The Scam that is DC Express

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My thoughts. Look to see where teams finished their respective seasons in HoCo and fall/summer tournaments as well as if a team has a high concentration of kids from a specific school. Teams that did well or have a school concentration will have fewer spots open if any, teams that were not at the top or winning or playing for tournament championships will likely have open spots. Anyone who has been through the grind of club lacrosse likely knows the local players in the club scene and it is not too difficult to find out where your son stands in regards to making a team. Even if you cannot find out from the club then ask yourself how much did your son play in their last season and at what level, this is generally a pretty good guide as to movement (top B player can make the jump to A, A player who is not top 16+ on their team has the potential to get moved down or lateral to another not as strong A team). This is based on experience with BLC, NL and Madlax over the past few years and seeing the movement that happens. Now at the 6, 7 and 8th grade level we are seeing more "holdbacks", this throws a bit of a wrench into this process and is a bit of the wild card. Not sure really how to account for this.

If you have a new player coming into the club grind it is likely you will have to pay for clinics, etc. to get seen by the coaches and clubs. I think most of the clubs are pretty honest about where your kid stands and starting on a B team to get experience and more playing time in front of coaches is not a bad thing. I am not one of those people who looks down on B teams, I think they provide a good place for kids who want to get into the sport, get better and play competitive lacrosse above a rec league. Some will say money grab but it is only a grab if you let them take it. End of the day you get to decide on the investment you want to make. If you have a B player that is not a top player at that level right now their ability to move up will be hard but if your son loves the game, his team, his coaches, etc. then it might be an investment you want to make. The top team at any club get's the majority of focus but it does not mean that B is bad. In addition kids grow and mature a lot at this age and just because you are B now does not mean you cannot grow into A. Just take a look at the full HoCo divisions, the vast majority of kids are not playing at the "Elite" level. So either all these parents and kids have been scammed or they have made a decision they feel is in the best interest (love of the game, good coaching, team environment, playing a competitive sport, etc) for their family. With all the information available on the these boards and a little bit of self awareness it is hard to accept people are being scammed.

Reality is I don't think it is any secret the clubs are businesses that are focused on winning and they act as such.

Well said. I went back and looked at the HoCo league rankings for 2023 as you suggested. One thing I didn’t understand is how they have a Bethesda Blue team and a DCExpress Black. The express team did well but the Bethesda team did not. Why is that? Is it because they all jump ship for DCExpress in 8th grade?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My thoughts. Look to see where teams finished their respective seasons in HoCo and fall/summer tournaments as well as if a team has a high concentration of kids from a specific school. Teams that did well or have a school concentration will have fewer spots open if any, teams that were not at the top or winning or playing for tournament championships will likely have open spots. Anyone who has been through the grind of club lacrosse likely knows the local players in the club scene and it is not too difficult to find out where your son stands in regards to making a team. Even if you cannot find out from the club then ask yourself how much did your son play in their last season and at what level, this is generally a pretty good guide as to movement (top B player can make the jump to A, A player who is not top 16+ on their team has the potential to get moved down or lateral to another not as strong A team). This is based on experience with BLC, NL and Madlax over the past few years and seeing the movement that happens. Now at the 6, 7 and 8th grade level we are seeing more "holdbacks", this throws a bit of a wrench into this process and is a bit of the wild card. Not sure really how to account for this.

If you have a new player coming into the club grind it is likely you will have to pay for clinics, etc. to get seen by the coaches and clubs. I think most of the clubs are pretty honest about where your kid stands and starting on a B team to get experience and more playing time in front of coaches is not a bad thing. I am not one of those people who looks down on B teams, I think they provide a good place for kids who want to get into the sport, get better and play competitive lacrosse above a rec league. Some will say money grab but it is only a grab if you let them take it. End of the day you get to decide on the investment you want to make. If you have a B player that is not a top player at that level right now their ability to move up will be hard but if your son loves the game, his team, his coaches, etc. then it might be an investment you want to make. The top team at any club get's the majority of focus but it does not mean that B is bad. In addition kids grow and mature a lot at this age and just because you are B now does not mean you cannot grow into A. Just take a look at the full HoCo divisions, the vast majority of kids are not playing at the "Elite" level. So either all these parents and kids have been scammed or they have made a decision they feel is in the best interest (love of the game, good coaching, team environment, playing a competitive sport, etc) for their family. With all the information available on the these boards and a little bit of self awareness it is hard to accept people are being scammed.

Reality is I don't think it is any secret the clubs are businesses that are focused on winning and they act as such.

Well said. I went back and looked at the HoCo league rankings for 2023 as you suggested. One thing I didn’t understand is how they have a Bethesda Blue team and a DCExpress Black. The express team did well but the Bethesda team did not. Why is that? Is it because they all jump ship for DCExpress in 8th grade?

Never mind. I read it wrong.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My thoughts. Look to see where teams finished their respective seasons in HoCo and fall/summer tournaments as well as if a team has a high concentration of kids from a specific school. Teams that did well or have a school concentration will have fewer spots open if any, teams that were not at the top or winning or playing for tournament championships will likely have open spots. Anyone who has been through the grind of club lacrosse likely knows the local players in the club scene and it is not too difficult to find out where your son stands in regards to making a team. Even if you cannot find out from the club then ask yourself how much did your son play in their last season and at what level, this is generally a pretty good guide as to movement (top B player can make the jump to A, A player who is not top 16+ on their team has the potential to get moved down or lateral to another not as strong A team). This is based on experience with BLC, NL and Madlax over the past few years and seeing the movement that happens. Now at the 6, 7 and 8th grade level we are seeing more "holdbacks", this throws a bit of a wrench into this process and is a bit of the wild card. Not sure really how to account for this.

If you have a new player coming into the club grind it is likely you will have to pay for clinics, etc. to get seen by the coaches and clubs. I think most of the clubs are pretty honest about where your kid stands and starting on a B team to get experience and more playing time in front of coaches is not a bad thing. I am not one of those people who looks down on B teams, I think they provide a good place for kids who want to get into the sport, get better and play competitive lacrosse above a rec league. Some will say money grab but it is only a grab if you let them take it. End of the day you get to decide on the investment you want to make. If you have a B player that is not a top player at that level right now their ability to move up will be hard but if your son loves the game, his team, his coaches, etc. then it might be an investment you want to make. The top team at any club get's the majority of focus but it does not mean that B is bad. In addition kids grow and mature a lot at this age and just because you are B now does not mean you cannot grow into A. Just take a look at the full HoCo divisions, the vast majority of kids are not playing at the "Elite" level. So either all these parents and kids have been scammed or they have made a decision they feel is in the best interest (love of the game, good coaching, team environment, playing a competitive sport, etc) for their family. With all the information available on the these boards and a little bit of self awareness it is hard to accept people are being scammed.

Reality is I don't think it is any secret the clubs are businesses that are focused on winning and they act as such.

Well said. I went back and looked at the HoCo league rankings for 2023 as you suggested. One thing I didn’t understand is how they have a Bethesda Blue team and a DCExpress Black. The express team did well but the Bethesda team did not. Why is that? Is it because they all jump ship for DCExpress in 8th grade?

Yes, well said. And the B team prepares you for your high school team, where your son could start.

[Anonymous]

When are tryouts for the summer teams?

[Anonymous]

Prepare to pay $400

[Anonymous]

The Anti-McGill Cabell needs to stop. It’s defamatory, and not based on facts. Their detractors hold a lot of cards. But time will show that these guys are a okay

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Prepare to pay $400

Does the Long Island branch of the Express also do this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The Anti-McGill Cabell needs to stop. It’s defamatory, and not based on facts. Their detractors hold a lot of cards. But time will show that these guys are a okay

They tried to get Coach B fired. They are on their 4th HS team now. They charge 400 for a tryout.

Which fact do you dispute?

[Anonymous]

DCE 21 fails again to make a tournament final. Looks like that reclass advantage is no more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DCE 21 fails again to make a tournament final. Looks like that reclass advantage is no more.

As long as coaches continue the push to 50/50 play time, difficult to know for sure. Got to play to win to actually win....the Owners are pushing exposure this summer, which is odd based on how they promote the club. Funny how they have different rules around playing time for different teams within same organization. It’s as if they are being financially supported by a parent on the side or something...

[Anonymous]

Your kidding right? DCE 2021 and 2022 teams had great weekends, making it to semis of huge national tournaments. There were dozens of great teams who did not make it to final 4 top teams. You trolls are really sad to waste so much energy (negative) on one organization that is clearly on the rise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your kidding right? DCE 2021 and 2022 teams had great weekends, making it to semis of huge national tournaments. There were dozens of great teams who did not make it to final 4 top teams. You trolls are really sad to waste so much energy (negative) on one organization that is clearly on the rise.

Agreed - PP is that toxic parent. College coaches don’t give a hoot about which teams made finals, it’s about seeing kids play. If PP really knew what they were talking about, it would be apprehension over how DCE rolled over its opponents in pool play.

[Anonymous]

most college coaches never stay for the final championship game as they want to pack up and get on the road.

whoever continues to bash the DCE 2021 team, you really need to get a life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Your kidding right? DCE 2021 and 2022 teams had great weekends, making it to semis of huge national tournaments. There were dozens of great teams who did not make it to final 4 top teams. You trolls are really sad to waste so much energy (negative) on one organization that is clearly on the rise.

Will do, Ray...you have it all figured out....

[Anonymous]

The point is they are not as good relative to the competition as they were last year. Mad Dog beat them easily. Because they killed teams due to everyone repeating a grade. That advantage is now gone.