lax culture from an insider

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Has blackwolf already set the 2020 teamm

I don't believe Blackwolf carries a 2020 team, just high school grades. I know they're exploring options, but hadn't heard they formed one -- my guess is that given the # of clubs to choose from, it may be difficult to bring together the caliber of talent Trig would want.

[Anonymous]

Predictions for IAC standings this year?

[Anonymous]

Blackwolf 2019 has been a disaster and their attempts to field Middle School teams have stalled. They simply aren't able to poach kids like they've done before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To all and there are many of you anxious parents wondering if your kid has what it takes to be a recruit- recognize this and I say this with the wisdom of having put a son through college who played in top Div 3 SLAC. Looking back I was just like you, overly anxious vesting every site ever created looking and absorbing information and insider tips (which don't exist) like a brand new sponge soaking up water.
Were there times I felt I was more enthusiastic than my son? Now I can say yes but at that time I would not have been able to admit it. That said he was a top solid player who was recruited in his junior year by about 10 schools (a few Div 1 but mostly top Div 3 Nescaq) which is what he decided he wanted. By end of junior year he verbally committed to his top pick, he was one of the lucky ones however, a number of kids he played with either got dropped just like that or were never recruited heavily enough to go the distance.
The things I personally take away (my perspective only) and I pass this advice onto other parents all the time is (when they ask)-

A coach might love you, serenade you with emails about how great you are, how you are his number one pick, etc...then one day bam...they disappear. Literally. You write them and they didn't write back, you call them they don't respond. Period, its done they have moved on and don't even have the courtesy to let you know. This happened to my son a few times and to many of his friends.

Just because you commit does not mean its a sure thing. We saw this happen a lot. The kid (or his parents) are overreaching. They want bragging rights and get them for a short while the reality hits the kid doesn't; have the grades or scores to make the cut and just like that he is dropped. It isn't pretty when that happens.

Finally you get the kid who goes in with gusto and then realized college lax isn't quite what he thought. It IS different than H.S. where there biggest concern is chilling with friends after weekday practices and making the playoffs.
In college it means waking up at 5:45 to attend a 6":30 practice, being on long 4-5 hour bus rides a few days a week, sometimes 2 practices a day and sacrificing a lot of what college is all about. Now this does not apply to all but a healthy number. Maybe the kid is seeing zero time on the field (not unusual) for a freshman) and they get discouraged, seeing all their non lax friends having a blast. Then they quit. This normally does not go over well with a kids whose parents invested their money, emotion, and energy for four years to insure this dream came true. We have seen this happen quite a bit at least a dozen of his friends quit at some point during their college lax career.

I am lucky, my son loved the entire experience, had a great journey and was on a fantastic and winning team. Some of his lax buddies are now lifelong friends though they reside in different states. There were lows, seaosn injuries, disagreements with coaches, getting passed over as captain in his senior year etc...but the highs far outweighed the lows. He was one of the lucky ones. He is now living on the west coast working, happy but rarely picks up a stick.

I guess this is my long winded way of saying, relax. Its a game, a fun sport but let it be about your kid. Does he REALLY want this? Does he REALLY have the talent to play at a Div 1, 2 or 3 program? Is there interest?

If your kid is not getting looks, emails and inquires by late 10th grade.....you might want to take a step back and reassess. I can honestly say that most of the time, its the parents who want it more than the kids. Then often I see kids who are doing it for their dad for fear of letting him down.

I know this single post will not change anything but I do hope it might shed some light on the reality of college lax which is what seems like the end goal is for most who post here. Bottom line if your kid has that kind of talent required to play at a high level of college lacrosse, a coach will find him. By the same token only if your kid really wants to play college lax will it happen.

Be real to your kid and be real to yourself, to avoid any profound disappointment down the road for both of you. I told someone the other day whose son is now saying he might not want to play in college, I would rather have a happy well adjusted college kid than a miserable unhappy, college lacrosse player. Just think about it and be true to yourself.

OMG SHUT UP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OMG SHUT UP

Thanks for your valuable insight! Much more helpful then the previous poster.

[Anonymous]

Clicked on this thread to see what 156 pages is all about. My god, you people are insufferable!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Clicked on this thread to see what 156 pages is all about. My god, you people are insufferable!

Exactly!

[Anonymous]

When does the hoco league start

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Predictions for IAC standings this year?

IAC teams have gotten worked so far in early scrimmages and didn't show well against good competition in the fall. Might not be a big year for that conference. Is this the year that a public team can beat an IAC opponent?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Predictions for IAC standings this year?

IAC teams have gotten worked so far in early scrimmages and didn't show well against good competition in the fall. Might not be a big year for that conference. Is this the year that a public team can beat an IAC opponent?

Landon, Bullis and SSSAS should all have excellent years. What are you citing when you say they did not fare well in the fall?

The IAC is still the best league in this area by a mile.

[Anonymous]

At the fall tournament at Landon they struggled against teams, lost games and lost to the Hill junior varsity. PVI looked terrible too. Fair to say neither is a super strong league this year.

[Anonymous]

I've coached and followed lacrosse locally for two decades and would say that fall, summer and scrimmages might not mean much at all. Several kids used to and still do play other fall and winter school sports. Over the last decade club lacrosse has really taken over all the attention to develop players very young since the recruiting has gotten so out of control with youths.

I would say that up until 5-8 years ago with rare exception, if a DMV kid wanted to play college lacrosse he pretty much had to go to an IAC school and if parents could not afford it he would have close to zero chance to get recruited. Few people remember that until about 12 years ago all the teams in the IAC after Landon were very weak, so a long time ago it was just one school that had high level play. Also 5-8 years ago Gonzaga and PVI started to put a lot of attention into building their programs and have arrived at the IAC level. Just those two teams, not the WCAC have arrived. I would also note that only in the last year or two there have been public school teams that can give the prep teams a competitive game. NoVa has a few very good public programs now, and on the Maryland side there are several Howard County publics that could give an IAC team a competitive game. Churchill is getting closer. Not there, but getting closer.

5 years ago if Landon or Gonzaga played a public HS there would be no doubt that the best 10 players on the field were always Landon or Gonzaga. Starting 3 years ago you could watch a Robinson or a Churchill versus Landon or Gonzaga and honesty assess that 2-3 kids on the public team could start for the prep team. Last year you could easy put that at 3-4 players. This year, given the graduation class that exited both Gonzaga and Landon that number could be 5. What makes the IAC and the top WCAC teams better now is depth and in some instances just 1-2 really star players who make a difference. Tons of kids matriculate to those schools to play lacrosse. That written, I would not be stunned to see a public beat Landon or Gonzaga in the next year or so. Lacrosse is a funny game on a given day. Right now the publics are talented ENOUGH to have one of their best players try to negate the star on Landon or Gonzaga and if a FOGO and a goalie have their day it COULD happen. That was a crazy thought only a few years ago.

I think the proliferation of quality HS lacrosse in Fairfax, Loudon and Montgomery counties has shown that mom and dad don't need to mortgage the house for junior to play ball, and that is a good thing. Lacrosse will be a real major sport the day it is the people's game. Not to knock Landon or Gonzaga with their history and tradition, but it will be a great day for lacrosse the day they lose to Robinson or Churchill or Howard.

[Anonymous]

my son plays on a travel team for a club that doesn't have an established HS program, but focuses on youth aged teams. his current grade team is probably better than the same aged teams at the clubs that heavily focus on college recruiting (we'll see if that's the case over the upcoming spring season). my question is, what grade should we consider switching him over to a club that focuses on college recruiting if that's a possibility for him in the future?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:my son plays on a travel team for a club that doesn't have an established HS program, but focuses on youth aged teams. his current grade team is probably better than the same aged teams at the clubs that heavily focus on college recruiting (we'll see if that's the case over the upcoming spring season). my question is, what grade should we consider switching him over to a club that focuses on college recruiting if that's a possibility for him in the future?

He probably should attend tryouts this fall. At a minimum, he should be trying out for a different club before he enters HS. If he waits until later, there are usually very few spots in play. If we are talking about a 5th grader, there is no rush. But if he is entering MS or already in MS, he should be thinking about it right now. Which club are we talking about? If it's a club that doesn't have a great reputation in the HS ranks, there's very little chance they will get critical mass in the next 2 years. He should be planning a move now.

For the established clubs like Madlax and VLC, it gets harder to break in as they get older. Many of those kids have played together for multiple years, and they are going to stick with the known quantity if they view two kids as the same.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:my son plays on a travel team for a club that doesn't have an established HS program, but focuses on youth aged teams. his current grade team is probably better than the same aged teams at the clubs that heavily focus on college recruiting (we'll see if that's the case over the upcoming spring season). my question is, what grade should we consider switching him over to a club that focuses on college recruiting if that's a possibility for him in the future?

7th grade at the latest.