Suited up

Short pleated skirts have been a universal field-hockey signature for many decades. Players often still wear skirts, now of high-tech fabric, but their other gear reflects today’s more aggressive playing styles and heightened concern for safety. Shin guards are big and thick, and mouth guards are de rigueur, sometimes custom-made, sometimes in bright colors. Field-hockey sticks may still be made of wood, but—like skis and tennis rackets and kayaks—they’re often composed of lightweight, durable materials such as graphite and fiberglass.