lax culture from an insider
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Anonymous
Why would anyone urge kids to go to VLC? The teams are coached by parents and the club is owned by a guy who hasn't set foot on a VLC practice field for a few years now. It is ridiculously expensive for what it is -- 3-4 practices and 2-3 events for $1500 a season is not a value, unless you're buying the recruiting advocacy hard sell. No thanks, would rather be at a club trying to develop players by teaching the game and encouraging some fun rather than getting 11, 12, 13 year olds and their parents in a frenzy over being noticed by a college coach. Another decent reason not to is VLC plays down in lower bracket divisions to be competitive at tournaments. After all the hype about recruiting, it doesn't work out so well when the teams suck. VLC had a couple decent HS teams that have or are aging out of the club system now. So a good reason to sign junior up is hey look at all these 2015 commits! Get a clue. |
Anonymous
| So for those of us who want to steer clear of the Madlax and VLC programs, and whose sons are at an A and not AA level (which rules out Blackwolf), what credible, well-run clubs are there in the DMV that would be an attractive alternative? I am thinking primarily about 9th and 10th graders who love the sport but whose athletic ability or skill level is a rung below the elite players. |
Anonymous
| Performance, Club Blue, Bethesda Lacrosse Club (BLC) and Breakout seem to be the ones offering good coaching and an emphasis on inclusive player development and the owners running them are not foaming from the mouth lunatics. |
Anonymous
I urge families to play for VLC because we are the parents of a 2016 player and it's been great. Not sure why you are ranting so much, but my son just showed me a few posts on a lacrosse website that have exactly the same points you just made. He says you post the same things over and over again, even though they are not true. Not sure if you truly had a bad experience with VLC or if you are a dad of a kid on a different team, but you might want to seek help. Here are some facts: 1. None of the VLC coaches are coaching a team that has their kid on it. There are two VLC coaches who have kids in HS who play on other VLC teams, but both of them have prior club coaching experience. One of them is the founder of VLC. 2. It doesn't cost $1,500 a season. Not even close. 3. Why would you care whether the guy from the Baltimore Crabs is present at VLC practices or not? 4. My son wanted to play college lacrosse and VLC provided a great platform. They played in great events and his coach worked hard to help get him noticed. And the club didn't charge anything extra for it. 5. I see on that website that you keep posting about a VLC youth team playing down. We have friends on that team and they weren't very good last year, so the club scheduled them to play at the lower A level this year. But the team turned out better than expected, but they were already slotted in that division for the spring and summer. Bizarre that you would care if your son plays elsewhere. |
Anonymous
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People who disagree with VLC or Madlax parents need help.
Thank you. That makes our family decision to enroll our kids in a lacrosse program a lot easier. |
Anonymous
| I envy the time some lacrosse parents have in the middle of a working day to spend so much quality time with their kids trolling lacrosse message boards. I spent today listening to three creditors committee conference calls for a company we were dumb enough to buy convertible bonds in. I should be so lucky if I was worried about my son's lacrosse club social media profile. Jesus, thank you for saving me much more due diligence. Now I can sign my kids up for rec soccer this fall and avoid all this. |
Anonymous
And you spent time today on a website called, "DC Urban Moms". Living in a glass house, throwing stones ... |
Anonymous
Club blue and Bethesda don't have HS teams. |
Anonymous
Neither does Breakout. Madlax and Blackwolf have owners who are nuts; the other clubs in the area are run by decent people. http://deadspin.com/hey-ungrateful-quitter-emails-from-an-angry-lacrosse-660703941 |
Anonymous
What are other clubs that offer HS teams? |
Anonymous
I am a woman and a Mom. Grow some testicles. |
Anonymous
If your son was any good at lax he might have an edge in college admissions. Going to a good school would help him get a good job and avoid your fate - being miserable. |
Anonymous
Outside the big three in the immediate DMV, I think the options are Performance (Gaithersburg), Prospects (McLean), FreedomLax (Great Falls), and a relatively new club, Top Caliber (Alexandria). Then there are 3D (formerly Fuze) and Cavalier, both of which practice out in Leesburg/Ashburn. |
Anonymous
Thanks for the kind advice. I don't have the abundance of time your son and you have to share. I own my own business which is stressful but I am also fortunate it has gone well enough that I can afford any college my son and daughters are admitted to. Best of luck to your son with lacrosse being his life plan. That sounds like a solid way to go. |
Anonymous
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I played lacrosse in college and recently graduated from an ACC school and played at a local private school power.
Lacrosse is really not that sweet after high school and trust me, when it is all said and done, you might get a $3K - $5K type scholarship each year. Don't get me wrong, I played because I loved the sport but more importantly, I met a bunch of nice guys who I will be friends with for life. If you are some crazy lax mom or dad who thinks just because your son has made a verbal to a program as freshman or sophomore, you are in for a rude awakening when get onto college campus. Even though, I'm a recent graduate, the number of kids who made EARLY VERBALS in my generation (during Thanksgiving of your Junior Year.... which now I have been told is very late as some of the college coaches have now pushed it up even further) several of them NEVER even saw the field in college or some of them couldn't deal with the adversity and QUIT. You will soon realize, especially at the Big Ten and ACC Schools, Hopkins and Notre Dame etc.etc the roster sizes are HECK of a lot bigger than what they post on their website. When you have 50 - 60 kids at a practice, you seen realize, you might have been the CLUB SUPER STAR with the Crabs or Mad Lax or made the WashingtonPost ALL MET team, it will not equate to success at the college level. Parents - just let your kids play the sport, hopefully their head coach will instill good morals and teach them life lessons on and off the field. Don't buy into the CLUB LACROSSE HYSTERIA. If you are a stud athlete, they will find you. |