Girls Tryouts

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:and, the opportunity for your kid to play at the college level.

With Pride recently offering a high school program and the 2023s really being their first group to compete with CLC for talent it is too early to make any comments on Pride's ability (or not) to get players recruited and how this compares to CLC.

Who knows what is posted on this board is true, but assuming what one poster presented is accurate and six 2025 Pride players are leaving for CLC, KMG should be jumping on this quickly to understand why. We know some on this board will say the answer is her. Important thing is to find out why and address the issue(s) head on. Especially given that Pride will have clearly developed good players that another club actively pursued; and in line with another poster the 2023 and 2024 teams are viewed as equal to their CLC counterparts in terms of talent and play. Too early to judge recruitment right now, but will have this answer soon.

The KMG factor is real. The AS 22 team had a lot of girls either not tryout or turn down roster spots once it was known that KMG was coaching the 22 AS team. That is nothing to do with Pride vs Capital but a real issue out there.

The Pride girls were in full attendance at the Capital pre tryout clinics just fyi.

KMG may be a jerk, but the results speak for themselves. Over the course of the past few years I watched as my kids team initially beat Pride, then was evenly matched, then Pride surpassed and consistently whooped our team by a lot. It wasn't a fluke - this looks to be true of Pride at all ages across the board. I don't know if it is coaching, training, or player recruiting, but something is going right at Pride. She may be a witch as people on this message board are saying, but she is proven to be highly effective in terms of team development and getting the best out of her players. You have to be impressed that she has quickly built a winning club at all age levels. It would seem like serious players would value that over warm fuzzy feelings.

Other than the recent win with the 26 team, not sure what you "define" as success per say for the Pride teams. They still aren't beating the top MD clubs, didn't win any of the age divisions in NGLL and the HS teams are faring about the same as the Capital teams. I guess if you call that success then so be it, to each their own. Serious players value strong coaching and player development and then yes, success, but at what expense? The craziness only goes so far. The 25 team seems to have had some strong players but definitely has to show the issues if they all left for a club that most on here say isn't as "good".

Success is relative. Yes Pride struggles to beat Hero's and M&D, but they are more successful vs the next tier (Skywalkers, MDUnited etc.) But who doesn't struggle vs those two teams? For the DMV area, Pride normally has the greatest level of success vs. the MD teams. They did not win a NGLL league, but had 3 teams in the semi's which is more than any other club outside of Hero's and M&D. It is troublesome to see them losing so many 2025's given their success. Assuming DC Urban is correct. Which I assume is always the case.

If you recognize the true goal, it is not too hard to understand why families continue to go to Capital, for the time being, they are the only area club that has this track record over the 2021 and 2022 classes alone:

Penn, Yale, Columbia, Stanford, ND, Vanderbilt, Michigan, Georgetown, Cal Berkeley, UVA, BC, Hopkins, Navy, Villanova, W&M, Loyola, Cal, the NESCACs…the list goes on.

[Anonymous]

And the lack of (relative) success in the 22s recruiting compared to Capital likely has made some Pride folks second guess their commitment to the HS program - no matter how new the HS program is.

It is a "what have you done for me lately" type of thing and right now, that is what people see.

[Anonymous]

The answer is probably going to come in the 23's. Both clubs' teams are comparable, but seem to avoid H2H games like Georgetown and Maryland basketball. We will see which club lands players where, or if they end up comparable when all is said and done (not just 1-2 big ones or who gets girls first, as it's a process). On the field results say that they should break fairly even in their final roster of commitments. If not, we may have an answer.

[Anonymous]

Success for Pride has been standing up a high school program in the last several years and quickly becoming competitive at this level. The next measure of success will be how well Pride does with college recruitment. For the younger ages, clearly Pride has been successful in developing talent (which is recognized by CLC) and preparing them to be successful at the high school level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And the lack of (relative) success in the 22s recruiting compared to Capital likely has made some Pride folks second guess their commitment to the HS program - no matter how new the HS program is.
It is a "what have you done for me lately" type of thing and right now, that is what people see.

I don't think anyone is using the '22s as Pride's measuring stick for high school programs. Agree with the PP, the true test will be the '23s. This class is pretty evenly split between Pride and CLC in terms of talent, so on paper one would think both will have their fair share of college commits. It really is a springboard year for Pride and would think KMG is promoting this group hard to college coaches. The talent is there for both to have success with recruiting.

[Anonymous]

Honestly, although Pride black ‘23 has a better record, Capital blue ‘23 has more stand-out players. Capital just hasn’t found the team dynamic it needs to win. Pride’s goalies are top notch but Capital has the better Defenders (2 exceptional players attend Holton and 3rd at Visi). Middies pretty even but Capital has edge at attack. Pride’s edge is due to most of their girls having played together for years and it takes Capital teams too long to find their groove. This is honestly Capital’s biggest issue - creating wholly new teams in 9th grade is never going to be as competitive as top teams like M&D, SW, Hero's, Steps and LIYJs who have mostly been playing together for years. Pride was supposed to change that in DMV but clearly that’s not happening as the exodus of ‘25s from Pride to Capital shows. Gussie needs to just bite the bullet and buy Stars from STJ or start a more comprehensive program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Gussie needs to just bite the bullet and buy Stars from STJ or start a more comprehensive program.

I don't see the STJ ever selling Stars. What if the STJ/Stars bought Capital? Or maybe that offer was already made......

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gussie needs to just bite the bullet and buy Stars from STJ or start a more comprehensive program.

I don't see the STJ ever selling Stars. What if the STJ/Stars bought Capital? Or maybe that offer was already made......

Not likely. No one who cares about the top girls DMV lax brand is going to allow Capital to be owned/run by a corporation. The Ks should never have sold Stars to STJ - a decision based on greed. The Stars program has faded already under STJ’s short ownership. Hate to see how far it falls if it goes on much longer. The only solution is for Capital to start earlier - move down one grade per year until they are 5th or 6th thru hs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gussie needs to just bite the bullet and buy Stars from STJ or start a more comprehensive program.

I don't see the STJ ever selling Stars. What if the STJ/Stars bought Capital? Or maybe that offer was already made......

Not likely. No one who cares about the top girls DMV lax brand is going to allow Capital to be owned/run by a corporation. The Ks should never have sold Stars to STJ - a decision based on greed. The Stars program has faded already under STJ’s short ownership. Hate to see how far it falls if it goes on much longer. The only solution is for Capital to start earlier - move down one grade per year until they are 5th or 6th thru hs.

I cant imagine the STJ is thrilled with the direction of the Stars program...its really a shame, honestly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gussie needs to just bite the bullet and buy Stars from STJ or start a more comprehensive program.

I don't see the STJ ever selling Stars. What if the STJ/Stars bought Capital? Or maybe that offer was already made......

Not likely. No one who cares about the top girls DMV lax brand is going to allow Capital to be owned/run by a corporation. The Ks should never have sold Stars to STJ - a decision based on greed. The Stars program has faded already under STJ’s short ownership. Hate to see how far it falls if it goes on much longer. The only solution is for Capital to start earlier - move down one grade per year until they are 5th or 6th thru hs.

I cant imagine the STJ is thrilled with the direction of the Stars program...its really a shame, honestly.

Well then STJ should fix it. It’s all in their control to do so. Get better organized and set higher expectations for management, coaches, and players. Work harder. Be better.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, although Pride black ‘23 has a better record, Capital blue ‘23 has more stand-out players. Capital just hasn’t found the team dynamic it needs to win. Pride’s goalies are top notch but Capital has the better Defenders (2 exceptional players attend Holton and 3rd at Visi). Middies pretty even but Capital has edge at attack. Pride’s edge is due to most of their girls having played together for years and it takes Capital teams too long to find their groove. This is honestly Capital’s biggest issue - creating wholly new teams in 9th grade is never going to be as competitive as top teams like M&D, SW, Hero's, Steps and LIYJs who have mostly been playing together for years. Pride was supposed to change that in DMV but clearly that’s not happening as the exodus of ‘25s from Pride to Capital shows. Gussie needs to just bite the bullet and buy Stars from STJ or start a more comprehensive program.

If your definition of standing out is individual play and show-boating then maybe this is at the heart of the issue you are pointing out with CLC. Rather than conveniently blaming team chemistry as the club's issue you may want to consider the type of player -- are they looking to make themselves better or others around them better? Maybe they standout for the wrong reasons.

You are off-based stating CLC is "creating wholly new teams in 9th grade". A good number of players on the '23 team came from Stars. You may be surprised to learn half of the top '23 Pride team joined the program in 8th or 9th grade. This hasn't stopped this team from moving up the ranks.

So, singling-out team chemistry as to why Pride is successful doesn't explain how Pride did it with almost half the team being new and why Capital has not done the same with a similar foundation of players. The answer to your issue may just be the type of player each program has. They simply don't have the right standout players.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gussie needs to just bite the bullet and buy Stars from STJ or start a more comprehensive program.

I don't see the STJ ever selling Stars. What if the STJ/Stars bought Capital? Or maybe that offer was already made......

Not likely. No one who cares about the top girls DMV lax brand is going to allow Capital to be owned/run by a corporation. The Ks should never have sold Stars to STJ - a decision based on greed. The Stars program has faded already under STJ’s short ownership. Hate to see how far it falls if it goes on much longer. The only solution is for Capital to start earlier - move down one grade per year until they are 5th or 6th thru hs.

I cant imagine the STJ is thrilled with the direction of the Stars program...its really a shame, honestly.

Honest question, what do you see as the direction of the Stars program? Do you really see it falling down? What are your reasons? Real questions on what "others" see?

Some of the reality is, more and more programs are appearing, i.e. Madlax girls and YJMA. BLC (which is being discussed on the NL thread) also used to "merge" with Stars for 6-8th grades. That is no longer the case because BLC felt they could stand on their own and be competitive (not the case at all). Part of both programs struggles is this split of the merge. The Stars 2024 team was the last team to have BLC merge in and that team was very successful and could compete with the best of MD. BLC needs to come back to Stars or the STJ buy BLC, something. Even throw in MCE. NL is in outer space on what they are doing so who knows.

Additionally, the Stars younger programs (before 6th grade) only started 2-3 years ago. They were always 6-8th grades. People need to remember that as well.

The STJ facility is bar none the nicest facility in the DMV. That along should want to attract players but its been a challenge. Now throw in Covid which wiped out at least 1 year if not longer, not good for attracting new players etc.

Lastly, sometimes the success comes and goes with each year, some years are better than others for talent etc. The younger Pride teams are not any better nor are any of the DMV teams, in fact everyone else is worse than Pride/Stars in the younger years.

As for the poster above about Capital not being corporate owned by the STJ, yes that's correct. But don't think they are immune to getting offers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Gussie needs to just bite the bullet and buy Stars from STJ or start a more comprehensive program.

I don't see the STJ ever selling Stars. What if the STJ/Stars bought Capital? Or maybe that offer was already made......

Not likely. No one who cares about the top girls DMV lax brand is going to allow Capital to be owned/run by a corporation. The Ks should never have sold Stars to STJ - a decision based on greed. The Stars program has faded already under STJ’s short ownership. Hate to see how far it falls if it goes on much longer. The only solution is for Capital to start earlier - move down one grade per year until they are 5th or 6th thru hs.

I cant imagine the STJ is thrilled with the direction of the Stars program...its really a shame, honestly.

Honest question, what do you see as the direction of the Stars program? Do you really see it falling down? What are your reasons? Real questions on what "others" see?

Some of the reality is, more and more programs are appearing, i.e. Madlax girls and YJMA. BLC (which is being discussed on the NL thread) also used to "merge" with Stars for 6-8th grades. That is no longer the case because BLC felt they could stand on their own and be competitive (not the case at all). Part of both programs struggles is this split of the merge. The Stars 2024 team was the last team to have BLC merge in and that team was very successful and could compete with the best of MD. BLC needs to come back to Stars or the STJ buy BLC, something. Even throw in MCE. NL is in outer space on what they are doing so who knows.

Additionally, the Stars younger programs (before 6th grade) only started 2-3 years ago. They were always 6-8th grades. People need to remember that as well.

The STJ facility is bar none the nicest facility in the DMV. That along should want to attract players but its been a challenge. Now throw in Covid which wiped out at least 1 year if not longer, not good for attracting new players etc.

Lastly, sometimes the success comes and goes with each year, some years are better than others for talent etc. The younger Pride teams are not any better nor are any of the DMV teams, in fact everyone else is worse than Pride/Stars in the younger years.

As for the poster above about Capital not being corporate owned by the STJ, yes that's correct. But don't think they are immune to getting offers.

I agree the St. James is a selling point, not a hindrance. They just need to work out the kinks of running travel programs from the corporate level. A year round practice facility where practices are not canceled because of weather, is a huge bonus. Not trekking to multiple locations based on field availability is another plus. Access to the other amenities at the facility is nice as well. It is a work in progress, but improvements are consistently being made. The elementary school program is still very new and the organization may be going through some growing pains. All levels competed in NGLL and played in high brackets in summer tournaments and the teams improved. Are they beating the big 3 in Md...no, but neither is Pride. So it is still a top option in NOVA. It is growing past its original Alexandria base, and the more people farther west start to learn about it, more people are attracted to it. At the elementary level, facilities and coaching are a huge part of development and both are good there.

[Anonymous]

^this!!!!

Having a DD that played at a subpar club team (YJ) and making the move over the Stars/St James was amazing. Not having DD practice outside in 15 degree weather, having consistent coaches who played at major DI programs, night and day difference. Are they beating the top teams, no. But they are continuing to bring in new talent and improve. It’s a very well run program. Plus what parent doesn’t love the option to be able to grab a beer while your DD is practicing

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is any of this really new? Seems like CLC has been doing this for years where they know who they want on their teams and communicate this with players prior to tryouts. And players have seemed to know prior to tryouts where they stood. After all the wink winks and nod nods there are usually several spots open to fill the team. So, anyone going into these tryouts thinking the process is fair and believing there are 21 spots up for grabs simply hasn't been paying attention or not running with the right crowd. The bigger story is why would six 2025 Pride players on what seems to be a well-established Pride team want to move to CLC when the Pride 23/24 teams are at least equal to, if not better, than the CLC 23/24 teams. This is the question, why move?

KMG

This. 100%.

Yes 100% and not just the 25s. Parents and players are tires of the disfunction and craziness of Queen crazy.

And they think it will be better at CLC??? LOL.

Yes, Capital is better. There have been big changes made in past few years and Capital operates under a new ownership model. It’s not the same parent board-run club.

Right - big changes as in they have a 24 year old running the club now who has never run/owned a business in her life. Her success as a lacrosse goalie does not in any way translate into her being a good business owner. Let's not fool ourselves here. Just start with the 24's - they have had a crappy tournament season and people do not like Gussie.