2023 Girls Recruiting

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As a Capital parent I can tell you most, if not all, of the girls want to play in college. As far as Capital players go - Many specifically want D1, and top academic D1s at that (ie Ivies, Stanford, Duke, Hopkins, NW, ND, UVA, Michigan, Vanderbilt, etc…) and aren’t concerned about $$. A smaller group specifically want a D3 like a NESCAC or similar, and the smallest group don't care about academics and just want to play wherever they can get recruited and maybe get some $$. Any girl who puts in the time and work that it takes to be on a top club team like Capital is doing it because she wants to play college lax. Those who decide they don’t, usually quit before they get to their junior year.

I agree with most of this post. When choosing to play for Capital there is an expectation you are doing so with the intent of playing in college. The goals of the club and the players and their families are aligned from the start. Having this alignment is great and makes it easier to work towards a unified outcome like recruiting.

This is where I may differ. I think it would be incorrect to assume a program like Pride operates the same. While both teams compete at a high level not all players have the same end goals. When KM started the HS program there was no attempt to align expectations between the club, players, and families like with Capital. Maybe this has changed with the upcoming HS classes. Fast forward to today and you will hear a mixed bag of responses from Pride players about what they want from club lacrosse.

There are Pride players who want to play at the next level. These players are taking visits and going through the recruiting process now. There are others who have been very specific about dream schools they want to attend, where lacrosse is a secondary nice-to-have, not a must-have as part of their college experience. And there are those who have been upfront in saying they do not want to play in college. Their paths may be different, but where the players have been aligned is in their desire to compete against good teams, which they have done in short time.

There are a lot of lacrosse pundits who believe they know what club players want. The reality is they don't and they shouldn't suggest they do. Some of the best players in the area have opted to not play at the next level. There are D1 commits who have eventually opted to play club lacrosse. There are juniors who continue to play club lacrosse because they love the game, want to compete, and enjoy it for the time they have left. There is no right or wrong answer. Lets respect what the players want and not make assumptions the end goal is the same for everyone. And enjoy the time you have left of this ride.

Congratulations to all who have committed and best of luck to all of those still in the process. And thank you to the players and parents who made the time and financial commitments to your clubs and sharing lifelong memories with your teammates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone count for the fact that maybe, just maybe, not all of these girls want to play at a high D1 level. Maybe they want to be students, enjoy becoming adults and - god forbid - not play? Maybe it is a choice? So exciting that the Cap ‘23 girls are doing so well. Kudos to them! I hope the pressure of them isn’t forcing them to be all about competitive D1.

Hello. We are not talking only high level D1 level. We are talking any D1 level, as well as D3. Maybe 2-3 of the Capital 22s at the beginning of their recruiting cycle in September 2020 decided they did not want to play any level college lax.

Right. The whole point of playing a club like Capital through Junior year is for recruiting. Nobody in their right mind would make that kind of time and financial commitment if that wasn't the goal. Some, who were not recruited, now claim they don't want to play.What else can they do?

I disagree with this statement. I know of many high quality players that decided that playing D1 wasn't worth it. They chose to go to the school of their dreams and play club instead of going D1 at a lower tier school just to say they played D1.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone count for the fact that maybe, just maybe, not all of these girls want to play at a high D1 level. Maybe they want to be students, enjoy becoming adults and - god forbid - not play? Maybe it is a choice? So exciting that the Cap ‘23 girls are doing so well. Kudos to them! I hope the pressure of them isn’t forcing them to be all about competitive D1.

Hello. We are not talking only high level D1 level. We are talking any D1 level, as well as D3. Maybe 2-3 of the Capital 22s at the beginning of their recruiting cycle in September 2020 decided they did not want to play any level college lax.

Right. The whole point of playing a club like Capital through Junior year is for recruiting. Nobody in their right mind would make that kind of time and financial commitment if that wasn't the goal. Some, who were not recruited, now claim they don't want to play.What else can they do?

I disagree with this statement. I know of many high quality players that decided that playing D1 wasn't worth it. They chose to go to the school of their dreams and play club instead of going D1 at a lower tier school just to say they played D1.

This is what I did personally and I don't regret it for a second. Sometimes lacrosse and education just don't end up aligning in the end. It can be heartbreaking at times and brings about some tough conversations. But it is a personal decision more people make than some people realize - and if your parents are willing to continue to pay so you can enjoy playing your last year or two of club, most will continue to play for the love of the game.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First, congratulations to all of the players (from any program) who have committed to play a sport they want to continue at the next level. Second, kudos to Capital, if true, for recognizing their shortcomings with their 2022 recruiting efforts and making the changes to have early success with its 2023 class. Having 14-15 players commit so early is not a coincidence, this involved calculated planning on the clubs part to make this happen.

Sadly, for the Pride 2023s it appears they are falling victim to the same mistake Capital may have made with its 2022 class based on comments on this board. At least schools are familiar with the Capital program. Few colleges seem to even know of Pride, and it appears few schools are hearing from Pride promoting players. Talk about a bad one-two punch. Have to feel for the Pride 2023 players. They have some extremely talented players.

Great so what about the ‘22s? Some top D1 schools are still committing players - Stanford, Dartmouth, Columbia, and a few other recently added a ‘22 to their rosters. None were Capital girls. Where is Capital? Why aren’t they still working on tge ‘22s? They seem to have just said “too bad” and mixed in, screw the girls. That doesn’t bode well for you younger players if they are committed in the first few rounds.

As a Capital 22 Orange parent, this post is a load of crap. There isn’t a single uncommitted 22 good enough to play for any of the schools listed. Stop blaming everyone else and consider the possibility that your daughter isn’t good enough to play at a top program.

+1000. The Capital 22 Orange parent hit the nail on the head.

Maybe for the orange team. Not accurate for 3-4 blue players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does anyone count for the fact that maybe, just maybe, not all of these girls want to play at a high D1 level. Maybe they want to be students, enjoy becoming adults and - god forbid - not play? Maybe it is a choice? So exciting that the Cap ‘23 girls are doing so well. Kudos to them! I hope the pressure of them isn’t forcing them to be all about competitive D1.

Hello. We are not talking only high level D1 level. We are talking any D1 level, as well as D3. Maybe 2-3 of the Capital 22s at the beginning of their recruiting cycle in September 2020 decided they did not want to play any level college lax.

As a Capital parent I can tell you most, if not all, of the girls want to play in college. As far as Capital players go - Many specifically want D1, and top academic D1s at that (ie Ivies, Stanford, Duke, Hopkins, NW, ND, UVA, Michigan, Vanderbilt, etc…) and aren’t concerned about $$. A smaller group specifically want a D3 like a NESCAC or similar, and the smallest group don't care about academics and just want to play wherever they can get recruited and maybe get some $$. Any girl who puts in the time and work that it takes to be on a top club team like Capital is doing it because she wants to play college lax. Those who decide they don’t, usually quit before they get to their junior year.

This may be true in a typical three year cycle on Capital but it definitely was not true for many of the 22s, thanks to Covid. Basically their most important year for recruiting consisted of: an entire year of no D1 and very few D3 college coaches coming to tournaments, no clinics and no visits to campus. Then there is the problem of less spots on college rosters. And add in dealing with canceled tournaments or the inability of a 22 team to attend a tournament due to a teammate's exposure to Covid, resulting in fewer opportunities for game film just when a player most needs it. Combine this with Capital leadership initially being totally unprepared for all of this, including how competitive it would be to even get a decent D3 offer. Fortunately, many 22s are happy with their recruiting results despite all of this. Unfortunately, there is also a good chunk of 22s who either settled for what was out there or gave up their D1 dreams and held out hope through the end of the summer that they would get an offer from a good D3 but didn't. And those girls in the latter two categories are still excellent players - Orange 22 came in second out of 30+ teams at the Mid Atlantic in July. Signed, Another Capital Parent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First, congratulations to all of the players (from any program) who have committed to play a sport they want to continue at the next level. Second, kudos to Capital, if true, for recognizing their shortcomings with their 2022 recruiting efforts and making the changes to have early success with its 2023 class. Having 14-15 players commit so early is not a coincidence, this involved calculated planning on the clubs part to make this happen.

Sadly, for the Pride 2023s it appears they are falling victim to the same mistake Capital may have made with its 2022 class based on comments on this board. At least schools are familiar with the Capital program. Few colleges seem to even know of Pride, and it appears few schools are hearing from Pride promoting players. Talk about a bad one-two punch. Have to feel for the Pride 2023 players. They have some extremely talented players.

Great so what about the ‘22s? Some top D1 schools are still committing players - Stanford, Dartmouth, Columbia, and a few other recently added a ‘22 to their rosters. None were Capital girls. Where is Capital? Why aren’t they still working on tge ‘22s? They seem to have just said “too bad” and mixed in, screw the girls. That doesn’t bode well for you younger players if they are committed in the first few rounds.

As a Capital 22 Orange parent, this post is a load of crap. There isn’t a single uncommitted 22 good enough to play for any of the schools listed. Stop blaming everyone else and consider the possibility that your daughter isn’t good enough to play at a top program.

+1000. The Capital 22 Orange parent hit the nail on the head.

Maybe for the orange team. Not accurate for 3-4 blue players.

My daughter didn't love lax enough to play at a school which did not align with her college expectations. It is heart breaking as the parent but it took a lot of confidence for my daughter to walk away and decide not to play. She is happy with her choice. She supports her team mates who will play at the next level and is thrilled some landed their dream schools. I know this isn't the typical path for many high level players but it worked for our family. Lacrosse taught us many good lessons and we will never regret the time we spent with our daughter and watching her play. I wish you all much success with your daughter's process. My advice, sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees.

[Anonymous]

For the last time orange is a B team. Any D1 players from Orange outkicked the coverage.

[Anonymous]

So happy to see some real insight on this thread from actual parents and not just a bunch of club bashing. So happy for all of the girls. Those that committed and those that decided not to play in college. Good for all of you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For the last time orange is a B team. Any D1 players from Orange outkicked the coverage.

You are clueless.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the last time orange is a B team. Any D1 players from Orange outkicked the coverage.

You are clueless.

B team for a top program is not necessarily the same as other B teams (Even though I am a firm believer that if you can get on the A team and/or only team at a good club you should choose that most of the time)..... Goodness people are clueless. Plenty of true D1 talent on Hero's white, M&D red, Skywalkers White, YJ B.

A few of the top of these B teams could easily play on the A teams of their club.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the last time orange is a B team. Any D1 players from Orange outkicked the coverage.

You are clueless.

B team for a top program is not necessarily the same as other B teams (Even though I am a firm believer that if you can get on the A team and/or only team at a good club you should choose that most of the time)..... Goodness people are clueless. Plenty of true D1 talent on Hero's white, M&D red, Skywalkers White, YJ B.

A few of the top of these B teams could easily play on the A teams of their club.

And the exact same is true of Capital - and the ‘22 teams were very comparable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the last time orange is a B team. Any D1 players from Orange outkicked the coverage.

You are clueless.

B team for a top program is not necessarily the same as other B teams (Even though I am a firm believer that if you can get on the A team and/or only team at a good club you should choose that most of the time)..... Goodness people are clueless. Plenty of true D1 talent on Hero's white, M&D red, Skywalkers White, YJ B.

A few of the top of these B teams could easily play on the A teams of their club.

And the exact same is true of Capital - and the ‘22 teams were very comparable.

Here are the facts from a satisfied Orange parent: Capital’s Orange team consistently commits players to well known and respected D1 programs and the very top academic and lacrosse D3 schools. EVERY YEAR. The only local DC metro Club that commits players to higher ranked D1 lacrosse schools is Capital Blue. And yes, not every Capital player (blue or orange) gets to go to the school they want. Some players just aren’t as good as they (and their parents) think they are and college coaches are the ultimate decider anyway. This reality does piss off some Capital parents who are mostly used to getting their way, (i.e., buying their way or using insider connections to get what they want). And on occasion, after years of playing lacrosse, a very small number of Capital players actually choose not to play in college. That’s it. End of story. The rest is all nonsense.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the last time orange is a B team. Any D1 players from Orange outkicked the coverage.

You are clueless.

B team for a top program is not necessarily the same as other B teams (Even though I am a firm believer that if you can get on the A team and/or only team at a good club you should choose that most of the time)..... Goodness people are clueless. Plenty of true D1 talent on Hero's white, M&D red, Skywalkers White, YJ B.

A few of the top of these B teams could easily play on the A teams of their club.

And the exact same is true of Capital - and the ‘22 teams were very comparable.

Spoken like a true Capital Orange parent. Lets ask the Capital Blue parents on here if they thought the 22 Capital teams were comparable. i'm sure all those kids going to Michigan, Harvard, UVA, and Navy would agree.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For the last time orange is a B team. Any D1 players from Orange outkicked the coverage.

You are clueless.

B team for a top program is not necessarily the same as other B teams (Even though I am a firm believer that if you can get on the A team and/or only team at a good club you should choose that most of the time)..... Goodness people are clueless. Plenty of true D1 talent on Hero's white, M&D red, Skywalkers White, YJ B.

A few of the top of these B teams could easily play on the A teams of their club.

And the exact same is true of Capital - and the ‘22 teams were very comparable.

Here are the facts from a satisfied Orange parent: Capital’s Orange team consistently commits players to well known and respected D1 programs and the very top academic and lacrosse D3 schools. EVERY YEAR. The only local DC metro Club that commits players to higher ranked D1 lacrosse schools is Capital Blue. And yes, not every Capital player (blue or orange) gets to go to the school they want. Some players just aren’t as good as they (and their parents) think they are and college coaches are the ultimate decider anyway. This reality does piss off some Capital parents who are mostly used to getting their way, (i.e., buying their way or using insider connections to get what they want). And on occasion, after years of playing lacrosse, a very small number of Capital players actually choose not to play in college. That’s it. End of story. The rest is all nonsense.

Wow. Capital must be amazing. How lucky you are. No other kid from DMV made a college lax team without first playing for Capital. Good on you satisfied orange parent. Hope you feel better.

[Anonymous]

The Capital Orange parents on here are complete tools.