SPARKS, Md. – Following an extensive review of similar entities in the athletic space, USA Lacrosse has announced the structure of the Lacrosse Equipment Council (LEC). The formation of the LEC was announced in late 2024 and the group will focus on the development, evaluation, and selection of standards and testing protocols to certify lacrosse equipment while monitoring and assessing the impact of equipment on player performance and safety.
In addition to conversations with stakeholders in the lacrosse community, USA Lacrosse staff members visited with representatives from USA Hockey, the United States Golf Association, USA Softball and others to gain further insight into how similar entities and National Governing Bodies manage equipment standards, certification processes and the review of designs and equipment changes.
“We’ve used a thoughtful and collaborative process to professionalize and elevate our game,” said USA Lacrosse CEO Marc Riccio. “These groups were very open with us, sharing state of the art testing facilities and best practices. We’re going to use insight and data-driven learnings to improve the athlete experience. This is part of our mission as trusted leaders in the sport.”
Under USA Lacrosse bylaws, the LEC will be a subcommittee of the USA Lacrosse Executive Committee and will be comprised of a voting committee and an advisory group. The initial members of the voting committee will include:
- Joseph J. “Trey” Crisco: Brown University, Henry Frederick Lippitt Professor of Orthopaedic Research; Executive Director for Research, Department of Orthopaedics; Director Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedics
- Caitlin Kelley: Senior Director, Sport Experience for USA Lacrosse
- David Petit: Program Manager at Safety Equipment Institute, representing 14 years of sport goods testing and certification
- Steve Quintavalla: Senior Director, Equipment Research and Testing at United States Golf Association (USGA)
- Jaci VanHeest: University of Connecticut, Associate Professor, Educational Psychology Department; Faculty Director Public Health Learning Community; NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative
- Jason Vescovi: VP, High Performance at USA Lacrosse
The advisory committee will include representation from rules-making bodies such as the NCAA and NFHS and coaches associations as well as external legal counsel.
Additionally, stakeholders will be able to join the LEC as forum members to receive correspondence and invitations to open forums to participate in the process.
The first internal LEC meeting will be held in June to develop the process for communication, meetings and engagement with industry and other lacrosse stakeholders.
About USA Lacrosse
USA Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is a Recognized Sports Organization of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee. As the governing body of men’s and women’s lacrosse in the United States, USA Lacrosse fuels the growth, enriches the experience, and fields the best National Teams, supporting more than 425,000 members across the country.
