thing.

I also think it's asking for trouble, but the Women's Lax Rulebook specifically does not require padded gloves for goalies. It's something that baffles me considering the philosophy of the women's lax rules is to always place emphasis on player safety first.

[btkid08]

i still dont understand it, ive showed a couple girl players at my school and they all are like holy ####

[RYU]

Direct from the Rulebook (7-B-1) "The goalkeeper must wear a helmet with face mask, a separate throat protector, a mouth piece, and a chest protector." Rule 7 recommends other padding and protection, but it is not required.

What's to understand? If it's not required, then it's optional. Most guys wear cups, but they are not required by the rules.

[SEMlax]

I just started playing goalie so i'm wearing the skinguards. However, this year i really want to get good enough to not use them. It is so hard to move around in them.

[Garor]

I wear them, but last year I only wore one. I might much later in life be able to go without them, but by then it won't matter. My trainer came very very close to breaking my shin and ankle, all at the same time. It's been about 6 months, and even now you can feel an awesome indent on my shin.
Trust me it's awesome not being able to run that much. My favortie part is getting shin splints all the time. /sarcasm.
I was given a choice, throw away my lax career if I get hit there ever again without shinguards, or suck up the whole "wuss" factor and start thinking about the team. My choice affects the team. I play on a very good varsity team and I'm not about to throw my future college career away because I look like a "wuss".

What about former Virginia goalie Andrea Pfeiffer?http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/va/galleries/w-lacros-052304/pfeiffer-lg.jpg
Oh, there's no respect for her in the women's lacrosse world.

End of Rant.

[Damn D man]

never worn shinguards and don't plan to....BWAHAHAHA!!1

[phslax007]

whats all this about "not being able to move around in shinguards"? cant u just like wear soccer shinguards, u know the small strapless ones u just tuck under some tall socks, how can those make it hard to move? i personally have never even watched a girls game where a girl used shin guards or even a girls game at all, but do they use ones alot bigger and bulkier than those soccer ones or what

[sumSum]

You sometimes find girl goalies who wear these:

[zak]

Back to the balls discussion.... you CAN get killed if you get hit there hard enough. Have you ever heard of internal bleeding?

I play D, but I wore shinn gaurds for about 2 weeks. I had a nasty nasty contusion on my left shin. I would be on the floor if someone even taped my shin, I refused to practice without it. Later that season the same thing happened to our goalie, he used my shin gaurds. He said that they were small enough to not impede his movement, so he used them. I dont see why baseball catchers wear those monster shin gaurds but guys goalies dont, same type ball, same average speed more or less.

[midman17]

I agree with Lion. I think the skill factor relates to the confidence and comfort factor in the goal. For another point (and I might regret saying this), I have never been hit in the shin, very often the knees, but not the shin, and I have been playing for 5 years. However, it really depends on comfort and nothing else.

wow when I played goalie(mens because thats what I am) I never was hit in the knees I was always hit in the shins or thighs if I was faked.

off subject does any goalie have that kid on their team that always fakes high and goes low, well I got pissed at practice one day when I couldnt save that so I hit his stick into the ground and leveled him.

[Garor]

You sometimes find girl goalies who wear these:


That's overkill by far. I wear those moldable stx shin guards. If anyone says I look like a wuss, I run them into the ground.

I knew there was another prominent women's goalie who wears shin gaurds. . .
http://laxnation.laxshots.com/enlarge.aspx?image_id=81208

[lilaxgurl23]

I dont see why baseball catchers wear those monster shin gaurds but guys goalies dont, same type ball, same average speed more or less.

They wear them because a catchers game is all on the ground and rarely up high. They are soooo much more likely to get hit in the knee or shin not only because of where they play but also because of how they are tought.They are supposed to use their legs to help stop the ball.

And as a goalie, for some reason I get hit loads on the knees. I see no point in wear shin guards (soccer) because I rarely get hit there. I do see some girls wear soccer shin guards and volleyball knee things, which is a good idea if you dont want to wear the catchers leg protectors.

[SawyerLaxGirl44]

I personally think the whole idea of shin guards is rediculous.I only played one season so far and my coach had NO idea what she was doing and bought me shinguards, goalie pants and even elbow pads.She gave it all to me and I thought she was INSANE! How on earth can you move with all that stuff on?I did it for one season and didn't do that bad.But she said it's my choice so I got rid of all that crap. Now i'm just stickin w/ a helmet and my throat protector which I LOVE!(hit in the head a million times and throat once) chest protector and gloves.

I play with the guys team alot cuz they don't have a goalie and they are just amazed that I'm stopping these shots going 80 MPH.To me, wearing shin guards makes me feel like I should use my legs and put the shinguards to use. But in all reality, I feel SO much better w/o them.Its all up to the goalie!!

[laxgoalie2012]

LiquidMercury16 have you ever played lacrosse? Or goalie in lacrosse? Because i'm a goalie and the shots do come at you hard... last year i wore shin gaurds and got a major contution and the shot had split my shin gaurd right in half...the trainer said that if i wasn't wearing shin gaurds my shin bone or whatever would be snapped and i would never be able to play again so yeah i would wear shin gaurd...maybe not wearing them cant kill you but it could kill your chances of making it up to college... ohh yeah i'm in 8th grade and played up on JV so i'm pretty good and i hardly use my body but even the best goalies let one pass the stick everyonce in a while (not saying i'm the best) just saying it happens to everyone...

[laxgoalie2012]

agreed! it kills but not right away it goes numb you finish the game and then in the locker room its like your whole leg is getting eatten by a shark!lol

[laxgoalie2012]

okay well girls isn't like guys and i understand that guys get beat up and stuff but ppl say that girls lacrosse isn't physical well its just that girls have better tolerence for pain than guys thats a study and so maybe we get hurt just as much as you guys the only difference is that we suck it up and deal... i know getting hit in the balls kills but you can't compare that to getting hit in the shins... if you don't wear shin gaurds in goal it can cause a lot worse damage... you guys get hit and it hurts we get hit and it hurts plus we brake our leg! now guys night throw harder but i got hit with a 70mph lax ball and that doesn't feel so good so maybe girls have gotten stronger and maybe it does hurt=/

[laxgoalie2012]

thats so true i love looking at my bruises and being like ohh that was that amazing save lol its a great boost of excitement before the next time you play them

[laxgoalie2012]

I were soccer shin gaurds its like the middle between those huge catchers shin gaurds and taking one for the team. If i get hit in the shin i get a bruise but my leg isn't broken plus it makes me feel protected and when you feel protected your bound to be better in goal because your not scared... i guess when you get better you could take them off but i had a really bad experience (shingaurd broke and i had a huge contution) and idk if ill be mentally strong enough to take them off=/

[walax28]

Personally, I think shin guards are for beginners. When I first started in the net I wore them because I came from hockey and I had a serious over-reliance on pad saves, but now I feel like I don't need them anymore. Sure, I still get nailed hardcore in the shins but the mobility is worth it to me. I've seen a bunch of other goalies in our league that wear the pads and rely on them so much that they won't even drop their stick below their waste for a shot. I think its a crutch. Few attackers that most girl goalies are playing against shoot hard enough to break bones and the goalies that do play against those attackers don't wear them either, so I think we're all probably fine.
As for guy goalies, I was talking with our former guys goalie (and he's AMAZING) and he said he thinks that because girls are shooting so close to the crease, they tend to go low more often than guys. I mean think about it. Nobody rips it from 15 meters out in the girls game, mostly because of dangerous shot and other rules, but guys do it all the time. Its just hard to go low from that far away. That could explain why most guy goalies feel that they can go without.

[<<RANGER>>]

okay well girls isn't like guys and i understand that guys get beat up and stuff but ppl say that girls lacrosse isn't physical well its just that girls have better tolerence for pain than guys thats a study and so maybe we get hurt just as much as you guys the only difference is that we suck it up and deal... i know getting hit in the balls kills but you can't compare that to getting hit in the shins... if you don't wear shin gaurds in goal it can cause a lot worse damage... you guys get hit and it hurts we get hit and it hurts plus we brake our leg! now guys night throw harder but i got hit with a 70mph lax ball and that doesn't feel so good so maybe girls have gotten stronger and maybe it does hurt=/

Quote me a source and I'll beleive you. And your bones are pretty strong, my legs have bumps all over them but I have only heard of maybe two goalies actually breaking their legs recently, both in men's lax.

[g04L13 iNSANiTY]

I play modified so I'm forced to wear the huge baseball ones =[ but when I play indoor I don't wear them at all

[NC_Goalie_Girl]

I wear these thin soccerish ones. I think they might actually be meant for field hockey but whatever. If I wear sweatpants, which I do 98% of the time, you can't even tell they're there. I didn't wear any at all until that stupid new rule that you have to wear them in HS girls lax. :( Not cool haha once i get to college they are gone forever :)

[laxgoalie89]

well yeah...its not like i have a choice so i have to wear them. its the rule

[D3Goalie9]

don't wear them in college. you really don't need them. my shins got hurt more with them on.

[igottaplaylax]

In florida, Girls high school are required to wear them... or you can't play in the game.

I got kicked out of a game for not wearing them, and i'm our only goalie, so i improvised with tape, but haha you get the idea.

now i wear soccer shinguards. not big enough to impede movement, but i feel protected, which makes me play better, cause i'm not hesitant to go to the ball with my legs.

even with them on, I have nerve loss in my shin from this college player at camp, so now i just don't feel anything in one leg until the nerves grow back... and that's with them on, so they don't do much.

I HATE wearing them 99% of the time. But i have to play with them or i don't play.

[Garor]

Why was this topic revived? It's been 3.5 years? It seems moot to me, if you're in high school, you have to wear them. If you are in college, do what you want. Keep in mind that when this topic started, this was not the case.