Patent ID: 7874944

Claim:
An end cap for a lacrosse stick, comprising: a cover configured for being placed over at least a portion of a shaft of a lacrosse stick; a weighted member carried by the cover and configured for being at least partially located within the shaft of the lacrosse stick when the cover is placed over at least a portion of the shaft of the lacrosse stick, wherein the weighted member is selected so as to cause a center of gravity of the lacrosse stick and a ball to be located at a point along the shaft of the lacrosse stick when the ball is located in a head of the lacrosse stick during play; a deformable gripping portion that is integrally formed with the cover such that the cover and the deformable gripping portion are a single component formed of the same material and that is located at least partially inside of the shaft when the cover and the weighted member are attached to the shaft of the lacrosse stick; and a threaded nut configured for engaging complimentary threading of the weighted member such that rotation of the weighted member causes movement of the threaded nut along the weighted member so as to deform the deformable gripping portion, wherein the cover is configured such that the deformable gripping portion acts to engage an inner surface of the shaft to aid in attachment of the cover and the weighted member to the shaft, wherein the treaded nut does not engage the inner surface of the shaft, and wherein when the weighted member is fully inserted into the shaft of the lacrosse stick the threaded nut and the deformable gripping portion and the cover surround the weighted member such that the threading of the weighted member is shielded from directly facing the inner surface of the shaft, wherein the cover contacts an outer surface of the shaft of the lacrosse stick, and wherein the threaded nut is positioned in a lengthwise direction of the shaft of the lacrosse stick such that a portion of the cover inside the shaft is closer to the head of the lacrosse stick in the lengthwise direction than the threaded nut and wherein a portion of the cover is located inside of the shaft and is closer to a head of the lacrosse stick in the lengthwise direction than the deformable gripping portion and the threaded nut, wherein when the deformable gripping portion engages the inner surface of the shaft the portion of the cover that is closer to the head does not engage the inner surface of the shaft and such that the only portion of the cover that engages the inner surface of the shaft is located beyond the threaded nut.