May 15, 2013
The following article about Mounds Park Academy Class of 2013 alumnus Charlie Igo was published in the White Bear Press on May 7, 2013. View the original version here.
WHITE BEAR LAKE — Strength and flexibility are considered positive assets for an athlete playing lacrosse. They are also two of the fundamental characteristics being engineered into Charlie Igo’s state-of-the-art lacrosse sticks.
Possessing first-hand knowledge of the sport as a player, he has spent the last two years studying and refining the production of carbon-fiber sticks specifically for lacrosse. Using machinery that he built from scratch (with some help welding from his father Mike), he has been producing his Redline M4 Carbon brand lacrosse sticks out of a second-floor shop at the White Bear Boat Works facility near Little Goose Lake for about a year.
A 2005 graduate of Mounds Park Academy, he attended the Schulze School of Entrepreneurship at the University of St. Thomas. While in college, he developed a specific interest in carbon fiber during an internship at HED cycle (Company founder Steve Hed is another entrepreneur with connections to White Bear Lake, he and his staff use carbon fiber to construct advanced, aerodynamic bicycle wheels used by professionals at the highest levels of the sport). The internship led to a job (for three years) prior to launching his current business venture.
“I think I picked up a lot of viewpoints from those guys,” Igo said. “Anne and Steve (Hed) are great mentors. I learned about putting quality, attention and care into your product and that if you make a quality product, the athletes will come to you.”
An examination of a cross section of a competitor’s lacrosse stick produced in China revealed inherent weaknesses in the design. Air pockets trapped within the composite material created unseen areas of structural weakness that could break on impact. Igo decided to develop a step in his process to eliminate these design flaws.
From a roll that is kept frozen to lengthen its shelf life, the process starts with sheets of the highest quality carbon fiber available. The fiber is cut into strips and then wrapped by hand around a tube to form the basic structure. The material is lighter and stronger than steel and flex can be built into the stick by manipulating the direction of the fiber. In one of the final steps, the combination of a precision-tooled mold and a pneumatic tube is used to force out the air bubbles by applying 150 psi of pressure from inside the carbon-fiber shaft. The surrounding aluminum form constrains the concave octagonal shape of the shaft, while air bubbles and other imperfections are pushed out in a paper-thin band along the length of the mold.
The resulting stick has a combination of strength and flexibility that makes it ideal for the rigors of lacrosse, a sport that appears (to the casual observer) to be a combination of ice hockey and soccer, requiring the speed of a track runner and the strength of a football or hockey player.
Igo has observed a transition from wood, to metal, to composite lacrosse sticks similar to what has already occurred in hockey. The dominant industry standard for lacrosse sticks is currently aluminum, which can bend or be dented.
“M4 Carbon is introducing the advantage of carbon fiber to the sport of lacrosse. You can take it to the extreme,” he said.
The demand for his sticks is growing along with the popularity of what was once an obscure sport in the Midwest. Within the last decade, lacrosse has grown from a small number of men’s and women’s club teams to a full-fledged Minnesota State High School League sport. In 2012, there were 63 girls programs and 58 boys programs with approximately 6,000 participating players.
Once the spring lacrosse season started this year, Igo discovered the demand for his sticks was much higher than expected. It’s not uncommon for him to work from 8 a.m. until 10 or 11 p.m. just to keep up with the orders.
“The response has been great. From kids who like the performance aspect to parents who like that it’s locally made,” he said. “One of our goals was to make all our products in the U.S. and we’ve stayed true to it. From building the machinery to buying our supplies, it’s all made in the U.S.”
Professional and amateur players alike have tested his products and given them positive reviews. The Redline logo can be spotted on an increasing number of sticks at local lacrosse practices and games. The sticks are designed specifically for attack and defense positions. Teams and players can also get them custom built with school colors. The marketing strategy for now is to keep selling the custom, hand-built products directly to the customer. This summer, to further expand awareness of the sticks, there are plans to visit major lacrosse tournaments nationwide.
“I just like really well made, quality products and I strive every day to make the best possible products,” Igo said.
