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Small helmets sideline Wheaton College lacrosse player

NORTON, Mass. — He was a star lacrosse player in high school and recruited by Wheaton College, but now he's on the verge of sitting out the upcoming season.

A few days out from the first lacrosse game of the season and Wheaton College goalie Alex Chu is out of commission, but it has nothing to do with skills or injury. The 19-year-old goalie is stuck on the sidelines until the school can find him an NCAA-approved helmet that fits his head.

"For as long as I can remember, I've had a huge head," said Chu.

The average male head measures 23 inches around. Throw on just a few more inches and you've found yourself in Alex Chu's situation where he's sidelined because no one can find him a helmet that fits.

"We have a couple of leads right now that we're working on. So we're remaining hopeful, but at this time we haven't been able to find a solution to this issue," said Wheaton College lacrosse coach Kyle Hart.

Chu was recruited last year from NIPMUC Regional High School in Upton. He had a big head then, too, but was able to play lacrosse using a specially made helmet created by mating two helmets together.

So why not just use the old high school helmet?

Well, that was the initial plan, but the problem is the high school helmet is not certified for college use.

Chu and others are trying to persuade helmet manufacturers to create another fusion helmet that would "pass" NCAA certification, but so far, no luck. And that means Chu could be facing an entire season sitting out.

"This is the longest I've been without playing. Just the frustration behind everything is hard to put into words," said Chu.

Late Monday, Wheaton got word that helmet manufacturer Warrior is sending a new model down for Alex that's supposed to run bigger in size.

How much bigger? That's the question because nothing can compress the human skull, or Alex's determination to return to lacrosse.

"My lacrosse coach in high school always tells me even if you're the best lacrosse player in the world, lacrosse won't miss you one iota, but you'll sure miss lacrosse," said Chu.