Feedback on MadLax

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually the 60,000 from the 15 new BLC players is mostly, if not entirely, profit. The costs are mostly fixed (coaches salaries, field usage, tournament entry) so adding more players to an age group goes straight to the bottom line. And it’s even better, because without these 15 players there were only 30 in the age group, which was enough for just one team plus 7-8 boys left over. Those 7-8 extra boys are few for a DMV team, but too many (32,000) to turn away. So the solution is to combine the DMV players from two age groups into one combined team. But the problem with that is that it is hard to slot a combined team into tournaments. If they play up like they are supposed to, they will get smoked, even in B divisions. But if they play down they are cheating, and have been caught in the past. So landing these 15 new players to fund two complete teams in the age group not only brings their own revenue, it also helps to retain the 8-9 incumbent DMV players. Their arrival is exciting for MadLax.

I wonder if the BLC players being put on DMV know this. I am sure ML wasn’t honest with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t BLC 2028 have a similar thing happen too? A bunch of kids left for Madlax and NL, including the coaches’ kid.

Yes. 2027 and 2028 BLC imploded.

The era of the Dad Coach For Club Lacrosse is coming to a close. Parents are sick of watching the Professionally coached teams develop faster from year to year.

It also puts parents in a tough spot having to criticize the Fathers of their sons best friends/classmates.

It’s not the Dads fault. BLC makes them coach for too long. They should stop after third grade.

BLC needs to decide if they are a rec program or an elite club program and enter tournaments accordingly. Don’t tell the parents you are an elite program if you are not committed to that type of development or accountability.

If your Clubs mission statement is that winning games is the least important part of youth lacrosse then don’t play at the Elite level. Maybe just stay as a rec program as they do that very well.

Are there any other Dad Coached Elite club programs that are also great rec programs? Is it possible to be great at both? I would love to hear some examples. I don’t think it’s possible in today’s world.


Parents are also jockeying earlier and earlier to get into an elite team and don’t want to pay north of $2,500 for sub par development. There are Tens of thousands of dollars at stake in private school athletic scholarships so being a strong player summer/fall of 7th grade is very important.

There is actually more money at stake in our area for Private high school scholarships then there are for D1 college dreams.

Don’t expect DC Express to magically fix everything in eighth grade. That’s too late.

[Anonymous]

Private HS scholarships for lacrosse? that is news to me. I would expect that lacrosse could help with admissions but I would have thought scholarships are based on either academics or need. Can somebody confirm which schools give scholarships?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The reason why Madlax is getting hate is because their owner is just there to take money. 35+ player Rosters. They had 10+ Defenders on the DC Dogs last year (only 5-6 play).

The other, and more important reason is that there owner bullies and assaults kids. He assaulted a kid at SJC, was caught with hookers at McLean. He writes nasty email to kids when they leave his team or miss practice. He once emailed the college of a committed player telling them to unenroll him because he left Madlax. Just read the article below.


https://www.google.com/amp/s/deadspin.com/hey-ungrateful-quitter-emails-from-an-angry-lacrosse-660703941/amp

Holy crap!!! He is psycho.

In other late breaking news, did you hear that the Beatles broke up?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Private HS scholarships for lacrosse? that is news to me. I would expect that lacrosse could help with admissions but I would have thought scholarships are based on either academics or need. Can somebody confirm which schools give scholarships?

Private High Schools definitely give out athletic scholarships to elite athletes. This has been happening for a long time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t BLC 2028 have a similar thing happen too? A bunch of kids left for Madlax and NL, including the coaches’ kid.

Yes. 2027 and 2028 BLC imploded.

The era of the Dad Coach For Club Lacrosse is coming to a close. Parents are sick of watching the Professionally coached teams develop faster from year to year.

It also puts parents in a tough spot having to criticize the Fathers of their sons best friends/classmates.

It’s not the Dads fault. BLC makes them coach for too long. They should stop after third grade.

BLC needs to decide if they are a rec program or an elite club program and enter tournaments accordingly. Don’t tell the parents you are an elite program if you are not committed to that type of development or accountability.

If your Clubs mission statement is that winning games is the least important part of youth lacrosse then don’t play at the Elite level. Maybe just stay as a rec program as they do that very well.

Are there any other Dad Coached Elite club programs that are also great rec programs? Is it possible to be great at both? I would love to hear some examples. I don’t think it’s possible in today’s world.


Parents are also jockeying earlier and earlier to get into an elite team and don’t want to pay north of $2,500 for sub par development. There are Tens of thousands of dollars at stake in private school athletic scholarships so being a strong player summer/fall of 7th grade is very important.

There is actually more money at stake in our area for Private high school scholarships then there are for D1 college dreams.

Don’t expect DC Express to magically fix everything in eighth grade. That’s too late.

Interesting. Madlax 24 and 28 are dad coached. And BLC in fact has professional coaches rounding out the teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t BLC 2028 have a similar thing happen too? A bunch of kids left for Madlax and NL, including the coaches’ kid.

Yes. 2027 and 2028 BLC imploded.

The era of the Dad Coach For Club Lacrosse is coming to a close. Parents are sick of watching the Professionally coached teams develop faster from year to year.

It also puts parents in a tough spot having to criticize the Fathers of their sons best friends/classmates.

It’s not the Dads fault. BLC makes them coach for too long. They should stop after third grade.

BLC needs to decide if they are a rec program or an elite club program and enter tournaments accordingly. Don’t tell the parents you are an elite program if you are not committed to that type of development or accountability.

If your Clubs mission statement is that winning games is the least important part of youth lacrosse then don’t play at the Elite level. Maybe just stay as a rec program as they do that very well.

Are there any other Dad Coached Elite club programs that are also great rec programs? Is it possible to be great at both? I would love to hear some examples. I don’t think it’s possible in today’s world.


Parents are also jockeying earlier and earlier to get into an elite team and don’t want to pay north of $2,500 for sub par development. There are Tens of thousands of dollars at stake in private school athletic scholarships so being a strong player summer/fall of 7th grade is very important.

There is actually more money at stake in our area for Private high school scholarships then there are for D1 college dreams.

Don’t expect DC Express to magically fix everything in eighth grade. That’s too late.

Interesting. Madlax 24 and 28 are dad coached. And BLC in fact has professional coaches rounding out the teams.

Well, Cabell coaches both of those teams, yes? So he's a parent coach in that he has a kid on each team, but he's also a professional coach in that his salary/job comes from coaching these teams.

BLC & professional coaches, that's hit or miss depending on the age group and Blue/Orange. Some teams have "pro" coaches help out on an ad-hoc basis. I know BLC Blue 2026 now has professional coaches who have replaced the dads. Lower age groups, nothing I'm aware of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private HS scholarships for lacrosse? that is news to me. I would expect that lacrosse could help with admissions but I would have thought scholarships are based on either academics or need. Can somebody confirm which schools give scholarships?

Private High Schools definitely give out athletic scholarships to elite athletes. This has been happening for a long time.

Please. Few and far btw on full scholarships to private HS and all but a few go to basketball and football players with very limited financial means, not wealthy lacrosse families. Bottom line, playing high level lax in DMV is a legit way to get an admission tkt to an elite academic school, but all in btw private HS and college is still a $500-$600K nut.

[Anonymous]

I would take a dad coach who was a better lax player at a better college and that is a great role model and successful businessman over an owner with a very sordid background, is a poor role model, and misleads parents and breaks kids hearts.

So there you go, your choice. As someone said, for the top 16 players maybe it is worth it if that is your thing. For everyone else, doesn’t make sense to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private HS scholarships for lacrosse? that is news to me. I would expect that lacrosse could help with admissions but I would have thought scholarships are based on either academics or need. Can somebody confirm which schools give scholarships?

Private High Schools definitely give out athletic scholarships to elite athletes. This has been happening for a long time.

Please. Few and far btw on full scholarships to private HS and all but a few go to basketball and football players with very limited financial means, not wealthy lacrosse families. Bottom line, playing high level lax in DMV is a legit way to get an admission tkt to an elite academic school, but all in btw private HS and college is still a $500-$600K nut.

I never said “full” scholarships and elite lacrosse players are getting money. Sorry if you don’t choose to believe that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t BLC 2028 have a similar thing happen too? A bunch of kids left for Madlax and NL, including the coaches’ kid.

Yes. 2027 and 2028 BLC imploded.

The era of the Dad Coach For Club Lacrosse is coming to a close. Parents are sick of watching the Professionally coached teams develop faster from year to year.

It also puts parents in a tough spot having to criticize the Fathers of their sons best friends/classmates.

It’s not the Dads fault. BLC makes them coach for too long. They should stop after third grade.

BLC needs to decide if they are a rec program or an elite club program and enter tournaments accordingly. Don’t tell the parents you are an elite program if you are not committed to that type of development or accountability.

If your Clubs mission statement is that winning games is the least important part of youth lacrosse then don’t play at the Elite level. Maybe just stay as a rec program as they do that very well.

Are there any other Dad Coached Elite club programs that are also great rec programs? Is it possible to be great at both? I would love to hear some examples. I don’t think it’s possible in today’s world.


Parents are also jockeying earlier and earlier to get into an elite team and don’t want to pay north of $2,500 for sub par development. There are Tens of thousands of dollars at stake in private school athletic scholarships so being a strong player summer/fall of 7th grade is very important.

There is actually more money at stake in our area for Private high school scholarships then there are for D1 college dreams.

Don’t expect DC Express to magically fix everything in eighth grade. That’s too late.

Interesting. Madlax 24 and 28 are dad coached. And BLC in fact has professional coaches rounding out the teams.

Well, Cabell coaches both of those teams, yes? So he's a parent coach in that he has a kid on each team, but he's also a professional coach in that his salary/job comes from coaching these teams.

BLC & professional coaches, that's hit or miss depending on the age group and Blue/Orange. Some teams have "pro" coaches help out on an ad-hoc basis. I know BLC Blue 2026 now has professional coaches who have replaced the dads. Lower age groups, nothing I'm aware of.

Madlax 2022 and Madlax 2023 (DC Dogs) also have dad coaches.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Didn’t BLC 2028 have a similar thing happen too? A bunch of kids left for Madlax and NL, including the coaches’ kid.

Yes. 2027 and 2028 BLC imploded.

The era of the Dad Coach For Club Lacrosse is coming to a close. Parents are sick of watching the Professionally coached teams develop faster from year to year.

It also puts parents in a tough spot having to criticize the Fathers of their sons best friends/classmates.

It’s not the Dads fault. BLC makes them coach for too long. They should stop after third grade.

BLC needs to decide if they are a rec program or an elite club program and enter tournaments accordingly. Don’t tell the parents you are an elite program if you are not committed to that type of development or accountability.

If your Clubs mission statement is that winning games is the least important part of youth lacrosse then don’t play at the Elite level. Maybe just stay as a rec program as they do that very well.

Are there any other Dad Coached Elite club programs that are also great rec programs? Is it possible to be great at both? I would love to hear some examples. I don’t think it’s possible in today’s world.


Parents are also jockeying earlier and earlier to get into an elite team and don’t want to pay north of $2,500 for sub par development. There are Tens of thousands of dollars at stake in private school athletic scholarships so being a strong player summer/fall of 7th grade is very important.

There is actually more money at stake in our area for Private high school scholarships then there are for D1 college dreams.

Don’t expect DC Express to magically fix everything in eighth grade. That’s too late.

Interesting. Madlax 24 and 28 are dad coached. And BLC in fact has professional coaches rounding out the teams.

Well, Cabell coaches both of those teams, yes? So he's a parent coach in that he has a kid on each team, but he's also a professional coach in that his salary/job comes from coaching these teams.

BLC & professional coaches, that's hit or miss depending on the age group and Blue/Orange. Some teams have "pro" coaches help out on an ad-hoc basis. I know BLC Blue 2026 now has professional coaches who have replaced the dads. Lower age groups, nothing I'm aware of.

Like everything in life, things are not 100% one way or the other. Yes, Cabell coaches two ML teams on which his sons play, but for better or worse, he is not your typical Dad coach. I know of other Dad coaches within MadLax, including one who came over from BLC and is discussed earlier in this thread, plus at least one other. And I am sure that BLC has some professional coaches. And there are no guarantees either way - some coaches in both categories are great and some are bad. When choosing a team the number one factor ought to be the coach.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private HS scholarships for lacrosse? that is news to me. I would expect that lacrosse could help with admissions but I would have thought scholarships are based on either academics or need. Can somebody confirm which schools give scholarships?

Private High Schools definitely give out athletic scholarships to elite athletes. This has been happening for a long time.

Please. Few and far btw on full scholarships to private HS and all but a few go to basketball and football players with very limited financial means, not wealthy lacrosse families. Bottom line, playing high level lax in DMV is a legit way to get an admission tkt to an elite academic school, but all in btw private HS and college is still a $500-$600K nut.

I never said “full” scholarships and elite lacrosse players are getting money. Sorry if you don’t choose to believe that.

I do believe it, but I did not know, since my sons are not yet near the age. Since Division 1 college lacrosse scholarships are 99.9% partial scholarships, as opposed to full, I would assume that HS are partial too. Can somebody share which DMV HS schools offer lacrosse scholarships? And, is it discussed openly between coaches and parents as a lacrosse scholarship, or is it portrayed as financial aid like at some Division II and III colleges?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Private HS scholarships for lacrosse? that is news to me. I would expect that lacrosse could help with admissions but I would have thought scholarships are based on either academics or need. Can somebody confirm which schools give scholarships?

Private High Schools definitely give out athletic scholarships to elite athletes. This has been happening for a long time.

Please. Few and far btw on full scholarships to private HS and all but a few go to basketball and football players with very limited financial means, not wealthy lacrosse families. Bottom line, playing high level lax in DMV is a legit way to get an admission tkt to an elite academic school, but all in btw private HS and college is still a $500-$600K nut.

I never said “full” scholarships and elite lacrosse players are getting money. Sorry if you don’t choose to believe that.

I do believe it, but I did not know, since my sons are not yet near the age. Since Division 1 college lacrosse scholarships are 99.9% partial scholarships, as opposed to full, I would assume that HS are partial too. Can somebody share which DMV HS schools offer lacrosse scholarships? And, is it discussed openly between coaches and parents as a lacrosse scholarship, or is it portrayed as financial aid like at some Division II and III colleges?

Most HS "scholarships" are really just financial aid packages for great athletes from families with a demonstrated financial need. If you want your son to get a real athletic scholarship - to HS or college - lacrosse is the wrong sport to play and its going to get a lot worse b/c of the financial hit that Covid is doing on most D1 programs

[Anonymous]

+1
The long post about the BLC 2027 and 2028 teams and their Dad coaches was accurate in many respects, but not about HS lacrosse scholarships. Chasing HS scholarship money is not the motivating factor for families changing clubs. (at least not for well informed and sane families)