Feedback on Next Level Lacrosse?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Indoors during winter off river rd near dc. Outdoors at washington episcopal and a little at the heights.

The indoor facility is real gold for Mitch and Heet. The redone Heights field is awesome. Surprised they aren’t also practicing at Albans. I think STA laxers are arrogant fools, but they do fields pretty good.

[Anonymous]

Predictions for roster changes for the 2024 and 2025 teams? It seems like both had disappointing seasons this year.

[Anonymous]

24' will get better as multiple 23's will repeat 8th grade. Then next year the 25's will aide from the 24's, etc.... It's the NL way.

[Anonymous]

2020s are one of the best in the region. Whether NL can build on this depends on how 2021s and 2022s do. If they can show success, everything will trickle down. If not, 2020 will be viewed as a fluke year and not help develop the program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:24' will get better as multiple 23's will repeat 8th grade. Then next year the 25's will aide from the 24's, etc.... It's the NL way.

Sad - why can’t kids compete w/in their age group?

[Anonymous]

Madlax showed the way. Three 16 year olds playing 2023's. Also 15 6th graders playing on 5th grade hoco team and they had to forfeit the league. And dont forget the whole club was kicked out of Hershey tourney last summer for playing older players down.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:24' will get better as multiple 23's will repeat 8th grade. Then next year the 25's will aide from the 24's, etc.... It's the NL way.

Sad - why can’t kids compete w/in their age group?

Until Lacrosse goes back to age/year born based tourneys (see soccer), it can't be stopped. Especially with schools like Mater Delay helping kids get into the top private schools. Although its happening in public schools too.

[Anonymous]

But nice try Cabell or stupid kid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:24' will get better as multiple 23's will repeat 8th grade. Then next year the 25's will aide from the 24's, etc.... It's the NL way.

Sad - why can’t kids compete w/in their age group?

Until Lacrosse goes back to age/year born based tourneys (see soccer), it can't be stopped. Especially with schools like Mater Delay helping kids get into the top private schools. Although its happening in public schools too.

The only kids who reclassed at my son's MoCo public were kids who reclassed AFTER they were poached by private schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:24' will get better as multiple 23's will repeat 8th grade. Then next year the 25's will aide from the 24's, etc.... It's the NL way.

Sad - why can’t kids compete w/in their age group?

Cuz Coach/Daddy needs that trophy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:24' will get better as multiple 23's will repeat 8th grade. Then next year the 25's will aide from the 24's, etc.... It's the NL way.

Sad - why can’t kids compete w/in their age group?

Until Lacrosse goes back to age/year born based tourneys (see soccer), it can't be stopped. Especially with schools like Mater Delay helping kids get into the top private schools. Although its happening in public schools too.

The only kids who reclassed at my son's MoCo public were kids who reclassed AFTER they were poached by private schools.

Because you can't voluntarily reclass in public school. Those who do repeat a grade are ones who flunked and repeat for academic reasons.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:24' will get better as multiple 23's will repeat 8th grade. Then next year the 25's will aide from the 24's, etc.... It's the NL way.

Sad - why can’t kids compete w/in their age group?

Cuz Coach/Daddy needs that trophy.

Actually I don't think that is the case. Maybe there are extreme outliers that care enough about youth trophies that they would hold their kid back just to win one, but in general as long as the local private schools and then colleges don't care about age this will continue to happen and it is understandable. There are pages and pages of discussions about what parents do to give their child an advantage to get into certain colleges, this is just another road to that goal. The system encourages this and unfortunately by moving away from age based at the youth level it is now happening at an earlier age and once it starts it is hard to stop. For the top tier on age players it is likely not an issue but it does crowd out those good on age players and puts them is a position of having to either drop back or see less playing time. That is the really sad part about all of this since at the youth level (8th and below) kids have not fully developed, huge differences in growth, etc. Creating an age gap is just another obstacle when youth sports should be encouraging participation for kids to find out what they are good at, etc. Please know this is not a "participation trophy" argument, it is a "level playing field" argument at ages where that is important. Once high school starts have at it but going grade based at the 8th and below level was, in my opinion, a huge mistake.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:24' will get better as multiple 23's will repeat 8th grade. Then next year the 25's will aide from the 24's, etc.... It's the NL way.

Sad - why can’t kids compete w/in their age group?

Cuz Coach/Daddy needs that trophy.

Actually I don't think that is the case. Maybe there are extreme outliers that care enough about youth trophies that they would hold their kid back just to win one, but in general as long as the local private schools and then colleges don't care about age this will continue to happen and it is understandable. There are pages and pages of discussions about what parents do to give their child an advantage to get into certain colleges, this is just another road to that goal. The system encourages this and unfortunately by moving away from age based at the youth level it is now happening at an earlier age and once it starts it is hard to stop. For the top tier on age players it is likely not an issue but it does crowd out those good on age players and puts them is a position of having to either drop back or see less playing time. That is the really sad part about all of this since at the youth level (8th and below) kids have not fully developed, huge differences in growth, etc. Creating an age gap is just another obstacle when youth sports should be encouraging participation for kids to find out what they are good at, etc. Please know this is not a "participation trophy" argument, it is a "level playing field" argument at ages where that is important. Once high school starts have at it but going grade based at the 8th and below level was, in my opinion, a huge mistake.

I agree, it was a huge mistake. As far as the 'needs a trophy' comment, I was referring specifically to clubs that play in the 'B' division to get the trophy. My son played with a club 'B' team last summer and they went 1-2 in the first tournament. They 'borrowed' two 'A' team players in the 2nd tournament and won the 'B' bracket championship. Granted, they won both the semis and finals by one goal, but they wouldn't have won without these two players. Kind of sleazy, imho.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:24' will get better as multiple 23's will repeat 8th grade. Then next year the 25's will aide from the 24's, etc.... It's the NL way.

Sad - why can’t kids compete w/in their age group?

Cuz Coach/Daddy needs that trophy.

Actually I don't think that is the case. Maybe there are extreme outliers that care enough about youth trophies that they would hold their kid back just to win one, but in general as long as the local private schools and then colleges don't care about age this will continue to happen and it is understandable. There are pages and pages of discussions about what parents do to give their child an advantage to get into certain colleges, this is just another road to that goal. The system encourages this and unfortunately by moving away from age based at the youth level it is now happening at an earlier age and once it starts it is hard to stop. For the top tier on age players it is likely not an issue but it does crowd out those good on age players and puts them is a position of having to either drop back or see less playing time. That is the really sad part about all of this since at the youth level (8th and below) kids have not fully developed, huge differences in growth, etc. Creating an age gap is just another obstacle when youth sports should be encouraging participation for kids to find out what they are good at, etc. Please know this is not a "participation trophy" argument, it is a "level playing field" argument at ages where that is important. Once high school starts have at it but going grade based at the 8th and below level was, in my opinion, a huge mistake.

Agreed, US Lacrosse spells out why age based competition (not perfect but it's the easiest to verify and doesn't change) is best for a contact support like lacrosse. Tournaments don't care and many parents/coaches don't have any shame gaming the system. If you want a bigger, faster and older HS student-athlete, then the tradeoff should be sitting out playing against younger, smaller kids who ARE playing at appropriate grade level.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:24' will get better as multiple 23's will repeat 8th grade. Then next year the 25's will aide from the 24's, etc.... It's the NL way.

Sad - why can’t kids compete w/in their age group?

Cuz Coach/Daddy needs that trophy.

Actually I don't think that is the case. Maybe there are extreme outliers that care enough about youth trophies that they would hold their kid back just to win one, but in general as long as the local private schools and then colleges don't care about age this will continue to happen and it is understandable. There are pages and pages of discussions about what parents do to give their child an advantage to get into certain colleges, this is just another road to that goal. The system encourages this and unfortunately by moving away from age based at the youth level it is now happening at an earlier age and once it starts it is hard to stop. For the top tier on age players it is likely not an issue but it does crowd out those good on age players and puts them is a position of having to either drop back or see less playing time. That is the really sad part about all of this since at the youth level (8th and below) kids have not fully developed, huge differences in growth, etc. Creating an age gap is just another obstacle when youth sports should be encouraging participation for kids to find out what they are good at, etc. Please know this is not a "participation trophy" argument, it is a "level playing field" argument at ages where that is important. Once high school starts have at it but going grade based at the 8th and below level was, in my opinion, a huge mistake.

I agree, it was a huge mistake. As far as the 'needs a trophy' comment, I was referring specifically to clubs that play in the 'B' division to get the trophy. My son played with a club 'B' team last summer and they went 1-2 in the first tournament. They 'borrowed' two 'A' team players in the 2nd tournament and won the 'B' bracket championship. Granted, they won both the semis and finals by one goal, but they wouldn't have won without these two players. Kind of sleazy, imho.

Got it. The reality is that the summer season is a complete free for all as you have reclassed kids now playing with the grade they are going to be in, clubs trying to get tourney wins to market for the upcoming year, and a general lack of any over site. Now that the genie is out of the bottle hard to see how it gets back in. At a minimum this area should support or have a vehicle for age based tournament teams but this would mean that local clubs would have to cooperate and I do not see that happening either.