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give them a 9 also. We have purchased McDavid protective gear and I would give them a 9. I purchase Easton bats and Louisville Slugger bats for Riley and Kinley and I would give them a 9. We buy Wilson gloves and I would give them an 8. Matt B.: A 9, because the equip- ment for hockey is excellent but a little pricey. Mike B.: I'll go by brand if you don't mind. Babolot, 8, great product and customer service; Adidas, 8, great combination of styling and customer ser- vice; Nike, 7, lower rating only because some of their stuff is great and some not so good; New Balance, 8, improved styling a lot in the last five to eight years; STX, 8, we like this brand mostly because it isn't used as widely. That said, what do you like and dislike about her equipment and apparel? Matt B.: The only thing I dis- like is it does not last very long. With her growing and the amount of time she is on the ice it seems that we need to replace stuff every year. Mike B.: I like a lot of the older equipment. I also look for smaller manufacturers who take pride in their work and where I can speak to the people making the products. Obviously that isn't possible for many prod- ucts. So I stick with brands that I know about, but their quality can change quickly. Tim P.: I do not have any dis- likes. I like the fact that it's easy for us to find her what she needs either here in town at our local Hibbett Sports or on the Internet from Amazon or Dick's Sporting Goods. Charlie G.: The one downside is that my girls grow out of them so quickly. Some of the items last a good time; however, we do not like how expensive they can be. Secondly, kids come in a variety of sizes and it has been hard at times to get apparel or sports equipment to fit them. Billy B.: We have had great luck. We love the quality of Adidas clothing and shoes and have enjoyed those for years. My kids really like having the latest running shoes to wear to school and sport-specific footwear. I dislike the amount of money we spend each year on equipment that the girls need. For exam- ple, the tech swimsuits that my oldest daughter wears are around $400 and they are only good for one or two meets. And I purchase a lot of cutting-edge bats that have amazing per- formance, but have durability issues. Has this apparel and equipment improved or not improved since she began playing sports? Mike B.: There are more prod- ucts targeted to girls – lacrosse sticks, shoes, lighter shafts for golf, tennis graphite racquets that have allowed women to hit the ball as hard as men, lulu- lemon for yoga – every sport now has a specialized manufac- turer and you can find this stuff on the Internet. Charlie G.: The quality has improved over the recent years. There is also new, innovative equipment and apparel that has helped my daughters develop. Billy B.: The quality of the foot- wear, in particular, has gotten better. Equipment has probably stayed relatively the same. Tim P.: The quality is pretty much the same as it was back when she started playing sports, in 2007ish. What has improved for obvious reasons is the availability through vari- ous websites. Matt B.: Her equipment has definitely improved over the years. Just with technology. Have you had to purchase equipment, footwear or apparel for her that is unisex or made for boys? Matt B.: All the time. In hockey everything is either unisex or made for boys. Charlie G.: Kayla always ends up in men's cleats. There are more options, cooler designs and always more sizes. Nicole Presley, Kinley and Riley truly believe their dad, Billy, knows what it takes to buy equipment and footwear for their various sports, but admit their views on sports apparel – and clothes in general – differ greatly. Haley plays tennis, golf, lacrosse and field hockey and enjoys skiing, biking, running and yoga. Her dad, Mike, says that being a bit of a gear head has helped him know the equipment she needs for all of it. The quality of the footwear, in particular, has gotten better. Equipment has probably stayed relatively the same. GIRLS' SPORTS | ROUNDTABLE • TEAM 64 • May 2021 sportstyle • sportstylemag.com

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