A Central New York man continues to make wooden lacrosse sticks from scratch at his home on the Onondaga Nation.

Alfred Jacques, 72, started this trade more than 60 years ago as a boy, and he loves sharing his skills with knowledge of lacrosse with others.

“The key is to keep moving. You know, keep doing things,” said Jacques.

He has slowed down, but he never stops when it comes to making lacrosse sticks. The 72-year-old self-taught stick maker and former pro player started making wooden sticks when he was just 12 years old.

“We didn’t have enough money to buy our own stick, and back then, they were like four or five bucks a piece, but we didn’t have any money. My dad felt bad about it, and he said one day, ‘what the hell, let’s make our own,’ ”  said Jacques.

He admits it wasn’t easy making a stick from a hickory tree, but he slowly got better. Back in the '70s, he was pumping out as many as 12,000 sticks a year with his dad from his Onondaga Nation barn.

“In this little building. I don’t know how the heck we did it but we did. It was a lot of work, but it was 24/7. If we weren’t playing or coaching lacrosse or traveling to a game, we were making lacrosse sticks,” said Jacques.

Alfie continues to make wooden lacrosse sticks, although his production rate has decreased to about 200 sticks annually. The demand for plastic sticks has impacted business, but the wooden stick is still used in box lacrosse leagues nationwide.

Every push and pull of Alfie’s knife is done with care and precision. He’s one of the few stick makers left in the country, while he said it takes about 10 to 12 months to make a stick if done correctly.

Today, Alfie likes to share his craft and his knowledge of the game of lacrosse with younger generations. He’s been making regular visits to the Museum of Science and Technology in Syracuse, where there is a new lacrosse exhibit.

“So somebody has to keep making sticks. So I never quit,” he said.

His craft has allowed him to meet people from all over the world, and he’s tried to pass on his talents to a few others. In the meantime, he plans on going for as long as he can.

“If I can still make a few when I’m 82, OK, I will. And, I’m not talking, like, making a couple hundred a year. Maybe 100 a year, maybe 50 a year, I don’t know, but I’ll keep on doing this for as long as I’m able to do it," he said.