You are cherry picking. DCE 2021 is very good because of all the holdbacks, and NL 2020 is very good. But beyond those respective teams, those clubs do not compare to VLC or Madlax.

Both Madlax and VLC have much longer, successful track records when it comes to recruiting. DCE and NL may get there, but they are nowhere near the same tier presently.

The suggestion that Mad Lax and VLC are the only clubs that get college attention is outdated. NL 2020 has commits to Harvard, Michigan (2), Georgetown, Lehigh, and Richmond already and there will be several more once people make decisions on that team. This as or more impressive than Mad lax or VLC's 2020 class. DCE will have the best set of 2021 recruits once signing for that class starts next fall. Mad Lax's 2022s will probably do best for that year. And VLC will do well also for many of these years as well. So if you are good, you can play D1 from any of these clubs. Any suggestion that Mad Lax and VLC have some special sauce is wrong. Mad Lax and VLC typically have very good players and thus do well most years on the college circuit. But if those same players played for DCE or NL the result would be roughly the same as the NL 2020 and DCE 2021 classes have and will show. It's arguable that Mad Lax and have VLC slightly better exposure via NLF, but other than that these teams all play in basically the same tournaments in front of the same college coaches.

Anonymous wrote:We live in DC.

If your son’s goal is to get recruited by the colleges, trek across the river to Madlax (yes, I know all about the bad press) or VLC. If your goal is to develop skills and one day start on varsity, go to Next Level. Good program and STA Coach Heeter is a Director there.

Anonymous wrote:We live in DC.

Definitely look at Nl first. Their facility and field is just over the DC line in Bethesda. Then look at blc because it is on the md side of the river.

Anonymous wrote:When my son played a few years ago, there were 7 STA players (including the future star Yale goalie) who played for VLC. Only one of those players lived in VA. The travel to practices was a pain, but worth it. There were really no serious club options in DC or MD unless you were willing to drive to Baltimore to play for the Crabs. With the rise of Next Level and DCE on the MD side, only a handful of current varsity players play for VLC (2 seniors and the younger brother of a recent graduate/VLC player). So the VLC-STA connection is definitely depleted. You can see the dramatic shift just by perusing the roster of the 2021 NL team. I like VLC, but I definitely think the recent success of the Bulldog lacrosse team has alot to do with the NL-STA connection.

Yes the sale of NL to the Mitchell's changed the focus of the club towards teams. It also kept a lot of players from inside the beltway from looking elsewhere.

We live in DC.

Anonymous wrote:Question, I have a son who will be starting STA lower school next year and plays on a good rec team and is wanting to peruse travel. Should I steer him to any particular club team or does it not really matter?

Where do you live?

When my son played a few years ago, there were 7 STA players (including the future star Yale goalie) who played for VLC. Only one of those players lived in VA. The travel to practices was a pain, but worth it. There were really no serious club options in DC or MD unless you were willing to drive to Baltimore to play for the Crabs. With the rise of Next Level and DCE on the MD side, only a handful of current varsity players play for VLC (2 seniors and the younger brother of a recent graduate/VLC player). So the VLC-STA connection is definitely depleted. You can see the dramatic shift just by perusing the roster of the 2021 NL team. I like VLC, but I definitely think the recent success of the Bulldog lacrosse team has alot to do with the NL-STA connection.

Anonymous wrote:Are the B teams at Next Level and Bethesda comparable? Better to play on a B team than a rec team? I’ve heard good things about Bethesda rec too.

Yes, in terms of quality they are roughly comparable IMO. BLC fields "B" teams (i.e., orange) in more years than NL (NL just fields "red" teams right now in the middle school years). I generally think it makes sense to find a club where you can be on the top team if possible. Experience on the top teams is generally better at most every club.

Bethesda rec experience varies greatly depending on the particular team. Some very good experiences -- others not. Kind of luck of the draw unless you are linked up with a particular team.

Pick the club that otherwise makes sense -- top priorities should be travel time to practice and whether the coach is what you are looking for -- at this age. So if you are in MD, then NL and BLC probably make the most sense. And if in NoVA, look at VLC (which is fielding fourth grade teams now) and Mad lax (though the owner does coach the team that will be fourth graders next year).

Are the B teams at Next Level and Bethesda comparable? Better to play on a B team than a rec team? I’ve heard good things about Bethesda rec too.

Anonymous wrote:I would peruse the respective histories and the Madlax and BW coaches and then have him tryout out for NL or DCE.

He is starting lower school, so that rules out DCE (which doesn't start until 8th). Look at Bethesda and Next Level.

Depends on what your son's/ family's priorities are. If he's good player and wants to play at the highest level available then yes, would look into travel team. If he is a good player but doesn't care about playing year-round then he should stick with rec and should still be a competitive player at STA, at least in the early years.

I would peruse the respective histories and the Madlax and BW coaches and then have him tryout out for NL or DCE.

Question, I have a son who will be starting STA lower school next year and plays on a good rec team and is wanting to peruse travel. Should I steer him to any particular club team or does it not really matter?