+1
Excellent observation.

Anonymous wrote:Aren't players developed by high school coaches (private schools predominantly) who have them for 3 straight months every year with dedicated coaches, playing games with stop/start vs running time. Clubs without a track record of fielding youth teams like VLC can only collect players as they don't have the time, organization or the coaching to really develop them. VLC will tell families it is on their player to get recruited. Time will tell how recruiting fares for DMV teams.

The kids that get recruited to D1 ivy or top academic schools is more correlated to private schools and not the club. Very few public school kids get into the top schools. My opinion is that the ivy schools don’t think public school kids are academically ready. Two, if you are coming from private school most likely pay full tuition. Madlax and DCE don’t have a special ability to get kids recruited, it is really a function of how many private school kids are on the team.

Aren't players developed by high school coaches (private schools predominantly) who have them for 3 straight months every year with dedicated coaches, playing games with stop/start vs running time. Clubs without a track record of fielding youth teams like VLC can only collect players as they don't have the time, organization or the coaching to really develop them. VLC will tell families it is on their player to get recruited. Time will tell how recruiting fares for DMV teams.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most VLC kids attend public schools

It's a mix at older ages. There are SJC, PVI, STA, Potomac School, and GZ kids on 22 and 23 teams.

Perhaps. But Madlax and NL have the monopoly on private school kids VLC is looking westward and PVI notwithstanding, is relying on the public school yokels to make its mark. Okay if you're good with CNU or Mary Washington but for the UMC, it's Ivy, lower D1 or NESCAC and VLC just can't deliver. sorry, they're good dudes, but Cabell and the NL bros run laps around them.

This is just wrong. VLC sends kids to every type of school (Ivy, NESCAC, ACC, BigEast, Big10, etc.). Looks like they have been doing it for awhile too. Check the facts: https://crabslax.com/AlumniVLC.aspx

[youtube]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most VLC kids attend public schools

It's a mix at older ages. There are SJC, PVI, STA, Potomac School, and GZ kids on 22 and 23 teams.

Perhaps. But Madlax and NL have the monopoly on private school kids VLC is looking westward and PVI notwithstanding, is relying on the public school yokels to make its mark. Okay if you're good with CNU or Mary Washington but for the UMC, it's Ivy, lower D1 or NESCAC and VLC just can't deliver. sorry, they're good dudes, but Cabell and the NL bros run laps around them.

Actually, Middlebury’s top defensive recruit in the 2021 class was a VLC kid. I guess some slip through the cracks

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Most VLC kids attend public schools

It's a mix at older ages. There are SJC, PVI, STA, Potomac School, and GZ kids on 22 and 23 teams.

Perhaps. But Madlax and NL have the monopoly on private school kids VLC is looking westward and PVI notwithstanding, is relying on the public school yokels to make its mark. Okay if you're good with CNU or Mary Washington but for the UMC, it's Ivy, lower D1 or NESCAC and VLC just can't deliver. sorry, they're good dudes, but Cabell and the NL bros run laps around them.

Currently the 2025 team is improving. The definition of "great" to me is more than the W/L record. Its the ability to compete.

Since, what I would consider, the "bottom" last summer. The team has improved and continues to improve. Some of the top players as competitive on the Black Ops team. I know other could make it as well but spots are obviously limited and a lot of competition for those spots.

However, I would look at current HoCo season. In a great AAA division they are not winning but they are competitive. I would rather compete and be in close games that being in a lower division and just winning every week.

Is the 2025 the most elite team in the DMV. No. Are the better than the DOZENS of other teams that make up the HoCo league this year in A, AA, etc. divisions...YES. So that means they are a higher tier team...maybe not top one percent but certainly top 25%.

Team has had tumult. Had players leave, and believe me there are a couple that are NOT happy with where they landed., they may not ever admit it but leaving VLC was not a good move for their kid.

The kids who are playing and competing make up a great group of families and young men. They are 14 year olds. Tons of runway left. Club will support and help develop those who want it. Again, you don't like it, leave..tons of kids are cut each season, they would LOVE the opportunity to play on a top tier team. You want to go..leave..no one cares. You go ahead and push reset on your son (again and again)..he's not elite..he's not the best player on the team, he is not going to play at Notre Dame...you forget how excited you were the day you got the invite to play. Grass is not greener..we've got young men from other clubs where VLC has been a great switch, ask them , they will tell you.

You got a better chance of Coach Corrigan coming to VLC games to scout versus that B team Baltimore club you so desparatley want to be a part of.

Guess what...no one on your Instagram page knows the difference between the Hawks, Team 91, or Mad Lax All stars. Good luck.

there is no doubt 2023s and 2024s have been well coached!!! (the 2021, 2022s records go unmentioned) - old 24 coach he was demanding kids to move ball nd play faster since 7 grade. z you;ve gone missing since the "trust the process" talk given to 25 parents a few years ago.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VLC 2025 will get better, will attract better talent.

You want to quit and leave? The grass is not greener.

Leave if you want, you are toxic and not wanted. Great team, great coaches, great organization. Perhaps the problem isn't the team and club. Perhaps, it is you and your attitude. Be part of the solution, otherwise take your toxic ball and go home .

You’re talking to the wrong person. Can’t quit if I’m not on it. Objectively, it is not a great team. That’s just a fact. Record at tournaments is mediocre, record in HoCo is subpar (and not for the first year, either). This clearly indicates the coaching isn’t great, and evidently the organization isn’t doing anything about it. This has nothing at all to do with my attitude. W-L results don’t lie. I look forward to you laxsplaining how the team is actually really great despite its dismal record though. But that still won’t change the facts.

in 2019 the 2023 team went 7-0 in HoCo and the 2024 team did the same....I guess you are right, terrible program and coaching.

At Autumn Gold, 2024 beat FCA MD 10-0; Beat True MN 7-5, Lost to Old Bay 7-5.
At B'More Fall Classic 2024 lost to Crabs 3-6, lost to Mad Dog 4-5, lost to haws 6-7.

Yeah that is terrible. Close games are the sign of quality teams and a few breaks/face offs going one way or another...2024s currently ranked #22 on usclublax.

At Autumn Gold 2023 beat Chaos 18-0, Team 24/7 4-3, API 13-3
At B'more Fall Classic Beat NL Blue 9-5, NJ Riot Chaso 7-3, Lost to Looneys 3-8, Beat Richmond Hawks 8-7, Lost to West Coast Starz Gold 4-7.

Again so terrible, you are right. And also ranked #20.

So clearly the process doesn't work. If you look at the 2023 and 2024 teams prior to high school, they had times of struggle as well and as they got to high school things started to elevate. Give the 2025s a chance to follow suit.

pp isn't wrong but nobody wants to hear it, least of all the vlc operations, coaches, parents - if vlc wanted to make changes they would already done it. this is the directors, coaches second and most often third job and more often than not its a no show or no work appearance. PP, you are wasting your time debating apathy, move onto oconnell and wsyl - "how you do one thing is how you do everything". Move on, there's nothing to see here...

We get it. You don't like VLC. Move on.

Please seek help. You're too invested in a team that your son is not on.

Anonymous wrote:VLC 2025 will get better, will attract better talent.

You want to quit and leave? The grass is not greener.

Leave if you want, you are toxic and not wanted. Great team, great coaches, great organization. Perhaps the problem isn't the team and club. Perhaps, it is you and your attitude. Be part of the solution, otherwise take your toxic ball and go home .

You’re talking to the wrong person. Can’t quit if I’m not on it. Objectively, it is not a great team. That’s just a fact. Record at tournaments is mediocre, record in HoCo is subpar (and not for the first year, either). This clearly indicates the coaching isn’t great, and evidently the organization isn’t doing anything about it. This has nothing at all to do with my attitude. W-L results don’t lie. I look forward to you laxsplaining how the team is actually really great despite its dismal record though. But that still won’t change the facts.

Does anyone know why VLC doesn't have younger teams? I assume it's not for a lack of players, as I just saw that ML is opening ML ODU to service Loudoun, Prince William, Fraquier, Stafford, ect. Cavs seems to have talented younger teams, but haven't seen many kids stay through HS, guessing the 24/25/26 teams will be a good bellwether.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not PP. Since about 2013, there is never ending outrage against a DC area club about angry quitter emails and cheating in games with overage players and taunting youth players through social media and other stuff. All by posters who don't have kids with that program and will never be associated with that program. Who cares why folks care? Lacrosse folks are passionate.

Well when that program runs tourneys and behave like they've behaved, it does concern us, and that's why we're not attending those tourneys anymore.

stop complaining and just compete!!!!! Results speak for themselves. Show up and play the game and see how it goes or just keep running your club to another tourney to make johnny feel better. it is a game and oh my kid is on age and legit!

Or just keep cheating to make Johnny feel better. The kids know what's going on. How do they feel to know their coaches have to cheat so they can win? Trust me, it's not "better."