6th grade Lacrosse competitive

[Anonymous]

With all changes/growth in girls clubs, we are wondering where our rising sixth grader should try out to increase her chances of having the most competitive experience and increase chance of playing at college levell?

[Anonymous]

Find a club where they get lots of playing time and not sit on a bench. Some parents have kids play for top clubs but kids never see the field......smh.

[Anonymous]

She is already at a bit of a disadvantage if she is not already playing club. I would make an effort to get her to some winter clinics, a strong rec league for spring, and then a camp or two in summer before tryouts.

[Anonymous]

The PP gave good advice.

[Anonymous]

Stars 2025, which is 6th grade, couldn’t beat a rec team from Spain

[Anonymous]

You want to check out what the club requirements are. Some clubs are more relaxed and kids can do other activities, including other sports. Some clubs are more intense and your kid needs to be all about lacrosse.

Check roster sizes. You want your DD to get lots of playing time.
How is coach stability?
Where do they play and practice? If kids are required to make practice, and practice is 45 minutes away from your kid's school, are you going to have trouble making afternoon practices?
What about position coaches? Your kid needs to be getting good coaching at all times if this is a long-term plan for her. For kids that are playing for fun, it doesn't matter if they develop some sloppy skills if their team lacks the ability to coach that specifically. For a kid with long-term plans, you don't want her to develop those bad habits.
Are kids you know on the club? What clubs do kids your DD likes play on? You're going to be spending a lot of time with these families, it helps to like them!

If your kid isn't already on a club team with a good shot at staying on it, I'd recommend you do your research and make your big list of all the clubs you'd consider. Then prioritize them. Plan on attending as many try outs, highest priority first, as you can. I know a lot of great players who didn't make their dream teams because competition can be strong. If your kid already has a spot and you're just looking for a better challenge, go watch some games/practices. See how the coaches coach, how the kids are doing, whether you can see your kid growing on that team.

Make sure this is your daughter's dream and not yours. My DD dropped club lacrosse in HS. She has a lot of friends who also dropped it, many of whom aren't even playing on their HS teams because it's not fun anymore. These are kids who lived and breathed lacrosse when they were little. The club grind can be brutal for some kids. She also has a lot of friends who still play, and are making plans to play in college. So it can work out, but it has to be on the kid's terms.

[Anonymous]

I'm a Pride Parent and very happy with the Club. The comment about the Stars 2026 Team by the PP is ridiculous and demeaning. Please ignore them. Find a club that works for your family - good coaches, consistent training, nice girls that are friendly and welcoming to your daughter, supportive parents and an easy commute. Travel can be a lot of fun and a great social outlet for your daughter, especially in middle school when friendships shift. At the younger ages, the focus should be on stick skills and growing her love of the game.

[Anonymous]

Sorry, I meant the Stars 2025 comment

[Anonymous]

The PP had good advice about getting the right fit. Realize that at the younger ages finding a right fit is the most important as they develop skills. Be less concerned about A or B teams than finding the right fit.

A quick look through Tourney Machine shows that Stars 2025 Black team (their “B” team) already has head-to-head wins against 2025 Pride White (their “B” team) and Pride Loudon 2025 Red (their supposed 2nd “A” team). So I don’t know if that was a Pride Parent or not making that comment, but they don’t appear to have the facts behind any blanket statements.

So, the lesson here is that any who comes on here and posts blanket messages about clubs or teams, probably does not know what they are talking about or has an axe to grind and shouldn’t be trusted.

[Anonymous]

Stars Blue 25 lost 16-1 this Fall. Enough said

[Anonymous]

First, ignore the village idiot that seems to be obsessed with how some 12-year old girls did in one game with 2025 Stars Blue. Any smart parent who has had kids know that the transitive properties of 12-year olds from game to game is an inconsistent thing.

Both Stars and Pride are great clubs, but there are other options around here too depending on where you are.

The other posters had good advice. Find the right team for you, find a place she will have fun and get to play and develop AND learn to love the game of lacrosse. At her age, focus less on A teams or B teams and more on getting better.

There are plenty of great clinics and camps around where she can build skills outside of a club too.

[Anonymous]

I disagree with the suggestion of joining the Baltimore teams. That's a big commitment for an elementary or middle school kid, it limits opportunities to do other activities and will impact her friend circles. If your HS kid wants to play in college and you don't like the local options, then by all means, head North, because the Baltimore teams are definitely stronger. But, I don't think it's necessary as plenty of girls play for local clubs and get recruited to great schools.

[Anonymous]

As someone who has a daughter who has played on a local team and a Baltimore team, I would suggest not going to Baltimore until 8th grade at the earliest. Spring league practices during the week are draining. If the player is good enough they will get picked up by a team in 8th or 9th grade.

[Anonymous]

Except for the nutty person ranting against Stars, this is by far the most rational string on lacrosse I have ever seen. Good to know there are still normal parents out there that just like seeing their kids happy and thriving.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:As someone who has a daughter who has played on a local team and a Baltimore team, I would suggest not going to Baltimore until 8th grade at the earliest. Spring league practices during the week are draining. If the player is good enough they will get picked up by a team in 8th or 9th grade.

This, Baltimore clubs have spring practice two to three times a week during the school week, usually scheduled to start between 5 and 6 pm, until the teams reach high school.

That said, the converse to this is some of the better Baltimore Clubs stop having open tryouts (they may still consider a girl in a private tryout if they have an opening) once their teams get to high school— for example, M&D’s last open tryout is the summer before the team starts high school, and TLC’s last open tryout is the summer before eighth grade. Skywalkers and Coppermine continue to have open tryouts through high school, good if you make the team, bad if you get cut mid-high school.

Personally, I’d try to find a DMV option you like, for all the fuss about Capitals, they have a very good track record with respect to recruiting.