Meet Izzy McMahon
How I got here.
Growing up, I played absolutely everything. I fell in love with sports at a very young age. Something about running and feeling the thrill of winning was so addicting to me. From youth soccer, to baseball, tennis, basketball and lacrosse, I just couldn’t get enough. I was in 8th grade when I decided that basketball would forge my path to college. I dreamt of wearing Carolina blue and playing in the ACC. I never cared that I was 5’1 as a freshman. I was determined to do what everyone told me I couldn’t do. Unfortunately, my dream of being a Tar Heel never came true but I went on to play somewhere that I thought was just as profound: the United States Military Academy at West Point, a.k.a Army. After the conclusion of my freshman basketball season, I realized that the fire and love I had for lacrosse still burned deep within me. And so, I walked onto the team during its inaugural year as a division one sport. Riveting. At Army, I discovered my love for training, being in the weight room and learning about what I needed to compete at the division one level.
That's when IM Training started.
ArmorMesh
Athlete
Being able to create our Valkyrie Runner and having it appreciated by elite players, such as Izzy, has been a dream. We launched the Armor Mesh men's version in January 2022 and a year later, the women's Valkyrie. Having our hard work and innovation picked by many of the biggest names in lacrosse, has validated the performance of our unique hand woven design.
After the launch, our mutual friend suggested I send a Valkyrie Runner to Izzy. It was perfect timing to get it in the hands of such a rock star. Seeing her passion for the game, wild skills, and then the enthusiasm for our Valkyrie Runner, I believe that, "I was Stoked!", is an understatement.
The Valkyrie Runner is even more complex, as we incorporate a taper, helping the ball to stay up, isolated in the sweet spot, while still utilizing our un-fixed women design, shifting with the ball, adding cushion and hold.
Stringing traditional pockets my whole life, always in the pursuit of the most advantageous weaves, I strung a pocket with "un-fixed" joints and realized the capabilities that it can bring, with the shiftiness and hold everywhere in the pocket. Over the years, we were able to perfect that free flowing design, and after finding the strongest, lightest and waterproof material we could, we were a go.
Having Izzy at the forefront of our Armor Mesh team, is an honor, and makes us even more excited about what the future has in store.
-Chris Gilroy, Founder of Armor Mesh
Professional
Lacrosse Player
Athletes Unlimited is a public benefit sports league that aims to empower female athletes as leaders, promote inclusive ownership focused on long-term financial and personal well-being of athletes and bring fans closer to the game by innovating on and off the field. Since launching in March of 2020, Athletes Unlimited has successfully launched 4 women’s sports at the professional level including softball, lacrosse, volleyball and basketball.
