As I predicted last week, Laxy Claus visited my house over the weekend. Although this year’s pickings were few in number, they were great in quality.

Up first are my new cleats:

Before the Christmas shopping season, I knew that I wanted the Warrior Burn 5.0. Not only have Warrior’s cleats improved by leaps and bounds with each new incarnation, but the latest models are (in my opinion) the best looking yet.

Since the Central Iowa Lacrosse Association’s colors were changed from red and black to navy and baby blue, I have been working to transition my gear to the new scheme. With our men’s travel/tournament/rec team wearing the same colors, getting matching cleats made perfect sense. I intended to get the navy version of the 5.0s, but then I noticed gingham special editions. My wife ultimately chose the fancier model.

Aside from the gingham patten, the shoes feature custom two-tone laces. But even more awesome are the custom soles. Baby blue soles with navy studs?! Aesthetically, these cleats are amazing! I cannot wait to get them on a field.

You can order them here.

I had been alternating between Puma soccer cleats and Nike football cleats, with neither making me feel comfortable on the field. The Pumas were light and quick, but had no protection and even less ankle support. The Nikes felt lead lead bricks on my feet, but they offered tank0like protection.