Tell me about the area lacrosse leagues, please.

[Anonymous]

Reviving an old thread, but I'm looking for information on Girls Lacrosse programs. There seem to be lots of options for boys, but not so many for girls. Madlax looks like it's boys only. Any advice welcome.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any experiences with Next Level in Bethesda?

I know that they have a high school league, organized by school. But does Next Level also have it's own high school team, or can you only play at that age if your school participates?

[Anonymous]

Npyll is the best league around.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'll try to help as best I can. My son has taken clinics and played for a couple of the different ones.

One of the oldest and laregst is the Bethesda House League. It is a developmental league which means all the kids get to play in each game and the coaches can go on the field during games to coach. The Fall season is known as "Fall Ball" and is games on Sundays, no weekly practices. Its very low key and set-up to allow the kids who want to play football or soccer to focus more on those sports in the fall but still get in a little lax time. The Spring seasomn is much more intense with at least 1 if not 2 practices a week and saturday games. Spring culminates in an end of the season tournament with trophies for the top team. Bethesda League also has select travel teams try-outs and that team then competes in the summer tournaments such as Lax Splash in Baltimore and Beach Lax in Ocean City MD. Its a very solid program and the select teams do very well.

The newest league is the Next Level League. Next Level owns and operates an indoor sports facility off of River Road and has long offered lax clinics for kids year round. They are very good. When the child gets older they can try out for a Next Level team, which are select teams that play at a high level - aka Travel Teams. These teams have a good record of winning and are very competitive. This Fall, for the first time, Next Level has started a Sunday League (again to allow the kids who play football or soccer to still focus on those sports) for elite teams (those that hold tryouts and selecet the players) the teams play at Tilden Middle School off of Old Georgetwon Road. You can not enter this league as an individual, only teams can register so your son would have to already have made a team.

Tryouts were in late August for all the area select teams this year (which is a new development). Some teams will have a second round of tryouts for the Winter and/or Spring season in November.

You also have teams from organizations such a Breakout Lacrosse (in NW DC), Club Blue (assoc. with the area Catholics schools esp. Mater Dei) MadLax (in McLean), ACL (Alexandria).

Breakout Lax fields teams in both the Bethesda House League and Travel Teams and is a bit more low-key (and perhaps less competitive) than some of the others but still a solid program with great clinics. Its somewhat associated with the Cathedral Schools and clinic are often at St Albans'. There Girls' program is more advanced that others in the area in that it has more opportunities for younger girls. Girls lax leagues and team play for elementary aged kids are still in the formative stages in DC.

Club Blue is pretty exclusive to the Catholic Schools and Mater Dei especially. They had try-outs like everyone else in the area and but I know little about how they operate. These teams are always very competitive. There is also Club Pink for the girls.

MadLax is based in McLean and has an actual store front. They hold some top-notch clinics that kids from all around the DC area attend. Their teams are all try-out level travel teams that cull almost exclusively from VA (mostly Mclean) and are playing in the new Next Level League this Fall. Last year they introduce a program for young kids (like 4 and up) at Palisades Park in NWDC so they may be trying to move into the DC-proper market. MadLax is run by the former Potomac Lax coach and often has "big names" (at least in the lax world) lead clinics.

I know very littkle about ACL other than its THE league in Alexandria. I woudl think its would be bigger and more competitive considering that St Stephens St Afgnes is such a lax power-house but they dont seem to offer nearly as much as the other organizations listed above.

I hope this helps. I think all the groups do a really great job with the kids. If your boys are new to the game, the Bethesda League is the best way to get started in team play but its too late for Fall. I'd look into signing them up for some clinics with one of the orgaizations in the meantime.

Another Montgomery County parent who has a myopic view of lacrosse in the DMV. Let's set the record straight for the OP.

1. Bethesda is not the largest league in the area. The largest league is the NVYLL or the Northern Virginia Youth Lacrosse League. If your son is in Bethesda and is a rec player, Bethesda makes the most sense. If the poster lives in Virginia, the son should play in the NVYLL for his local rec team.

2. ALC or Alexandria lacrosse is NOT a league, let alone THE league in Alexandria. It is a rec program that plays in the NVYLL. As far as SSSAS, not every kid at that school lives in the city of Alexandria. Many play for the Fort Hunt program or live elsewhere.

3. If you are looking to play at a club level, Bethesda and Breakout are historically very weak. Some years are better than others, but they simply don't have the numbers to field consistently great teams.

4. Breakout is a good option if you live solidly in the District, but it is more geared for developmental players.

5. Next Level has good teams from year to year, but their HS program is a mess. Like many clubs, it depends on the grade level. The program isn't nearly as strong now as it was 5-6 years ago. The costs are high (it is a business) and several parents I've spoken have said the quality has gone downhill. They, as noted, do have the benefit of having their own building for indoor work.

6. Trying out in August may be new for you, but it is not a new development in this area.

7. Club Blue makes a lot of sense if your son is at Mater Dei and/or plans to attend Prep. It is one of the cheapest programs around because they don't have to pay for field space. Program is now compared to a few years ago. HS program is not very strong as most of their kids either play in a couple of summer tournaments with the Prep team, another club team or simply just focus on individual recruiting events. Club Blue has tried to expand beyond just MD kids, and they are trying to field a bigger summer schedule.

8. Madlax is the biggest program in the area, but unless your son is on their AA or Orange team, it's not a great experience. No doubt you have heard how their founder attacked a family for daring to leave his program (just google Deadspin Madlax). They got a lot of bad publicity for it (rightly so) and have lost several families because of it. They charge a monthly fee with a 6 month commitment, so you are spending more than $1,000 than comparable programs and you are locked in. It is not exclusively for kids in Virginia - they have a lot of kids from Montgomery County and elsewhere.

9. VLC is a non-profit that was founded by people dissatisfied with Madlax and the for-profit experience. Their 2015 and 2017 teams are the best in the area; other teams are weaker depending on the grade. They merged with the Baltimore Crabs last year and it has paid off big dividends in terms of recruiting exposure and attractiveness to new players. A new development is that they are becoming the destination of choice for Landon kids - the number of Landon kids on their teams is increasing every year.


OP - where do you live? That can make a big difference in terms of the best options for you. And how "good" is your kid?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any experiences with Next Level in Bethesda?

I know that they have a high school league, organized by school. But does Next Level also have it's own high school team, or can you only play at that age if your school participates?

Their HS program is in bad shape. They have often had to cancel teams at certain grades or combine them. Those who play for NL as a youth have seemingly left for other programs when they enter HS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Npyll is the best league around.

NPYLL is a club league as opposed to a rec league, so of course the talent is better. Biggest issue with the NPYLL is that half the games are non-competitive. There are two divisions, but there are too many teams in each division who have no business playing at that level.

[Anonymous]

Start another thread with your question. Some posters aren't savvy enough to realize the original post is 3 years old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Start another thread with your question. Some posters aren't savvy enough to realize the original post is 3 years old.

Not PP. So is there any information in the older posts that is no longer accurate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Reviving an old thread, but I'm looking for information on Girls Lacrosse programs. There seem to be lots of options for boys, but not so many for girls. Madlax looks like it's boys only. Any advice welcome.

There are options. Where do you live and how old is your daughter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any experiences with Next Level in Bethesda?

I know that they have a high school league, organized by school. But does Next Level also have it's own high school team, or can you only play at that age if your school participates?

Their HS program is in bad shape. They have often had to cancel teams at certain grades or combine them. Those who play for NL as a youth have seemingly left for other programs when they enter HS.

For those who remain with NL in high school, do they get to play at the summer recruitment tournaments? Or does NL not push the college recruitment angle?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any experiences with Next Level in Bethesda?

I know that they have a high school league, organized by school. But does Next Level also have it's own high school team, or can you only play at that age if your school participates?

Their HS program is in bad shape. They have often had to cancel teams at certain grades or combine them. Those who play for NL as a youth have seemingly left for other programs when they enter HS.

For those who remain with NL in high school, do they get to play at the summer recruitment tournaments? Or does NL not push the college recruitment angle?

NL has a HS program, but it is simply weak. Almost of all their HS players peel off for other clubs when they hit HS.

[Anonymous]

Alright...seeing as this thread is 3 years old...lets update a few things...beginning with high school girls and by this I mean 8th grade summer and up...best travel teams in the area are M&D and Capital...in that order. There are a number of other teams that play 2-4 tournaments a summer, but the key with this group is exposure. If they are not playing in the A tourneys it is not worth your money or time. Your daughter would be better off attending camps at colleges that interest her. If you daughter wants to play at the next level, then you will need to try out for a number of teams in 8th grade...in VA I would recommend Capital and Cardinal. In Maryland, I would recommend M&D, Skywalkers, CCLAX, Heros and MD United , Rebels in that order. In the District, choose between M&D and Capital. Capital tryouts are in August and M&D tryouts are in October. The tourneys they need to have on their list are Presidents Cup, Capital Cup, Rivalry Challenge etc.

For HS Boys...best in Virginia are Blackwolf (invite only), VLC Crabs, FUZE, Madlax. In Maryland, the best are Crabs, Rough Riders, Zingos, Greene Turtle, SMS and Hawks. Except for Blackwolf and Crabs, these teams play a very diverse schedule that will run the gamut of quality. It is important to judge the schedule not only for the elite team, but for the next team down. Most elite programs only field one team per graduation year, so once again you must think about return on investment. There is nothing worse than standing on a lax field in the middle of nowhere realizing there is not a college coach for miles.

The under 15 scene runs the gamut and can be broken down this way. If your child loves lacrosse...you cant have a stick in their hand often enough, so, have them play somewhere near your home even if the quality of the game is not top-level. Trust me, if your child is the next coming of Jen Adams or Paul Rabil...they will find you. The nearest your home will save you money and time and YOU will not start to hate lacrosse until later when you have to travel around the country for multiple tournaments.

Best of luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Alright...seeing as this thread is 3 years old...lets update a few things...beginning with high school girls and by this I mean 8th grade summer and up...best travel teams in the area are M&D and Capital...in that order. There are a number of other teams that play 2-4 tournaments a summer, but the key with this group is exposure. If they are not playing in the A tourneys it is not worth your money or time. Your daughter would be better off attending camps at colleges that interest her. If you daughter wants to play at the next level, then you will need to try out for a number of teams in 8th grade...in VA I would recommend Capital and Cardinal. In Maryland, I would recommend M&D, Skywalkers, CCLAX, Heros and MD United , Rebels in that order. In the District, choose between M&D and Capital. Capital tryouts are in August and M&D tryouts are in October. The tourneys they need to have on their list are Presidents Cup, Capital Cup, Rivalry Challenge etc.

For HS Boys...best in Virginia are Blackwolf (invite only), VLC Crabs, FUZE, Madlax. In Maryland, the best are Crabs, Rough Riders, Zingos, Greene Turtle, SMS and Hawks. Except for Blackwolf and Crabs, these teams play a very diverse schedule that will run the gamut of quality. It is important to judge the schedule not only for the elite team, but for the next team down. Most elite programs only field one team per graduation year, so once again you must think about return on investment. There is nothing worse than standing on a lax field in the middle of nowhere realizing there is not a college coach for miles.

The under 15 scene runs the gamut and can be broken down this way. If your child loves lacrosse...you cant have a stick in their hand often enough, so, have them play somewhere near your home even if the quality of the game is not top-level. Trust me, if your child is the next coming of Jen Adams or Paul Rabil...they will find you. The nearest your home will save you money and time and YOU will not start to hate lacrosse until later when you have to travel around the country for multiple tournaments.

Best of luck!

There are a lot of good points in your post. Blackwolf, however, doesn't play a top schedule. Several BW parents have told me that they are frustrated with several tournaments that BW attends that are sparsely attended by college coaches, and that the competition in some of the tournaments is very weak.

[Anonymous]

Just to clarify, some of the tournaments BW plays in are excellent. Others, however, are pretty marginal, and they play a small schedule to begin with.

Madlax is the opposite problem. They make their players play in more tournaments than they need to, more than any other club in the area. It's all about the dollars for that one.

[Anonymous]

Crabs are over rated in maryland.