Feedback on MadLax

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How are things with 2026 and 2028?

ML2028 Capital picked up a few players from BLC but as far as I know without nearly the drama associated to 2027.

Somewhat related topic, what's up with the younger BLC Blue teams (2028 and 2027) where multiple players are moving to new clubs...

I heard only 1 out of 3 of the BLC players that moved get any real playing time, and the other two are basically on DMV.

Sounds like there are some bitter BLC parents with abandonment issues. The BLC coaches who left were volunteers who didn't get the support they need from the BLC Board. They are doing what's best for their kids. Surely you can do the same without belittling people who gave so much of their hard work, time and effort to try and develop your son. No coach is perfect. Criticize them if you want. But please leave kids out of it. If you're happy with BLC, great. If not, move on.

This is not a thread about former BLC coaches. It is a thread about the Madlax experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:to the previous post on roster size/cheating:

This thread is out of control.
1. These are kids. No adult should be disparaging/attacking children over their lacrosse abilities. Kids shouldn’t do that to each other either, but adults? You know better. It’s not just mean, it’s downright cruel. STOP.
2. People are upset. This started as someone sharing his/her concerns, but has devolved into nastiness. And none of this will be resolved on DC Urban Moms with people attacking each other.
3. As to cheating: I don’t know what the roster rules are for tournaments. In travel soccer, kids guest with higher-level teams within the club and outside the club all the time and it’s not cheating.
4. Legacy families/rosters: the tone of the 'play DMV or go back' is rude and I don't think we all embrace that. That's all.

not pp but I don't see any specific kids just general observations. Agree on 2. You aren't allowed to roster on 2 teams in the same tournament regardless of playing up or down. You can't even dress on the sideline if you aren't rostered. We clearly did that. I didn't take 4 as bitter but as a real solution. DC Dogs did it and it worked quite well.

[Anonymous]

Some "legacy family" posters seem unfamiliar with the concept of competitive club lacrosse. The best 24+ kids play for Capital. Then the next 24+ best kids play DMV. DMV is a strong program and kids can move up as they improve. There's also 100% guarantee some Capital players will be overtaken by more athletic DMV kids before 9th grade. Making the A team as a 2nd grader doesn't automatically grant you a "legacy" spot through HS.

The boys are supposed to earn their spots and work hard to keep them. That is what makes them strong players on a strong club.

[Anonymous]

Re: DC Dogs. You have no idea what you are talking about.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]Some "legacy family" posters seem unfamiliar with the concept of competitive club lacrosse. The best 24+ kids play for Capital. Then the next 24+ best kids play DMV. DMV is a strong program and kids can move up as they improve. There's also 100% guarantee some Capital players will be overtaken by more athletic DMV kids before 9th grade. Making the A team as a 2nd grader doesn't automatically grant you a "legacy" spot through HS.

The boys are supposed to earn their spots and work hard to keep them. That is what makes them strong players on a strong club.[/quote]


There is definitely an element of delusion. I noticed one legacy parent lamenting that "MadLax is losing long-standing families who until recently were happy with the program, and would have continued paying the crazy prices for the next six years." With or without this year's influx of BLC players, no more than half of the players on a Madlax 5th grade team will still be there for the big 10th grade recruiting year (and likely far fewer). Better players will show up, year after year after year, and some of them will just be added to the team without having to try out (because they're really good players). It is what it is, but the spots are not reserved for people who are comfortable and happy to pay.

[Anonymous]

The last couple posts look like they are from people experienced with travel lacrosse generally, but not informed regarding this situation. This not a case where player A came along and beat out player B for his spot.

The BLC players joined as a group, and had widely varying ability. Rather than make clear cuts between Capital and DMV, the program promised or implied Capital spots to way more players (old and new) than it had room for. The addition of a Dad coach from BLC, with no explanation or introduction (even as of today) to the MadLax families, led to the appearance of nepotism favoring the new players, which has become awkward and is unfair to all concerned.

Now the rubber has hit the road because only 10 players can get on the field, so there is no way for Madlax to continue misleading 30+ families that they are Capital players, and nobody is buying the double speak.

So I am sure that the lectures about travel sports 101 are well intentioned, but do not really fit.

[Anonymous]

Is Madlax the only club in the DMV that flys in kids from other states to be on their Capital (NOT NATIONAL) team? I know 2025 has at lease one kid from NC and one from FL and at one point a kid from TX that play in regular tournaments throughout the fall, spring and summer? How do parents of local kids feel about that? Kids not attending practice but coming in for tournaments?

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Some "legacy family" posters seem unfamiliar with the concept of competitive club lacrosse. The best 24+ kids play for Capital. Then the next 24+ best kids play DMV. DMV is a strong program and kids can move up as they improve. There's also 100% guarantee some Capital players will be overtaken by more athletic DMV kids before 9th grade. Making the A team as a 2nd grader doesn't automatically grant you a "legacy" spot through HS.

The boys are supposed to earn their spots and work hard to keep them. That is what makes them strong players on a strong club.[/quote]


There is definitely an element of delusion. I noticed one legacy parent lamenting that "MadLax is losing long-standing families who until recently were happy with the program, and would have continued paying the crazy prices for the next six years." With or without this year's influx of BLC players, no more than half of the players on a Madlax 5th grade team will still be there for the big 10th grade recruiting year (and likely far fewer). Better players will show up, year after year after year, and some of them will just be added to the team without having to try out (because they're really good players). It is what it is, but the spots are not reserved for people who are comfortable and happy to pay. [/quote]

Fair point, but with 1-2 exceptions, we are not talking about star players here. MadLax traded long-term, average players for brand new average players, but with longer commutes, fewer friends on the team, and no institutional loyalty to MadLax; that latter group is less likely to stay in the program long term (whether Capital or DMV) than the players who left. If Cabell were smart he would strike a balance balance catering to the stud players and retaining long term customers at least on DMV, and this move is doing neither. If you doubt me, just compare the roster that the team had in August to what it will have in March when HoCo starts.

[Anonymous]

The shrouding of fall rosters and having numerous players on both Capital and DMV in the fall is nothing new. It may exaggerated by the number of BLC players that showed up at tryouts, but it has been happening in all age groups for at least the last four years. The rosters will be firmly set in the spring. Some people will be happy with them and others will not.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like the classic MadLax “bait and switch” to me

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Some "legacy family" posters seem unfamiliar with the concept of competitive club lacrosse. The best 24+ kids play for Capital. Then the next 24+ best kids play DMV. DMV is a strong program and kids can move up as they improve. There's also 100% guarantee some Capital players will be overtaken by more athletic DMV kids before 9th grade. Making the A team as a 2nd grader doesn't automatically grant you a "legacy" spot through HS.

The boys are supposed to earn their spots and work hard to keep them. That is what makes them strong players on a strong club.[/quote]


There is definitely an element of delusion. I noticed one legacy parent lamenting that "MadLax is losing long-standing families who until recently were happy with the program, and would have continued paying the crazy prices for the next six years." With or without this year's influx of BLC players, no more than half of the players on a Madlax 5th grade team will still be there for the big 10th grade recruiting year (and likely far fewer). Better players will show up, year after year after year, and some of them will just be added to the team without having to try out (because they're really good players). It is what it is, but the spots are not reserved for people who are comfortable and happy to pay. [/quote]

Fair point, but with 1-2 exceptions, we are not talking about star players here. MadLax traded long-term, average players for brand new average players, but with longer commutes, fewer friends on the team, and no institutional loyalty to MadLax; that latter group is less likely to stay in the program long term (whether Capital or DMV) than the players who left. If Cabell were smart he would strike a balance balance catering to the stud players and retaining long term customers at least on DMV, and this move is doing neither. If you doubt me, just compare the roster that the team had in August to what it will have in March when HoCo starts.[/quote]


None of the average players on Capital are likely to be with the program long term. They all want to be on an A team (or Elite or AAA or whatever you want to call it) - i.e., the club's top team. When really good players show up middle school and 9th grade and cause the average players to be demoted to DMV, the average players will leave and go to Next Level, VLC, Cavalier, etc. Demoted players rarely stay at Madlax. DMV is largely populated by players who have never been on Capital.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous]Ditto to the counter of the post that ‘BLC kids can play DMV or go back.’ I really don't think legacy families believe that at all.
And some of the posts before that, calling out certain kids are mean. STOP.[/quote]

Of course no one should be calling out any kids. That’s ridiculous.

But the idea that a family that has spent a LOT of time and money with ML should expect to not be suddenly pushed aside seems very reasonable to me.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Ditto to the counter of the post that ‘BLC kids can play DMV or go back.’ I really don't think legacy families believe that at all.
And some of the posts before that, calling out certain kids are mean. STOP.[/quote]

Of course no one should be calling out any kids. That’s ridiculous.

But the idea that a family that has spent a LOT of time and money with ML should expect to not be suddenly pushed aside seems very reasonable to me. [/quote]

Right, and as someone above said, the new players are of the same caliber, not superstars (hard to imagine all 12 plus new players are better than the original players).

And why didn't ML explain all this before accepting everyone's club fees. He had (maybe short term) big boost to his bottom line with this large roster.

[Anonymous]

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Some "legacy family" posters seem unfamiliar with the concept of competitive club lacrosse. The best 24+ kids play for Capital. Then the next 24+ best kids play DMV. DMV is a strong program and kids can move up as they improve. There's also 100% guarantee some Capital players will be overtaken by more athletic DMV kids before 9th grade. Making the A team as a 2nd grader doesn't automatically grant you a "legacy" spot through HS.

The boys are supposed to earn their spots and work hard to keep them. That is what makes them strong players on a strong club.[/quote]


There is definitely an element of delusion. I noticed one legacy parent lamenting that "MadLax is losing long-standing families who until recently were happy with the program, and would have continued paying the crazy prices for the next six years." With or without this year's influx of BLC players, no more than half of the players on a Madlax 5th grade team will still be there for the big 10th grade recruiting year (and likely far fewer). Better players will show up, year after year after year, and some of them will just be added to the team without having to try out (because they're really good players). It is what it is, but the spots are not reserved for people who are comfortable and happy to pay. [/quote]

Fair point, but with 1-2 exceptions, we are not talking about star players here. MadLax traded long-term, average players for brand new average players, but with longer commutes, fewer friends on the team, and no institutional loyalty to MadLax; that latter group is less likely to stay in the program long term (whether Capital or DMV) than the players who left. If Cabell were smart he would strike a balance balance catering to the stud players and retaining long term customers at least on DMV, and this move is doing neither. If you doubt me, just compare the roster that the team had in August to what it will have in March when HoCo starts.[/quote]


None of the average players on Capital are likely to be with the program long term. They all want to be on an A team (or Elite or AAA or whatever you want to call it) - i.e., the club's top team. When really good players show up middle school and 9th grade and cause the average players to be demoted to DMV, the average players will leave and go to Next Level, VLC, Cavalier, etc. Demoted players rarely stay at Madlax. DMV is largely populated by players who have never been on Capital. [/quote]

I thought the purpose of large Capital rosters, plus DMV teams, was to keep as many customers in the program for as long as possible. But if MadLax objective was to move its average Capital players over to VLC, Cavalier, and NextLevel now to make room for average BLC players, so that those players can be pushed off when the "really good players" show up in middle school and 9th grade, then this was well played.

[Anonymous]

When really good players show up middle school and 9th grade and cause the average players to be demoted to DMV, the average players will leave and go to Next Level, VLC, Cavalier, etc. Demoted players rarely stay at Madlax.

Nah, Cabell will keep you on the same team, but you’ll be demoted from “player” to “benchwarmer”.