Feedback on Capital tryouts

[Anonymous]

My argument is that if you wanted a fair look you should have been at a clinic. That is common sense. Just like optional summer workouts for Fall sports in high school. You want to be on the radar. If you don’t get that then you don’t want it bad enough.

[Anonymous]

How many girls in the DMV actually have the talent to be consider for one of the 20 spots on CLC Blue?

More than likely, 10 of the spots are just obvious. And there are maybe 20-30 girls competing for the remaining 10 spots.

I honestly don’t think it’s that complicated. It’s a running sport and I suspect that the sprints immediately screen out half the girls or even more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who cares who beat who. College coaches honestly don’t care about scores. They want to see a competitive match. At the end of the day if one player from Capital or Pride ends up at the same school as a lower club player, what’s the difference.

But coaches do care if you play on a good team which is determined by wins and losses. Lose a lot and the team will be playing lower, less competitive teams and hence less college-coach interest.

The facts don’t support this.

Look at the 2023 M&D Black team. #3 in the country. Great winning record - far better than Capital Blue 2023.

M&D23 has more uncommitted players than CapBlue23. They also have players committed to schools where CapOrange23 players are going. Great schools - congrats to all. But if a winning record meant everything, M&D’s recruiting should have dominated. All of their players should have gone to top lax or academic schools. Yet CapBlue23 did as well (arguably better in some respects, depending on how you look at it).

If Capital was getting routinely destroyed by MD or NY teams then I would absolutely agree with you. This would result in being pushed to a lower bracket, which would be bad for the team, the players, their recruiting prospects, and the club.

But people have posted Capital scores against the top 10 teams and they are usually pretty close. Rarely any total crushing wins. Such losses aren’t enough to get knocked down to lower divisions.

Coaches want standout players. If your DD is playing on a competitive team in the right tournaments against the best teams, and shines at the right moment when the coaches are looking, that’s what counts. They also need to be on a club that will give them ample time on the field to make those plays given how short tourney games are.

Being competitive, not win / loss records, is what matters.

[Anonymous]

^A lot of recruiting is moving to HS. At the very least, HS grades and test scores are very important for girls lacrosse recruitment at the top schools, which are also the most competitive in lacrosse. Keep in mind that it’s not a revenue sport. The colleges want to be competitive but also maintain admission standards.

A lot of M&D girls go to top privates like McDonough, Gilman, St Paul’s and Glenelg Country School, so I’m not sure what the issue is. But I suspect that a lot of poor recruiting outcomes come down to poor HS grades.

[Anonymous]

Yes It’s the grades!!
Lacrosse is not mens basketball. It does not bring in money.
My daughter is at a VA private with a top notch lax program and trust me - even the best lacrosse players can end up at mediocre schools with their mediocre grades.
Those that get into strong academic schools have pretty good grades. Not what they would need to get in without lacrosse, of course, but not that far off actually.
Any good recruiting person at these clubs is honest about this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Who cares who beat who. College coaches honestly don’t care about scores. They want to see a competitive match. At the end of the day if one player from Capital or Pride ends up at the same school as a lower club player, what’s the difference.

But coaches do care if you play on a good team which is determined by wins and losses. Lose a lot and the team will be playing lower, less competitive teams and hence less college-coach interest.

The facts don’t support this.

Look at the 2023 M&D Black team. #3 in the country. Great winning record - far better than Capital Blue 2023.

M&D23 has more uncommitted players than CapBlue23. They also have players committed to schools where CapOrange23 players are going. Great schools - congrats to all. But if a winning record meant everything, M&D’s recruiting should have dominated. All of their players should have gone to top lax or academic schools. Yet CapBlue23 did as well (arguably better in some respects, depending on how you look at it).

If Capital was getting routinely destroyed by MD or NY teams then I would absolutely agree with you. This would result in being pushed to a lower bracket, which would be bad for the team, the players, their recruiting prospects, and the club.

But people have posted Capital scores against the top 10 teams and they are usually pretty close. Rarely any total crushing wins. Such losses aren’t enough to get knocked down to lower divisions.

Coaches want standout players. If your DD is playing on a competitive team in the right tournaments against the best teams, and shines at the right moment when the coaches are looking, that’s what counts. They also need to be on a club that will give them ample time on the field to make those plays given how short tourney games are.

Being competitive, not win / loss records, is what matters.

Being competitive is more important than W/Ls, but when it comes to recruiting it isn’t enough. The club, players and parents have to be well prepared. Since you brought up the 2023s use Capital vs Pride as the example. Both teams are competitive in the top brackets, suggesting they both have strong talent. If you look at their recruiting results they are much different. Capital players committed early on/after September 1. Pride did not have any commits. The talent was there, the team was competitive against the best teams, but the club lacked preparation and a plan. Capital was well prepared and executed personalized plans that started well in advance of September 1. In recruiting you need a plan that starts well in advance of tournaments. You want to play in the right tournaments against the best teams, you want to let coaches know to look for you at these tournaments, and you need to validate for these coaches what you can do in these games for coaches. This means the club, coach and players need to all be in sync with a plan. Based on results it would appear Capital executed plans for players extremely well. It looks like Pride players are making inroads with commitments, but it’s taken much longer. Being competitive is important, but this class seems to suggest having a well thought out plan in advance of commitment day is most important.

[Anonymous]

^^ Very good thoughts here, too. I don’t know if having a plan is the most important aspect, but all of it plays a role in recruiting success. I was responding only to the PP’s point regarding the importance of winning percentage vis a vis recruiting. But yes, absolutely, having a plan matters. Managing expectations and targeting the right schools matters. Grades matter. Being invited to the right tournaments matters. A club with a well established recruiting history matters. A club with a hard working / well connected recruiting director matters. Performing well in tournaments matters. Having the right club leadership to guide you matters.

The point I was making is that a team’s overall winning record doesn’t matter as long as they show competitive results against the top teams.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many girls in the DMV actually have the talent to be consider for one of the 20 spots on CLC Blue?

More than likely, 10 of the spots are just obvious. And there are maybe 20-30 girls competing for the remaining 10 spots.

I honestly don’t think it’s that complicated. It’s a running sport and I suspect that the sprints immediately screen out half the girls or even more.

Agreed. I think speed and stick skills quickly identify who are the top contenders. There might be a few who get slotted for Orange who should be on Blue, but highly unlikely a girl with blue talent does not make the team.

[Anonymous]

A "realistic" plan is key. To understand how competitive this really is, here is a general example of the landscape: There were about 75 girls 2024 teams at Lax for the Cure alone. That's easily over 1500 total girls. 1500 girls that have many/most of the top 20 D1 schools on their "target" lists. On average, 7-8 girls per recruiting class works out to @150 girls for the top 20 teams. That's 10 girls for every 1 spot at Lax for the Cure alone. College coaches will show general interest to dozens of girls each year before narrowing things down. Is your daughter that good? Is she one the best on the field (and in the classroom)?? If not, you better have a plan B....and plan C and so on (or even a different Plan A). E.G., Go further down the D1 ranking list, target D3, play club, don't play in college, etc. All of those are great avenues. The process is very tough on the girls with dreams of playing in college (and the parents). Certainly shoot for those dreams, just have a plan in place as reality bites - because it most certainly will.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How many girls in the DMV actually have the talent to be consider for one of the 20 spots on CLC Blue?

More than likely, 10 of the spots are just obvious. And there are maybe 20-30 girls competing for the remaining 10 spots.

I honestly don’t think it’s that complicated. It’s a running sport and I suspect that the sprints immediately screen out half the girls or even more.

Exactly. They did the sprints within the first hour at the Capital tryout and likely crossed off a bunch of girls right there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A "realistic" plan is key. To understand how competitive this really is, here is a general example of the landscape: There were about 75 girls 2024 teams at Lax for the Cure alone. That's easily over 1500 total girls. 1500 girls that have many/most of the top 20 D1 schools on their "target" lists. On average, 7-8 girls per recruiting class works out to @150 girls for the top 20 teams. That's 10 girls for every 1 spot at Lax for the Cure alone. College coaches will show general interest to dozens of girls each year before narrowing things down. Is your daughter that good? Is she one the best on the field (and in the classroom)?? If not, you better have a plan B....and plan C and so on (or even a different Plan A). E.G., Go further down the D1 ranking list, target D3, play club, don't play in college, etc. All of those are great avenues. The process is very tough on the girls with dreams of playing in college (and the parents). Certainly shoot for those dreams, just have a plan in place as reality bites - because it most certainly will.

Strongly agree. But this is all less about the club and more about the player/parent involvement and commitment to their plans. But as referenced above plans have to be nimble. All the little girls want BC, UNC, Northwestern, etc. But with at most only 24-27 spots in total for those teams assuming limited 5th years and limited redshirts, there will be many disappointed kids. The game is numbers and figuring out where you can reasonably fit, assuming you still want to do this in college because this is a job for them. At the end of the day, the families have to individually decide how important lacrosse is for them, and what is the realistic likelihood that little Susie or little Johnny will ever play meaningful time. Once they cross that bridge, you are left with your basic college questions, like big school v small school, urban v rural, etc. Clubs are a platform and they definitely matter but they aren't a death blow to the kids who don't make M&D Black or Capital Blue. Its simply a different path and you have to adapt your plan. Similarly, you may want an Ivy or a NESCAC, but anything below a B+ takes them off the list without a really good explanation - and you can make the same argument for anything below an A-. Be flexible in your plans. Try to enjoy the journey because in all likelihood your child's best lacrosse is over after high school. Fact. So don't make them or you miserable trying to force them into being the person or player that they aren't. There are more than 120 D1 programs for girls and more than 70 D1 programs for boys, and hundreds more when you sweep in college clubs which do offer money, as well as D2 and D3. Just relax - 6 weeks until September 1.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many girls in the DMV actually have the talent to be consider for one of the 20 spots on CLC Blue?

More than likely, 10 of the spots are just obvious. And there are maybe 20-30 girls competing for the remaining 10 spots.

I honestly don’t think it’s that complicated. It’s a running sport and I suspect that the sprints immediately screen out half the girls or even more.

Exactly. They did the sprints within the first hour at the Capital tryout and likely crossed off a bunch of girls right there.

Its a hard truth to take for some but that's just the nature of the game and reality. Speed is a huge factor and sets the elite/top players from a lot of "good" lacrosse players. As you and others all know/said, as you move up the ladder or pyramid, the pool of top players continues to shrink. Athletes with speed will give the edge to stand out among a crowd etc. Just the reality of playing at the highest levels. It's ok not to be there as there are lots of places and levels for kids to continue to play.

To the earlier poster above, I'd agree that outside of the top players from Pride/Stars/BLC, you are talking about maybe 10 spots with 20 top outside girls that can contend. Everyone wants or thinks they can make Capital Blue and there's nothing wrong with that, but reality is the pool is actually pretty small.

[Anonymous]

I'd like to know how many girls outside of Pride and Stars made Capital Blue...? BINGO

[Anonymous]

it was NOT a tryout. Did anyone outside of Stars or Pride make CLC Blue? there had to be 1 goalie from each team for political reasons. Same with the players. Come on people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How many girls in the DMV actually have the talent to be consider for one of the 20 spots on CLC Blue?

More than likely, 10 of the spots are just obvious. And there are maybe 20-30 girls competing for the remaining 10 spots.

I honestly don’t think it’s that complicated. It’s a running sport and I suspect that the sprints immediately screen out half the girls or even more.

Exactly. They did the sprints within the first hour at the Capital tryout and likely crossed off a bunch of girls right there.

Its a hard truth to take for some but that's just the nature of the game and reality. Speed is a huge factor and sets the elite/top players from a lot of "good" lacrosse players. As you and others all know/said, as you move up the ladder or pyramid, the pool of top players continues to shrink. Athletes with speed will give the edge to stand out among a crowd etc. Just the reality of playing at the highest levels. It's ok not to be there as there are lots of places and levels for kids to continue to play.

To the earlier poster above, I'd agree that outside of the top players from Pride/Stars/BLC, you are talking about maybe 10 spots with 20 top outside girls that can contend. Everyone wants or thinks they can make Capital Blue and there's nothing wrong with that, but reality is the pool is actually pretty small.

Agree with actually having the talent to make the team. I posted earlier that my DD was at the tryouts but didn't make the team. Is she upset? Was a little. Am I upset? I want my daughter to be happy but to be completely honest, I knew (and DD did too) that she didn't have the top talent of the other top girls. She just doesn't have the speed A million sessions with Gussie wouldn't change that. It is what it is and it's fine. She'll find another home.

I will be interested if any BLC 26 kids made Capital - either Blue or Orange.