Anonymous wrote:Younger age groups in NoVa just seem bad right now..especially in the 24-26 ages. I think it will take some time for VLC, MadLax, and Top Caliber families/kids to figure out if they are where they need to be.
The MadLax Capital team seems to be doing "ok"..the rest are pounding on each other and playing in "B" leagues to pad their wins..maybe normal, but I figure it just doesn't matter what these younger kids are doing until they hit middle school at least. Too bad a lot of folks are just flushing cash..
VLC is moving out to Loudoun County to be near their PVI connection so that might shift the NoVA landscape a bit for these programs and Top Caliber is alledgedly dancing with the St. James..a la STARS on the girls side...every year something different. The new Dominion offering looks intriguing for boys too. Almost wish there were less offerings and the top boys would all end up in the same places!
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:How do you know the younger teams aren't talented, they've been around for about a week total. If they even formed for all age groups.
By younger teams I am referring to the 2022 and 2023 teams. They have a 2-3 top level players on the 22 team after that they have not attracted the same level of talent they did in the past. This is due to the rise of Next Level and DCE along with DC Dogs at the '23 level. These teams have a lot of IAC and WCAC players that used to go to Black Wolf. The current Blackwolf '22 and '23 teams are not getting these players. I think trying to get a '25 and '26 team was a result of knowing the talent in not heading to BW.
That Next Level '22 team is losing kids by the year. It was bad this Summer and looks even worse now. DCE and MadLax seem to be dominating DC for '22s. Seems like a bunch of kids are forgoing club altogether too.
Are they still playing for their high schools and/or thinking about playing in college? When I look at our club's college placement lately I wonder if we shouldn't encourage DC (middle schooler) to pursue something else that will either help DC with college placement in a more general sense and/or be an actual useful skill for the future.
Anonymous wrote:With rise of Next Level and DC Express high school programs, MadLax and Blackwolf teams (younger than '20) are not as strong. This summer, it looked like Blackwolf did not participate in high profile summer tournaments like Crabfeast or Naptown, they appear to only do Baltimore Summer Kickoff sessions.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:How do you know the younger teams aren't talented, they've been around for about a week total. If they even formed for all age groups.
By younger teams I am referring to the 2022 and 2023 teams. They have a 2-3 top level players on the 22 team after that they have not attracted the same level of talent they did in the past. This is due to the rise of Next Level and DCE along with DC Dogs at the '23 level. These teams have a lot of IAC and WCAC players that used to go to Black Wolf. The current Blackwolf '22 and '23 teams are not getting these players. I think trying to get a '25 and '26 team was a result of knowing the talent in not heading to BW.
That Next Level '22 team is losing kids by the year. It was bad this Summer and looks even worse now. DCE and MadLax seem to be dominating DC for '22s. Seems like a bunch of kids are forgoing club altogether too.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:How do you know the younger teams aren't talented, they've been around for about a week total. If they even formed for all age groups.
By younger teams I am referring to the 2022 and 2023 teams. They have a 2-3 top level players on the 22 team after that they have not attracted the same level of talent they did in the past. This is due to the rise of Next Level and DCE along with DC Dogs at the '23 level. These teams have a lot of IAC and WCAC players that used to go to Black Wolf. The current Blackwolf '22 and '23 teams are not getting these players. I think trying to get a '25 and '26 team was a result of knowing the talent in not heading to BW.
Anonymous wrote:How do you know the younger teams aren't talented, they've been around for about a week total. If they even formed for all age groups.