3 Signs You Need Wickers Glove Liners
Updated: Oct 3, 2022
Wickers are fingerless gloves worn inside of lacrosse glove to give an extra layer of warmth in the winter, protect against infections, and keep your hands smelling good. Let's dive into each of these benefits by examining the problems they solve.
1. Your hands freeze in the winter
Lacrosse is a spring sport, meaning preseason practices start in January, while temperatures can be well below freezing across the midwest and northeast. Typically, lacrosse practices and games are only cancelled if the real feel is 0°F or below. This means practices and games through (at least) March are conducted in the freezing cold. Cold hands in lacrosse are the worst.
If your hands have ever lost feeling because of the cold, you need to use Wickers. There is nothing worse than losing the feel of your stick because your hands are too cold. Frozen hands in lacrosse are the enemy of elite ball handling.
Many of us would use rubber surgical/latex gloves in college to keep our hands warm. While this can provide brief respite from the cold, it does interfere with the feel of the stick and exposes you to frostbite risks. Additionally, latex is increasingly being banished from hospitals because of allergy concerns (here's an example from Johns Hopkins).
One of the first questions we get is: "Why are Wickers fingerless?", which is a great question. There is certainly a tradeoff between the feel and warmth. The more fabric we put on the fingers, the less feel of the stick there is, and vice versa. We're incredibly excited about the design we have now. Lacrosse is played in the finger tips, and this maximizes warmth before the fingers, without impacting feel. Long distance runners know to keep their core warm, so that their extremities can stay warm in turn. Wickers work the same way. That being said, we plan on making several addition models in the future. This is how to deal with cold hands in lacrosse.
2. You've gotten infections from your gloves
Source: GEOFF ROBINS/THE CANADIAN PRESS. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/basketball/lacrosse-star-has-cautionary-tale-for-clippers-griffin-after-staph-infection-surgery/article22889920/
Everyone knows lacrosse gloves have a distinct, horrible, awful smell. But can that smell cause any health issues? Yes.
John Grant Jr. and Blake Griffin have both been sidelined by staph infection surgeries. In Grant's experience, his arm pad contributed to the the infection. Never miss a practice, or worse a game, because of an infection like staph or ringworm.
I once had four styes in my eye in four months. When I threw out my lacrosse gloves, the problem stopped. To not disgust you, I've chosen not to share any pictures from this experience.
3. Your hands and gloves smell terrible
As moms everywhere will agree, lacrosse gear smells terrible. Is there any way to deal with it? Many have professed intricate strategies to keep your gear smelling good, but the simplest methods are generally the best.
How long have you had your shoulder pads for? Personally, I used the same pair for more than 6 years. Is that because my upper body sweat less? Absolutely not. It's because I was wearing a shirt to absorb my sweat and could wash that shirt easily in between uses. Wickers work the same way - they absorb sweat (and bacteria) and can easily be washed between uses.