Private School Lacrosse Thread

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The new Capital 2021 players are now listed on website (but not listed by team yet). http://www.capitallacrosseclub.com/2017/08/25/capital-lacrosse-clue-welcomes-the-class-of-2021/

Out of 40 players chosen, there seem to be 30 Stars girls, 5 Pride players, a couple from VA Metro, and a few other MS teams represented. The schools represented are interesting as well. A very strong year for both Stars and SSSAS (with 15 players). There is only one player from BI on Capital 2021 which is unusual. Wonder where those BI 2021s are playing club. Doesnt seem to be a good sign for BI.

Thanks for posting link. Are most of those SSSA girls new to the school?

No, they arent new to SSSAS. This is one of the strongest classes (girls lax-wise) to be at SSSAS in a very long time. Most of them have been at the school for years. There was no need to recruit. The SSSAS 2022 class is far weaker lax-wise.

There are 2 2021s who are new to SSSAS

[Anonymous]

Any advice for kids who love lacrosse and want to play high school ball but have no expectation or desire to play in college? While my son loves the game, he doesn't imagine that it is something he could/would do in college. He is excited to pursue a career in an area of interest and really likes the academic part of school. He also isn't a huge kid and isn't an athletic super star, just a decent, normal athlete (and he is pretty okay with his lot in life). Saying that, he loves to play, is a coachable kid and practices a ton -- lots of wall ball, playing with buddies, carries his stick everywhere. Unfortunately, his rec league experience has stunk year after year. Not enough practice/week, not enough kids committed to attending, not enough kids who are focused on lacrosse, lots of kids who skip practice, and no consistency between seasons. Some rec teams seem great -- they often are coached by a dad who played college ball and have been together forever. He has never gotten on one of those teams and they don't seem to want new kids. He is a middle schooler and is having a hard time breaking into a club team, many of which have had a full team who have played together by his age. The club teams also seem to be very focused on college recruiting which, again, is not his goal. I also have no lacrosse experience, am not local, and have no idea what I am doing -- or at least am most focused on raising good kids not professional lacrosse players.

I know most of you will see this as a cop out, but his end goal is to play varsity ball in a sport he loves. His high school is in a fairly competitive athletic conference. It seems most of the starting line plays club lacrosse (many are recruited for college) and the divide between his experience and others grows by the minute.

What should my son be doing to work toward his goal of playing high school lacrosse? He sounds pretty normal to me, but there doesn't seem to be a path for him in lacrosse. How can that be? Certainly there are other boys out there who want to play high school lacrosse and see it as 'their sport,' but don't see themselves going further than that? We are MoCo residents if helpful in providing advice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any advice for kids who love lacrosse and want to play high school ball but have no expectation or desire to play in college? While my son loves the game, he doesn't imagine that it is something he could/would do in college. He is excited to pursue a career in an area of interest and really likes the academic part of school. He also isn't a huge kid and isn't an athletic super star, just a decent, normal athlete (and he is pretty okay with his lot in life). Saying that, he loves to play, is a coachable kid and practices a ton -- lots of wall ball, playing with buddies, carries his stick everywhere. Unfortunately, his rec league experience has stunk year after year. Not enough practice/week, not enough kids committed to attending, not enough kids who are focused on lacrosse, lots of kids who skip practice, and no consistency between seasons. Some rec teams seem great -- they often are coached by a dad who played college ball and have been together forever. He has never gotten on one of those teams and they don't seem to want new kids. He is a middle schooler and is having a hard time breaking into a club team, many of which have had a full team who have played together by his age. The club teams also seem to be very focused on college recruiting which, again, is not his goal. I also have no lacrosse experience, am not local, and have no idea what I am doing -- or at least am most focused on raising good kids not professional lacrosse players.

I know most of you will see this as a cop out, but his end goal is to play varsity ball in a sport he loves. His high school is in a fairly competitive athletic conference. It seems most of the starting line plays club lacrosse (many are recruited for college) and the divide between his experience and others grows by the minute.

What should my son be doing to work toward his goal of playing high school lacrosse? He sounds pretty normal to me, but there doesn't seem to be a path for him in lacrosse. How can that be? Certainly there are other boys out there who want to play high school lacrosse and see it as 'their sport,' but don't see themselves going further than that? We are MoCo residents if helpful in providing advice.

Hello. If you are at a private school that goes up through high school, reach out to the head lacrosse coach to ask for advice about options for your child who wants to become the best player he can be for high school. Hopefully, he can give you some ideas about some club options (not for recruiting purposes but to get more game and practice experience). If you are at a K-8, say, if it has lacrosse why not reach out to the coach there? Most coaches I know are very willing to take a bit of time to help any athlete find options to get better at their sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any advice for kids who love lacrosse and want to play high school ball but have no expectation or desire to play in college? While my son loves the game, he doesn't imagine that it is something he could/would do in college. He is excited to pursue a career in an area of interest and really likes the academic part of school. He also isn't a huge kid and isn't an athletic super star, just a decent, normal athlete (and he is pretty okay with his lot in life). Saying that, he loves to play, is a coachable kid and practices a ton -- lots of wall ball, playing with buddies, carries his stick everywhere. Unfortunately, his rec league experience has stunk year after year. Not enough practice/week, not enough kids committed to attending, not enough kids who are focused on lacrosse, lots of kids who skip practice, and no consistency between seasons. Some rec teams seem great -- they often are coached by a dad who played college ball and have been together forever. He has never gotten on one of those teams and they don't seem to want new kids. He is a middle schooler and is having a hard time breaking into a club team, many of which have had a full team who have played together by his age. The club teams also seem to be very focused on college recruiting which, again, is not his goal. I also have no lacrosse experience, am not local, and have no idea what I am doing -- or at least am most focused on raising good kids not professional lacrosse players.

I know most of you will see this as a cop out, but his end goal is to play varsity ball in a sport he loves. His high school is in a fairly competitive athletic conference. It seems most of the starting line plays club lacrosse (many are recruited for college) and the divide between his experience and others grows by the minute.

What should my son be doing to work toward his goal of playing high school lacrosse? He sounds pretty normal to me, but there doesn't seem to be a path for him in lacrosse. How can that be? Certainly there are other boys out there who want to play high school lacrosse and see it as 'their sport,' but don't see themselves going further than that? We are MoCo residents if helpful in providing advice.

He should continue to explore rec. Check with DC Express and Next Level. They both have B teams that are great for development and getting a player ready to play in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any advice for kids who love lacrosse and want to play high school ball but have no expectation or desire to play in college? While my son loves the game, he doesn't imagine that it is something he could/would do in college. He is excited to pursue a career in an area of interest and really likes the academic part of school. He also isn't a huge kid and isn't an athletic super star, just a decent, normal athlete (and he is pretty okay with his lot in life). Saying that, he loves to play, is a coachable kid and practices a ton -- lots of wall ball, playing with buddies, carries his stick everywhere. Unfortunately, his rec league experience has stunk year after year. Not enough practice/week, not enough kids committed to attending, not enough kids who are focused on lacrosse, lots of kids who skip practice, and no consistency between seasons. Some rec teams seem great -- they often are coached by a dad who played college ball and have been together forever. He has never gotten on one of those teams and they don't seem to want new kids. He is a middle schooler and is having a hard time breaking into a club team, many of which have had a full team who have played together by his age. The club teams also seem to be very focused on college recruiting which, again, is not his goal. I also have no lacrosse experience, am not local, and have no idea what I am doing -- or at least am most focused on raising good kids not professional lacrosse players.

I know most of you will see this as a cop out, but his end goal is to play varsity ball in a sport he loves. His high school is in a fairly competitive athletic conference. It seems most of the starting line plays club lacrosse (many are recruited for college) and the divide between his experience and others grows by the minute.

What should my son be doing to work toward his goal of playing high school lacrosse? He sounds pretty normal to me, but there doesn't seem to be a path for him in lacrosse. How can that be? Certainly there are other boys out there who want to play high school lacrosse and see it as 'their sport,' but don't see themselves going further than that? We are MoCo residents if helpful in providing advice.

PP: my son is very similar to this and is now a rising 9th grader. His experience throughout 6th-8th grades was that he was always the best player on his 2nd tier team and couldn't break into the top club teams. Here's what I saw throughout middle school: the starters were either the very top club team players (3 of them) or very fast and fit athletes, with stick skills, game knowledge, and coachability that didn't come close to the level of my son. I think in MS and JV level, coaches will lean toward those top club players who have it all, then go to the fastest players, regardless of skill. Those skills can be learned pretty easily. So my son's plan going forward (and the point I am trying to get to you for you) is to focus this fall and winter on fitness--getting much, much faster and quicker. If your son can spend time doing that, in addition to wall ball, I think that would be the best focus for him. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any advice for kids who love lacrosse and want to play high school ball but have no expectation or desire to play in college? While my son loves the game, he doesn't imagine that it is something he could/would do in college. He is excited to pursue a career in an area of interest and really likes the academic part of school. He also isn't a huge kid and isn't an athletic super star, just a decent, normal athlete (and he is pretty okay with his lot in life). Saying that, he loves to play, is a coachable kid and practices a ton -- lots of wall ball, playing with buddies, carries his stick everywhere. Unfortunately, his rec league experience has stunk year after year. Not enough practice/week, not enough kids committed to attending, not enough kids who are focused on lacrosse, lots of kids who skip practice, and no consistency between seasons. Some rec teams seem great -- they often are coached by a dad who played college ball and have been together forever. He has never gotten on one of those teams and they don't seem to want new kids. He is a middle schooler and is having a hard time breaking into a club team, many of which have had a full team who have played together by his age. The club teams also seem to be very focused on college recruiting which, again, is not his goal. I also have no lacrosse experience, am not local, and have no idea what I am doing -- or at least am most focused on raising good kids not professional lacrosse players.

I know most of you will see this as a cop out, but his end goal is to play varsity ball in a sport he loves. His high school is in a fairly competitive athletic conference. It seems most of the starting line plays club lacrosse (many are recruited for college) and the divide between his experience and others grows by the minute.

What should my son be doing to work toward his goal of playing high school lacrosse? He sounds pretty normal to me, but there doesn't seem to be a path for him in lacrosse. How can that be? Certainly there are other boys out there who want to play high school lacrosse and see it as 'their sport,' but don't see themselves going further than that? We are MoCo residents if helpful in providing advice.

Many of the clubs have B teams in the middle school years. And lots of people who play club lacrosse aren't going to play in college. Most. Contrary to what gets posted here, a lot of kids really have fun on the club teams and it's a nice team atmosphere at many of the clubs. It's only a few clubs that have really competitive atmospheres that sounds like you are trying to avoid. As long as he's fairly decent, he should consider trying out for like BLC or NL if you are in MoCo. Unfortunately, tryouts for this year were the last couple of weeks. Not sure anyone still has spots. But I wouldn't write off doing a club team just because he isn't going to want to play on Crabs or Madlax type teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Any advice for kids who love lacrosse and want to play high school ball but have no expectation or desire to play in college? While my son loves the game, he doesn't imagine that it is something he could/would do in college. He is excited to pursue a career in an area of interest and really likes the academic part of school. He also isn't a huge kid and isn't an athletic super star, just a decent, normal athlete (and he is pretty okay with his lot in life). Saying that, he loves to play, is a coachable kid and practices a ton -- lots of wall ball, playing with buddies, carries his stick everywhere. Unfortunately, his rec league experience has stunk year after year. Not enough practice/week, not enough kids committed to attending, not enough kids who are focused on lacrosse, lots of kids who skip practice, and no consistency between seasons. Some rec teams seem great -- they often are coached by a dad who played college ball and have been together forever. He has never gotten on one of those teams and they don't seem to want new kids. He is a middle schooler and is having a hard time breaking into a club team, many of which have had a full team who have played together by his age. The club teams also seem to be very focused on college recruiting which, again, is not his goal. I also have no lacrosse experience, am not local, and have no idea what I am doing -- or at least am most focused on raising good kids not professional lacrosse players.

I know most of you will see this as a cop out, but his end goal is to play varsity ball in a sport he loves. His high school is in a fairly competitive athletic conference. It seems most of the starting line plays club lacrosse (many are recruited for college) and the divide between his experience and others grows by the minute.

What should my son be doing to work toward his goal of playing high school lacrosse? He sounds pretty normal to me, but there doesn't seem to be a path for him in lacrosse. How can that be? Certainly there are other boys out there who want to play high school lacrosse and see it as 'their sport,' but don't see themselves going further than that? We are MoCo residents if helpful in providing advice.

I posted the above and wanted to express my thanks for all the thoughtful responses (and would welcome more advice if anyone has any). We have been looking into the club b teams that were mentioned and will continue to try to find one who will take him. I also really appreciate the advice on speed and agility. It really makes a lot of sense and, quite frankly, my kid is not the fastest so that is really good to know. Anyway, just really thankful for the advice.

[Anonymous]

PP, is your son in a private school or public? If public, even in the best HS lax program in MoCo, Churchill, there will be room for you son on the roster if he works hard. MoCo public schools have some excellent lacrosse players and programs, but by and large anyone with a desire to play, solid stick skills and a decent lacrosse IQ will make the team. In most MoCo programs, they will take a lot less, just good athletes, particularly football players.

It becomes a little more difficult if you are talking about a private school where the lacrosse programs are more intense. When you say his high school is in a "fairly competitive conference," I take that to mean you are talking about a conference not in the IAC or WCAC. If you are talking about private schools like St Andrews, Maret, etc., there will be a handful of club team players, but these programs need numbers so someone like your son who has a passion and knowhow should be able to make the team, and even get playing time.

I'm a parent of a lacrosse player much like your son. He played varsity last year. He did not get a huge amount of playing time, but the friendships he developed and fun he had made it all worthwhile.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

LOL. First of all, you have no idea how much tuition assistance a family gets (not is it any of your business). But because Bullis brings in many African-American, OF COURSE they are on scholarship, right?

And the same thing happens at Prep and other schools, especially with football and basketball. Kids get recruited over at every IAC and WCAC school. Get over yourself.

You really need to take the race thing out of this discussion and look at the facts.

Your school just admitted a kid who was asked to leave his current school (a league rival for his senior season). The kid looked at a few other schools and ALL OF THEM SAID NO THANKS.

Once again Bullis demonstrates its win at all costs mentality!

First of all, you don't know the situation as evidenced by your lies and idiocy. The kid was not rejected by the rest of the IAC - not even close. Where was your outrage when Landon brought in the DeMatha PG as a SENIOR just to play basketball?

Your hypocrisy is laughable. And no, I don't have any kids at Bullis.

[Anonymous]

If your son is hoping to get better and play in HS, do not put him on a B team. That is terrible parenting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your son is hoping to get better and play in HS, do not put him on a B team. That is terrible parenting.

huh? i don't understand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your son is hoping to get better and play in HS, do not put him on a B team. That is terrible parenting.

huh? i don't understand.

If your son wants to improve, he needs to play with the best teammates he can find and against the best competition possible. That is not going to happen with any club's B team. Unless there is not a decent A team that your son can make, avoid Madlax's B team or any B team. Those kids never have a good experience unless it's really marginal kids who just want to have fun and aren't worried about making the HS team.

If your son plays for a weak HS team and just wants to make the team, that's a different story. But if your son wants to be impactful in HS, do not play for a B team.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your son is hoping to get better and play in HS, do not put him on a B team. That is terrible parenting.

huh? i don't understand.

If your son wants to improve, he needs to play with the best teammates he can find and against the best competition possible. That is not going to happen with any club's B team. Unless there is not a decent A team that your son can make, avoid Madlax's B team or any B team. Those kids never have a good experience unless it's really marginal kids who just want to have fun and aren't worried about making the HS team.

If your son plays for a weak HS team and just wants to make the team, that's a different story. But if your son wants to be impactful in HS, do not play for a B team.

Madlax's B teams actually have some good players. So does Next Level's. From what I know, so will DC Express's. The problem with B teams is that there is just not enough depth. That said, your B team player at Madlax or Next Level will get good coaching, will be better off with a stick in his hand all year than without, and should be able to waltz into any public school program, and should also be able to make almost all private school teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any advice for kids who love lacrosse and want to play high school ball but have no expectation or desire to play in college? While my son loves the game, he doesn't imagine that it is something he could/would do in college. He is excited to pursue a career in an area of interest and really likes the academic part of school. He also isn't a huge kid and isn't an athletic super star, just a decent, normal athlete (and he is pretty okay with his lot in life). Saying that, he loves to play, is a coachable kid and practices a ton -- lots of wall ball, playing with buddies, carries his stick everywhere. Unfortunately, his rec league experience has stunk year after year. Not enough practice/week, not enough kids committed to attending, not enough kids who are focused on lacrosse, lots of kids who skip practice, and no consistency between seasons. Some rec teams seem great -- they often are coached by a dad who played college ball and have been together forever. He has never gotten on one of those teams and they don't seem to want new kids. He is a middle schooler and is having a hard time breaking into a club team, many of which have had a full team who have played together by his age. The club teams also seem to be very focused on college recruiting which, again, is not his goal. I also have no lacrosse experience, am not local, and have no idea what I am doing -- or at least am most focused on raising good kids not professional lacrosse players.

I know most of you will see this as a cop out, but his end goal is to play varsity ball in a sport he loves. His high school is in a fairly competitive athletic conference. It seems most of the starting line plays club lacrosse (many are recruited for college) and the divide between his experience and others grows by the minute.

What should my son be doing to work toward his goal of playing high school lacrosse? He sounds pretty normal to me, but there doesn't seem to be a path for him in lacrosse. How can that be? Certainly there are other boys out there who want to play high school lacrosse and see it as 'their sport,' but don't see themselves going further than that? We are MoCo residents if helpful in providing advice.

I posted the above and wanted to express my thanks for all the thoughtful responses (and would welcome more advice if anyone has any). We have been looking into the club b teams that were mentioned and will continue to try to find one who will take him. I also really appreciate the advice on speed and agility. It really makes a lot of sense and, quite frankly, my kid is not the fastest so that is really good to know. Anyway, just really thankful for the advice.

Consider private coaching. Not the crazy expensive private lessons offered as an off-shoot of some of the clubs to further line their pockets. But with a high school player, who would do it for a fraction of the cost. Check with the HS lacrosse coach. I'm sure you will find a good fit between a player who has the skills and temperament to work with your son.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If your son is hoping to get better and play in HS, do not put him on a B team. That is terrible parenting.

huh? i don't understand.

If your son wants to improve, he needs to play with the best teammates he can find and against the best competition possible. That is not going to happen with any club's B team. Unless there is not a decent A team that your son can make, avoid Madlax's B team or any B team. Those kids never have a good experience unless it's really marginal kids who just want to have fun and aren't worried about making the HS team.

If your son plays for a weak HS team and just wants to make the team, that's a different story. But if your son wants to be impactful in HS, do not play for a B team.

Madlax's B teams actually have some good players. So does Next Level's. From what I know, so will DC Express's. The problem with B teams is that there is just not enough depth. That said, your B team player at Madlax or Next Level will get good coaching, will be better off with a stick in his hand all year than without, and should be able to waltz into any public school program, and should also be able to make almost all private school teams.

Not to sound dense, but how does a rec kid break into a club A team if he is not 6' tall? Most of these clubs' A teams have been playing together for years and have b team players waiting in the wings or kids from other clubs who are moving around. My kid loves lacrosse but isn't good enough to beat out an existing A team player. It didn't seem like the coaches even looked at those sorts of kids without another club behind their name.