Feedback on VLC Club Lacrosse?

[Anonymous]

What do you think? Sane owner? Good coaches? Competitive teams? Good college placement? How hard is it to make a high school team if you haven't come up through their ranks?

[Anonymous]

VLC is actually owned by the Baltimore Crabs owner who is also controversial. But it's locally run, so unlikely that matters much in terms of a player's experience there. VLC has historically been one of the better teams in the area and recently has had better luck in the recruiting battles than anyone other than Madlax and Blackwolf in the immediate DC area. But the rising competitiveness of clubs like DCE, Next Level, and to a somewhat lesser extent, Cavs, has probably weakened VLC some. Increasingly, it looks like we are in an era where in instead of three clubs having virtually every college player (Madlax, BW, VLC), players are more spread out. For instance, I like a fair reading is that Madlax has the best 2019 team, Next Level probably has the best 2020 team, and DCE has the best 2021 team in the area (hard to compare BW since they don't play in the same leagues). That's not to say that VLC is a worse club to be at than they once were, just that players are spread over more clubs now than they once were, which is a good thing on the whole since there is now much choice, although DC area teams are more diluted.

In terms of tryouts, in general if you have a kid that is fast and very visibly a high level athlete, they tend to get a fair shake at tryouts. Its the players that aren't off-the-charts athletes, but are effective because of excellent stick skills, high lacrosse IQ, etc., that tryouts can be more of a mixed bag for. My anecdotal sense is that for those types of players, there is some randomness in the tryout process and they are generally better off if they get into a club system early.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:VLC is actually owned by the Baltimore Crabs owner who is also controversial. But it's locally run, so unlikely that matters much in terms of a player's experience there. VLC has historically been one of the better teams in the area and recently has had better luck in the recruiting battles than anyone other than Madlax and Blackwolf in the immediate DC area. But the rising competitiveness of clubs like DCE, Next Level, and to a somewhat lesser extent, Cavs, has probably weakened VLC some. Increasingly, it looks like we are in an era where in instead of three clubs having virtually every college player (Madlax, BW, VLC), players are more spread out. For instance, I like a fair reading is that Madlax has the best 2019 team, Next Level probably has the best 2020 team, and DCE has the best 2021 team in the area (hard to compare BW since they don't play in the same leagues). That's not to say that VLC is a worse club to be at than they once were, just that players are spread over more clubs now than they once were, which is a good thing on the whole since there is now much choice, although DC area teams are more diluted.

In terms of tryouts, in general if you have a kid that is fast and very visibly a high level athlete, they tend to get a fair shake at tryouts. Its the players that aren't off-the-charts athletes, but are effective because of excellent stick skills, high lacrosse IQ, etc., that tryouts can be more of a mixed bag for. My anecdotal sense is that for those types of players, there is some randomness in the tryout process and they are generally better off if they get into a club system early.

wow, an informative post without any a**hole attitude...kudos

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:VLC is actually owned by the Baltimore Crabs owner who is also controversial. But it's locally run, so unlikely that matters much in terms of a player's experience there. VLC has historically been one of the better teams in the area and recently has had better luck in the recruiting battles than anyone other than Madlax and Blackwolf in the immediate DC area. But the rising competitiveness of clubs like DCE, Next Level, and to a somewhat lesser extent, Cavs, has probably weakened VLC some. Increasingly, it looks like we are in an era where in instead of three clubs having virtually every college player (Madlax, BW, VLC), players are more spread out. For instance, I like a fair reading is that Madlax has the best 2019 team, Next Level probably has the best 2020 team, and DCE has the best 2021 team in the area (hard to compare BW since they don't play in the same leagues). That's not to say that VLC is a worse club to be at than they once were, just that players are spread over more clubs now than they once were, which is a good thing on the whole since there is now much choice, although DC area teams are more diluted.

In terms of tryouts, in general if you have a kid that is fast and very visibly a high level athlete, they tend to get a fair shake at tryouts. Its the players that aren't off-the-charts athletes, but are effective because of excellent stick skills, high lacrosse IQ, etc., that tryouts can be more of a mixed bag for. My anecdotal sense is that for those types of players, there is some randomness in the tryout process and they are generally better off if they get into a club system early.

Your post is accurate on several counts, but there are some errors. You said, "[VLC] recently has had better luck in the recruiting battles than anyone other than Madlax and Blackwolf in the immediate DC area. Although BW is declining (more on that later), generally speaking these three clubs are all comparable in terms of recruiting success. For example, our son's VLC team sent 25 kids to play in college. Depending on the year, sometimes it's VLC that has the better HS team, sometimes Madlax. I think VLC has sent well over 100 kids to college in just the past few years.

VLC's youth program has been weaker than their HS program, but they apparently are going younger and have had good success this year. The guys who run VLC have excellent reputations.

BW has fallen as I know their 2019 and 2020 teams aren't that great. A lot of people know about the owner's past, so that may have something to do with it. We were very happy with VLC and endorse them strongly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What do you think? Sane owner? Good coaches? Competitive teams? Good college placement? How hard is it to make a high school team if you haven't come up through their ranks?

In regards to making a high school team, you don't need to be a VLC lifer to join. Many of the kids in the HS program came from other clubs -- Madlax, Cavs, Next Level, etc. Essentially boils down to skill level and positional need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VLC is actually owned by the Baltimore Crabs owner who is also controversial. But it's locally run, so unlikely that matters much in terms of a player's experience there. VLC has historically been one of the better teams in the area and recently has had better luck in the recruiting battles than anyone other than Madlax and Blackwolf in the immediate DC area. But the rising competitiveness of clubs like DCE, Next Level, and to a somewhat lesser extent, Cavs, has probably weakened VLC some. Increasingly, it looks like we are in an era where in instead of three clubs having virtually every college player (Madlax, BW, VLC), players are more spread out. For instance, I like a fair reading is that Madlax has the best 2019 team, Next Level probably has the best 2020 team, and DCE has the best 2021 team in the area (hard to compare BW since they don't play in the same leagues). That's not to say that VLC is a worse club to be at than they once were, just that players are spread over more clubs now than they once were, which is a good thing on the whole since there is now much choice, although DC area teams are more diluted.

In terms of tryouts, in general if you have a kid that is fast and very visibly a high level athlete, they tend to get a fair shake at tryouts. Its the players that aren't off-the-charts athletes, but are effective because of excellent stick skills, high lacrosse IQ, etc., that tryouts can be more of a mixed bag for. My anecdotal sense is that for those types of players, there is some randomness in the tryout process and they are generally better off if they get into a club system early.

Your post is accurate on several counts, but there are some errors. You said, "[VLC] recently has had better luck in the recruiting battles than anyone other than Madlax and Blackwolf in the immediate DC area. Although BW is declining (more on that later), generally speaking these three clubs are all comparable in terms of recruiting success. For example, our son's VLC team sent 25 kids to play in college. Depending on the year, sometimes it's VLC that has the better HS team, sometimes Madlax. I think VLC has sent well over 100 kids to college in just the past few years.

VLC's youth program has been weaker than their HS program, but they apparently are going younger and have had good success this year. The guys who run VLC have excellent reputations.

BW has fallen as I know their 2019 and 2020 teams aren't that great. A lot of people know about the owner's past, so that may have something to do with it. We were very happy with VLC and endorse them strongly.

VLC's youth program seems nonexistent to me? Their 2024 team played B league in HOCO. They had tryouts for 2025 last August, but never formed a team. So it seems their youth program is nonexistent, or maybe a work in progress. I see they are having tryouts for youth teams, but as last year showed just having tryouts isn't enough.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VLC is actually owned by the Baltimore Crabs owner who is also controversial. But it's locally run, so unlikely that matters much in terms of a player's experience there. VLC has historically been one of the better teams in the area and recently has had better luck in the recruiting battles than anyone other than Madlax and Blackwolf in the immediate DC area. But the rising competitiveness of clubs like DCE, Next Level, and to a somewhat lesser extent, Cavs, has probably weakened VLC some. Increasingly, it looks like we are in an era where in instead of three clubs having virtually every college player (Madlax, BW, VLC), players are more spread out. For instance, I like a fair reading is that Madlax has the best 2019 team, Next Level probably has the best 2020 team, and DCE has the best 2021 team in the area (hard to compare BW since they don't play in the same leagues). That's not to say that VLC is a worse club to be at than they once were, just that players are spread over more clubs now than they once were, which is a good thing on the whole since there is now much choice, although DC area teams are more diluted.

In terms of tryouts, in general if you have a kid that is fast and very visibly a high level athlete, they tend to get a fair shake at tryouts. Its the players that aren't off-the-charts athletes, but are effective because of excellent stick skills, high lacrosse IQ, etc., that tryouts can be more of a mixed bag for. My anecdotal sense is that for those types of players, there is some randomness in the tryout process and they are generally better off if they get into a club system early.

Your post is accurate on several counts, but there are some errors. You said, "[VLC] recently has had better luck in the recruiting battles than anyone other than Madlax and Blackwolf in the immediate DC area. Although BW is declining (more on that later), generally speaking these three clubs are all comparable in terms of recruiting success. For example, our son's VLC team sent 25 kids to play in college. Depending on the year, sometimes it's VLC that has the better HS team, sometimes Madlax. I think VLC has sent well over 100 kids to college in just the past few years.

VLC's youth program has been weaker than their HS program, but they apparently are going younger and have had good success this year. The guys who run VLC have excellent reputations.

BW has fallen as I know their 2019 and 2020 teams aren't that great. A lot of people know about the owner's past, so that may have something to do with it. We were very happy with VLC and endorse them strongly.

VLC's youth program seems nonexistent to me? Their 2024 team played B league in HOCO. They had tryouts for 2025 last August, but never formed a team. So it seems their youth program is nonexistent, or maybe a work in progress. I see they are having tryouts for youth teams, but as last year showed just having tryouts isn't enough.

I know a family on their 2024 team. They didn't ask for the B league but were put their. They would have competed fine in the A league or maybe the bottom of the AA league. Their 23 team won the AA division.

Saw their flyer and they are going down to 28 this fall. Saying their youth program is nonexistent doesn't seem anywhere near accurate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VLC is actually owned by the Baltimore Crabs owner who is also controversial. But it's locally run, so unlikely that matters much in terms of a player's experience there. VLC has historically been one of the better teams in the area and recently has had better luck in the recruiting battles than anyone other than Madlax and Blackwolf in the immediate DC area. But the rising competitiveness of clubs like DCE, Next Level, and to a somewhat lesser extent, Cavs, has probably weakened VLC some. Increasingly, it looks like we are in an era where in instead of three clubs having virtually every college player (Madlax, BW, VLC), players are more spread out. For instance, I like a fair reading is that Madlax has the best 2019 team, Next Level probably has the best 2020 team, and DCE has the best 2021 team in the area (hard to compare BW since they don't play in the same leagues). That's not to say that VLC is a worse club to be at than they once were, just that players are spread over more clubs now than they once were, which is a good thing on the whole since there is now much choice, although DC area teams are more diluted.

In terms of tryouts, in general if you have a kid that is fast and very visibly a high level athlete, they tend to get a fair shake at tryouts. Its the players that aren't off-the-charts athletes, but are effective because of excellent stick skills, high lacrosse IQ, etc., that tryouts can be more of a mixed bag for. My anecdotal sense is that for those types of players, there is some randomness in the tryout process and they are generally better off if they get into a club system early.

Your post is accurate on several counts, but there are some errors. You said, "[VLC] recently has had better luck in the recruiting battles than anyone other than Madlax and Blackwolf in the immediate DC area. Although BW is declining (more on that later), generally speaking these three clubs are all comparable in terms of recruiting success. For example, our son's VLC team sent 25 kids to play in college. Depending on the year, sometimes it's VLC that has the better HS team, sometimes Madlax. I think VLC has sent well over 100 kids to college in just the past few years.

VLC's youth program has been weaker than their HS program, but they apparently are going younger and have had good success this year. The guys who run VLC have excellent reputations.

BW has fallen as I know their 2019 and 2020 teams aren't that great. A lot of people know about the owner's past, so that may have something to do with it. We were very happy with VLC and endorse them strongly.

VLC's youth program seems nonexistent to me? Their 2024 team played B league in HOCO. They had tryouts for 2025 last August, but never formed a team. So it seems their youth program is nonexistent, or maybe a work in progress. I see they are having tryouts for youth teams, but as last year showed just having tryouts isn't enough.

I know a family on their 2024 team. They didn't ask for the B league but were put their. They would have competed fine in the A league or maybe the bottom of the AA league. Their 23 team won the AA division.

Saw their flyer and they are going down to 28 this fall. Saying their youth program is nonexistent doesn't seem anywhere near accurate.

Do you know why a 2025 team was never formed even though they had tryouts last August? Was there not enough interest or could they not get the right coach? Not Trying to be critical, asking because I noticed they are having tryouts for younger ages as you mentioned and I’m not sure how stable their youth program is.

[Anonymous]

Don’t know anything about VLC youth try outs but do know that the relatively new head of the VLC youth program is a stand up guy and a great coach. I would expect them to make some real progress under his leadership.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don’t know anything about VLC youth try outs but do know that the relatively new head of the VLC youth program is a stand up guy and a great coach. I would expect them to make some real progress under his leadership.

He has been a VLC coach for several years. All 3 guys who runs VLC are standup guys.

[Anonymous]

VLC is much less of a money grab than Madlax and DCE. The coaches I've gotten to know all seem like good guys who know lacrosse and care about their charges. Although don't mistake niceness off the field for anything - these guys want to win and I'm still a bit surprised at the f-bombs thrown around at practice, and some of the public criticisms of players are stinging. But it all seems to work. The boys love their coaches. The parents love the program and don't feel fleeced. The teams always win more than they lose, get lots of looks at the tournaments, and place kids in college programs as good as anyone else in the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:VLC is much less of a money grab than Madlax and DCE. The coaches I've gotten to know all seem like good guys who know lacrosse and care about their charges. Although don't mistake niceness off the field for anything - these guys want to win and I'm still a bit surprised at the f-bombs thrown around at practice, and some of the public criticisms of players are stinging. But it all seems to work. The boys love their coaches. The parents love the program and don't feel fleeced. The teams always win more than they lose, get lots of looks at the tournaments, and place kids in college programs as good as anyone else in the country.

How much does it cost for each season and what do you get for it? I assume they have a Spring/HoCo season, and an Summer Tournament season. What else do they do in the Fall and Winter?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VLC is actually owned by the Baltimore Crabs owner who is also controversial. But it's locally run, so unlikely that matters much in terms of a player's experience there. VLC has historically been one of the better teams in the area and recently has had better luck in the recruiting battles than anyone other than Madlax and Blackwolf in the immediate DC area. But the rising competitiveness of clubs like DCE, Next Level, and to a somewhat lesser extent, Cavs, has probably weakened VLC some. Increasingly, it looks like we are in an era where in instead of three clubs having virtually every college player (Madlax, BW, VLC), players are more spread out. For instance, I like a fair reading is that Madlax has the best 2019 team, Next Level probably has the best 2020 team, and DCE has the best 2021 team in the area (hard to compare BW since they don't play in the same leagues). That's not to say that VLC is a worse club to be at than they once were, just that players are spread over more clubs now than they once were, which is a good thing on the whole since there is now much choice, although DC area teams are more diluted.

In terms of tryouts, in general if you have a kid that is fast and very visibly a high level athlete, they tend to get a fair shake at tryouts. Its the players that aren't off-the-charts athletes, but are effective because of excellent stick skills, high lacrosse IQ, etc., that tryouts can be more of a mixed bag for. My anecdotal sense is that for those types of players, there is some randomness in the tryout process and they are generally better off if they get into a club system early.

Your post is accurate on several counts, but there are some errors. You said, "[VLC] recently has had better luck in the recruiting battles than anyone other than Madlax and Blackwolf in the immediate DC area. Although BW is declining (more on that later), generally speaking these three clubs are all comparable in terms of recruiting success. For example, our son's VLC team sent 25 kids to play in college. Depending on the year, sometimes it's VLC that has the better HS team, sometimes Madlax. I think VLC has sent well over 100 kids to college in just the past few years.

VLC's youth program has been weaker than their HS program, but they apparently are going younger and have had good success this year. The guys who run VLC have excellent reputations.

BW has fallen as I know their 2019 and 2020 teams aren't that great. A lot of people know about the owner's past, so that may have something to do with it. We were very happy with VLC and endorse them strongly.

VLC's youth program seems nonexistent to me? Their 2024 team played B league in HOCO. They had tryouts for 2025 last August, but never formed a team. So it seems their youth program is nonexistent, or maybe a work in progress. I see they are having tryouts for youth teams, but as last year showed just having tryouts isn't enough.

I know a family on their 2024 team. They didn't ask for the B league but were put their. They would have competed fine in the A league or maybe the bottom of the AA league. Their 23 team won the AA division.

Saw their flyer and they are going down to 28 this fall. Saying their youth program is nonexistent doesn't seem anywhere near accurate.

Do you know why a 2025 team was never formed even though they had tryouts last August? Was there not enough interest or could they not get the right coach? Not Trying to be critical, asking because I noticed they are having tryouts for younger ages as you mentioned and I’m not sure how stable their youth program is.

VLC high school parent here. For a long time, VLC's youth program started at 7th grade, so it was just ok. Last year was the first year they went lower. I'm pretty sure they said they would have a 24 team and maybe a 25 team. Their 23 team is really good and the 24 is pretty good. I was told they had enough kids for a 25 team, but decided it wouldn't be good enough.

Like the other person said, the three guys running VLC are solid. I think their youth program is fine.

[Anonymous]

Increasingly slick marketing, increasly aggressive poaching, expanding base into outer suburbs, continued successful track record with college recruitment. These dudes are building up a national brand. Just hope they don’t get greedy like others.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Increasingly slick marketing, increasly aggressive poaching, expanding base into outer suburbs, continued successful track record with college recruitment. These dudes are building up a national brand. Just hope they don’t get greedy like others.

Nice try. Name one kid they've poached. Those guys don't do that.