Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Are the kids promised a chance to move up? Is it implied?

From what I hear, it is implied. Along the lines of "if you work hard enough". But somehow junior has neeeeeever quite worked hard enough. But keep trying, junior, keep trying!

Agree. But I don’t think this solely is a ML thing. All clubs need that B team for revenue purposes.

Not all. VLC has one team per grade, and one of its talking points is "we care about the players, not the profits." (Hmm, I wonder who that is directed at?) The VLC model assumes that second teams are a rip off and dilute the overall quality of the product in terms of coaching, field space, competition, etc. This is especially so in the fall, where MadLax has large groups of players shuttling between the Capital and DMV teams.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Generally speaking, (1) the other three programs you mention treat families more respectfully than MadLax when it comes to making A vs. B cuts, (2) neither of the trade off choices you mention are ideal, ie, being on an A team but getting no playing time, or being on a B team with poor coaching; (3) you should try to find a program where your son will be on the top team, AND get ample playing time

More respectfully how? Do they give more weight to a kid who is already on the A team so they don't cut as many kids who have a history with the club? Or are ML coaches just more cold/a-holeish about cuts than coaches at other teams?

Anonymous wrote:Generally speaking, (1) the other three programs you mention treat families more respectfully than MadLax when it comes to making A vs. B cuts, (2) neither of the trade off choices you mention are ideal, ie, being on an A team but getting no playing time, or being on a B team with poor coaching; (3) you should try to find a program where your son will be on the top team, AND get ample playing time

Anonymous wrote:Generally speaking, (1) the other three programs you mention treat families more respectfully than MadLax when it comes to making A vs. B cuts, (2) neither of the trade off choices you mention are ideal, ie, being on an A team but getting no playing time, or being on a B team with poor coaching; (3) you should try to find a program where your son will be on the top team, AND get ample playing time

Anonymous wrote:DCE is the place to be.

Anonymous wrote:No, you are not kidding yourself. If your son is relatively new and a natural athlete, of course he will surpass the average athletes who have been playing longer.

But here is the bigger issue that families need to understand about MadLax. Many kids go into the program in the early grades (5th grade and lower) because their families have the money and think is the cool place to be in the lacrosse world. The teams usually win and the boys feel like stars. The boys form friendships with their teammates, and the parents form bonds too. But in grades 6 to 8, new players come in from all over the region and all over the country (literally), plus kids reclass by repeating a year in school. The effect is that the bottom 1/3 to 1/2 of the Capital roster gets pushed off the team in those grades. There usually is not very good bedside manner when boys are cut. It is great business for MadLax and builds strong teams, but is absolutely gut wrenching for the boys. It hurts their self esteem not only in lacrosse, but in life generally, because for boys that age sports is a huge part of their self image. And they feel ashamed and rejected by their friends remaining on the Capital team. Once you have been on Capital for several years, being on DMV is a humiliation for the boys and a waste of money for parents. (MadLax level prices, for coaching and competition barely better than rec). So my advice to families in grades 5 or below is that before joining MadLax, you need to assess realistically how athletic your son is and whether he will hold onto his roster spot when the influx of stud players begins. if the answer is no, then don't get mixed up in MadLax, because it will end really badly for your son. Plenty of other good options in the area.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Are the kids promised a chance to move up? Is it implied?

From what I hear, it is implied. Along the lines of "if you work hard enough". But somehow junior has neeeeeever quite worked hard enough. But keep trying, junior, keep trying!

Agree. But I don’t think this solely is a ML thing. All clubs need that B team for revenue purposes.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Are the kids promised a chance to move up? Is it implied?

From what I hear, it is implied. Along the lines of "if you work hard enough". But somehow junior has neeeeeever quite worked hard enough. But keep trying, junior, keep trying!

Agree. But I don’t think this solely is a ML thing. All clubs need that B team for revenue purposes.

Anonymous wrote:

Are the kids promised a chance to move up? Is it implied?

From what I hear, it is implied. Along the lines of "if you work hard enough". But somehow junior has neeeeeever quite worked hard enough. But keep trying, junior, keep trying!

Anonymous wrote:Over-promising spots on the Capital teams is the MadLax business model. It has been profitable for the last 25 years, and will probably continue for another 50 if Cabell chooses to transition the business to his sons.

Here are the profiles of players who will have a good experience in MadLax:

(1) An exceptionally good player, due to his natural ability, size, and/or reclass status, who is in the top 7-10 players on the Capital roster and untouchable as new players come in, and whose family is able and willing to pay for private skills coaching, outside of MadLax, to teach fundamentals;

(2) A casual, fun player who is happy to be a permanent DMV player and play in mid-level tournaments and HoCo divisions, and wear the MadLax jersey.

There are plenty of players in both categories who are having a good experience in MadLax, including my son. But if your son falls anywhere between these two profiles, you are paying a ton of money for an experience that will be more bad than good, and in many cases will end in extreme disappointment and frustration.