Is there anyway to make lacrosse look less elite and privileged on a college application?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - we are not full pay - lower end of the donut hole and worse off now due to the implosion of DH and my industry under Trump. We are chasing merit.

Ummmm. Then omit lacrosse and include working at McDonalds. Seriously.

[Anonymous]

Lacrosse was created by Indigenous Canadians and modernized by French Canadians . It’s the Canadian’s National summer sport. As French Canadian we played in fields as kids. Lacrosse was taught in public schools gym class and Lacrosse Leagues in the 1960’s in Massachusetts. The New England private schools started playing early on.

I don’t think lacrosse has been considered “elite” in a long time. My brother played D1 in the 80s and trust me there’s nothing elite about him.

[Anonymous]

Nothing elite or privileged about Lacrosse.

No offense but that is a sport for commoners.

[Anonymous]

"My struggle to play the upper middle class sport of lacrosse with used gear while my diner waitress mom schlepped me around in our 3rd hand Ford Fiesta"

Some such. It's basically a Horatio Alger tale.

[Anonymous]

Point out that he never played club laccrosse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lacrosse was created by Indigenous Canadians and modernized by French Canadians . It’s the Canadian’s National summer sport. As French Canadian we played in fields as kids. Lacrosse was taught in public schools gym class and Lacrosse Leagues in the 1960’s in Massachusetts. The New England private schools started playing early on.

I don’t think lacrosse has been considered “elite” in a long time. My brother played D1 in the 80s and trust me there’s nothing elite about him.

The problem is that it's been coopted by leagues who push/demand travel from the time kids are 7. Only a wealthy family can afford to put their kid in multiple "elite" travel leagues. Plenty of very good athletes never even try, because by the time they'd be trying out for a school team, the travel kids already have years of experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I know, I know but hear me out. DS is a junior at a Mont Co DCC school and loves lacrosse. Picked it up his freshman year after not making the very competitive soccer team in the fall. Had never touched a stick before the first day of tryouts. This is not a school stacked with private school/private club kids whose fathers played D1 and kids that have been playing since they are 5. JV and Varsity are essentially no cuts and every year kids who play work hard to recruit their soccer, football and wrestling friends so there are enough kids to fill the squads. This team regularly gets beaten by other DCC schools and smoked by upcounty W schools. Is there any way to address this in an application? "Yes I'm a white kid who plays lacrosse but I'm not THAT kind of white kid that plays lacrosse?"

Add the last sentence above to the Additional Comments section.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know, I know but hear me out. DS is a junior at a Mont Co DCC school and loves lacrosse. Picked it up his freshman year after not making the very competitive soccer team in the fall. Had never touched a stick before the first day of tryouts. This is not a school stacked with private school/private club kids whose fathers played D1 and kids that have been playing since they are 5. JV and Varsity are essentially no cuts and every year kids who play work hard to recruit their soccer, football and wrestling friends so there are enough kids to fill the squads. This team regularly gets beaten by other DCC schools and smoked by upcounty W schools. Is there any way to address this in an application? "Yes I'm a white kid who plays lacrosse but I'm not THAT kind of white kid that plays lacrosse?"

Add the last sentence above to the Additional Comments section.

Is there a way to convey that you descend from slightly oppressed whites? Like you're actually Irish or Italian or Estonian or something? You gotta give them something to work with here. I mean if you're just Mayflower English or New Amsterdam Dutch playing lacrosse I'm not even sure I want to help you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know, I know but hear me out. DS is a junior at a Mont Co DCC school and loves lacrosse. Picked it up his freshman year after not making the very competitive soccer team in the fall. Had never touched a stick before the first day of tryouts. This is not a school stacked with private school/private club kids whose fathers played D1 and kids that have been playing since they are 5. JV and Varsity are essentially no cuts and every year kids who play work hard to recruit their soccer, football and wrestling friends so there are enough kids to fill the squads. This team regularly gets beaten by other DCC schools and smoked by upcounty W schools. Is there any way to address this in an application? "Yes I'm a white kid who plays lacrosse but I'm not THAT kind of white kid that plays lacrosse?"

Add the last sentence above to the Additional Comments section.

Is there a way to convey that you descend from slightly oppressed whites? Like you're actually Irish or Italian or Estonian or something? You gotta give them something to work with here. I mean if you're just Mayflower English or New Amsterdam Dutch playing lacrosse I'm not even sure I want to help you.

Ofc. Ever watch Goodwill hunting.

[Anonymous]

Ooh Estonian national lacrosse team. väga paljutõotav.

[Anonymous]

Don’t worry, if your kid is at a public school and isn’t being recruited, they know he’s not elite in any sense of the word. Lacrosse is just another EC, no need to emphasize that he’s an unexceptional player on an unexceptional team.

[Anonymous]

OP you are over thinking this

[Anonymous]

Playing team sports is great. Builds character, camaraderie, interpersonal skills, commitment to a team. I would rather accept a lax player than some striver child of a tiger parent who fences or whatever else between violin lessons.

I'm not sure if I would dedicate my whole application to it but nothing to hide either. Good luck to him this spring!

[Anonymous]

hopefully he has a full list of other ECs....as this would be 1 of 10.

[Anonymous]

my kids play tennis - obviously a sport of white rich kids but I never worried about it from that perspective.