Aside from your snarky attitude, it appears we are in agreement on the local landscape and on True's likelihood of success. Have a nice evening.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow I cannot believe a long established and top elite club in the area like. NOVA select would sell to a large national chain. I guess the are now the top team in the area.

I wouldn't describe NOVA as long standing or elite. The four local clubs that I would describe that way are VLC, NextLevel, BLC (becoming DCE in 8th grade) and MadLax. There is a steady stream of players leaving all four programs, but they tend to go to one of the other three. It is hard to envision the good players going to True.

What? Next Level isn’t elite. VLC is solid, but hardly elite. VLC means nothing outside of DMV. DCE is new and might end up elite of it lasts. Madlax is a nationally known elite club team but there owner is an ahole and hated by all except some Madlax parents. Is there an opening for True lacrosse in Va? Sure, if they commit time and money. The reality is if they hired they best coaches it could work, b/c parents and players will follow. A National name with bad coaches won’t work no matter how many cool uniforms and a fancy website they might have.

I am not sure I follow your point. You can quibble over the definition of elite and call CM names. But any boy in the DC area with aspirations to play on a private high school varsity, or a college varsity, should be in one of those programs. You are not disagreeing with that, are you?

Love how thin skinned the lax bro parents can be when others challenge their DMV world view. The points are simple. First point: Madlax is an elite club compared to the others because it’s a known name everywhere you play lax in America. The others? No. Sorry if it hurts your country club feelings. Second point: True Lacrosse could establish itself in Va, but only if it spent the $$ to hire the best coaches in the area. Talented lacrosse coaches are the most important limiting factor, not players - the sport is exploding, in establishing new clubs in every geography, including the DMV. True Lacrosse hired a person with zero name recognition to establish its club in Va, which means he has zero chance. If True lax hired the best 5-6 coaches in the area, they would compete for the best players immediately. Families have zero loyalty to brand. They want their player in the best position to be recruited and the only way that happens for True Lax is if it spends the $$ to hire the best coaches. Otherwise, no chance.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow I cannot believe a long established and top elite club in the area like. NOVA select would sell to a large national chain. I guess the are now the top team in the area.

I wouldn't describe NOVA as long standing or elite. The four local clubs that I would describe that way are VLC, NextLevel, BLC (becoming DCE in 8th grade) and MadLax. There is a steady stream of players leaving all four programs, but they tend to go to one of the other three. It is hard to envision the good players going to True.

What? Next Level isn’t elite. VLC is solid, but hardly elite. VLC means nothing outside of DMV. DCE is new and might end up elite of it lasts. Madlax is a nationally known elite club team but there owner is an ahole and hated by all except some Madlax parents. Is there an opening for True lacrosse in Va? Sure, if they commit time and money. The reality is if they hired they best coaches it could work, b/c parents and players will follow. A National name with bad coaches won’t work no matter how many cool uniforms and a fancy website they might have.

I am not sure I follow your point. You can quibble over the definition of elite and call CM names. But any boy in the DC area with aspirations to play on a private high school varsity, or a college varsity, should be in one of those programs. You are not disagreeing with that, are you?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow I cannot believe a long established and top elite club in the area like. NOVA select would sell to a large national chain. I guess the are now the top team in the area.

I wouldn't describe NOVA as long standing or elite. The four local clubs that I would describe that way are VLC, NextLevel, BLC (becoming DCE in 8th grade) and MadLax. There is a steady stream of players leaving all four programs, but they tend to go to one of the other three. It is hard to envision the good players going to True.

What? Next Level isn’t elite. VLC is solid, but hardly elite. VLC means nothing outside of DMV. DCE is new and might end up elite of it lasts. Madlax is a nationally known elite club team but there owner is an ahole and hated by all except some Madlax parents. Is there an opening for True lacrosse in Va? Sure, if they commit time and money. The reality is if they hired they best coaches it could work, b/c parents and players will follow. A National name with bad coaches won’t work no matter how many cool uniforms and a fancy website they might have.

Next Level Hs team ranked 5 Madlax one or two and DCE and VLC top 20 and have all beaten teams in the top 10. How are they not known outside of DMV?

what club sticker is on the back of that?!?!? couple private school stickers too? aahahahahaha

Anonymous wrote:Next Level - Locally MD based, no other club affiliation, teams ranked high, produces top college players
VLC - Locally VA based, affiliated with Crabs (nationally known with club teams on east coast), teams ranked high, produces top college players
MadLax - Locally VA based, Nationally recognized with club teams around US, teams ranked high, produces top college players
DCE - Locally MD based, affiliated with LI Express (nationally known with club teams on East Coast and new spots in midwest), teams ranked high, produces top college players

Please explain your reasoning for them not being elite again. Any new club trying to come in and overtake these guys is sadly mistaken. Only way to beat them is to join them. Slapping a Ferrari bumper sticker on a Honda Civic doesn't make it a Ferrari.

...So I shouldn't try to make this work

Next Level - Locally MD based, no other club affiliation, teams ranked high, produces top college players
VLC - Locally VA based, affiliated with Crabs (nationally known with club teams on east coast), teams ranked high, produces top college players
MadLax - Locally VA based, Nationally recognized with club teams around US, teams ranked high, produces top college players
DCE - Locally MD based, affiliated with LI Express (nationally known with club teams on East Coast and new spots in midwest), teams ranked high, produces top college players

Please explain your reasoning for them not being elite again. Any new club trying to come in and overtake these guys is sadly mistaken. Only way to beat them is to join them. Slapping a Ferrari bumper sticker on a Honda Civic doesn't make it a Ferrari.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Wow I cannot believe a long established and top elite club in the area like. NOVA select would sell to a large national chain. I guess the are now the top team in the area.

I wouldn't describe NOVA as long standing or elite. The four local clubs that I would describe that way are VLC, NextLevel, BLC (becoming DCE in 8th grade) and MadLax. There is a steady stream of players leaving all four programs, but they tend to go to one of the other three. It is hard to envision the good players going to True.

What? Next Level isn’t elite. VLC is solid, but hardly elite. VLC means nothing outside of DMV. DCE is new and might end up elite of it lasts. Madlax is a nationally known elite club team but there owner is an ahole and hated by all except some Madlax parents. Is there an opening for True lacrosse in Va? Sure, if they commit time and money. The reality is if they hired they best coaches it could work, b/c parents and players will follow. A National name with bad coaches won’t work no matter how many cool uniforms and a fancy website they might have.

the 3d model is great, they have a system that I think works...sorry for the confusion but the point was they didn't have passionate coaches to implement the program. Had they had those coaches then they would have had a better shot.


Yes, agree, dilution of talent and resulting explosion of "I can do it better clubs" as a result of backstabbing etc. All good points. it's become a mine field out there to find a great fit for your kid.

There isn't a great CLUB out there...there are great teams within the clubs, for sure, but how to attract and retain great coaches that do it year in and year out? .take a team through high school then reset to another team..it just seems to be an impossible model these days, perhaps True will catch on.

In the end it take great passionate people who want to help these young people excel on and off the field.

As far as dad coaches..I don't think they are all bad. A few bad apples and perceived sideline toxic talk, usually started by a disgruntled parent or two can spin things up quickly. However,good point that without these volunteers the sport would never make it! Especially at rec, more great volunteers are needed because in my past life at that level there is a huge amount of work and effort heaped on a few people and it gets old quickly.

Anonymous wrote:we will se what happens here. Will take grit and determination to build TRUE VA to a contender. Will NOT happen overnight but will happen over a period of years. Will take great coaches and passion. Not Daddy ball and manipulation by parents

Assigning the name and franchise is the EASY part. Yellow Jackets on the girls side was Rattlers and they felt like they needed branding and "help".

I think 3D is a great franchise with a great model. However it failed miserable out in Loudoun county because there wasn't complete buy-in by coaches and admin.

We all feel like "money" is the great way to get coaches to stay but the egos in this sport are just unreal. It is the egos that have blown up clubs all across the DMV because apparently lax coaches here need a constant "pat on the back and recognition on how great THET are"..it's silly and now as a result we have too many programs pulling apart the talent pool and griping parents everywhere.

The best coaches of years past did it for the love of the game. To teach these kids and have them pass it on. I am worried that our great community is turning into AAU basketball and prep school football.

If you think coaches should do it for the love of the game then how is the 3D model a great franchise. They are all about money. When a youth club has a sales department and VP of marketing, love of the game is not the motivation. More cost is not better lacrosse.

Anonymous wrote:Can’t wait to get away from dad coaches at rec and lower age club ...

Most of these "dad coaches" are better than what these 2nd rate money grabbing travel programs out there field for coaches, that's for sure. Will there always be subpar coaching at the rec level, sure it's Rec and mostly volunteers trying to make the game fun for young kids getting into the sport. If those volunteer dad coaches didn't exist, there would never be growth in the sport. Go out there and try it yourself if you are so good at it. I'm sure that won't happen though.

And to another poster above, yes, there are way too many travel programs in the DMV area, both girls and boys. The talent pool keeps getting diluted which doesn't benefit any program or any of the players. Then you have club fighting and back stabbing between them and the whole environment is toxic.

Well said, but it is hard to tell if a franchise of a national program seeking profits in a saturated market is part of the solution, or the problem.

we will se what happens here. Will take grit and determination to build TRUE VA to a contender. Will NOT happen overnight but will happen over a period of years. Will take great coaches and passion. Not Daddy ball and manipulation by parents

Assigning the name and franchise is the EASY part. Yellow Jackets on the girls side was Rattlers and they felt like they needed branding and "help".

I think 3D is a great franchise with a great model. However it failed miserable out in Loudoun county because there wasn't complete buy-in by coaches and admin.

We all feel like "money" is the great way to get coaches to stay but the egos in this sport are just unreal. It is the egos that have blown up clubs all across the DMV because apparently lax coaches here need a constant "pat on the back and recognition on how great THET are"..it's silly and now as a result we have too many programs pulling apart the talent pool and griping parents everywhere.

The best coaches of years past did it for the love of the game. To teach these kids and have them pass it on. I am worried that our great community is turning into AAU basketball and prep school football.

Elite level travel lacrosse in the DC area is a bit like buying a boat. Same with hockey. If your family is worried about the cost, it is not for you. There are several local lacrosse programs that cater to families who are cost conscious and then others (one in particular) whose target customers are families who are not concerned with pricing, just want to be on the best team they possibly can and happy to pay a premium. True likely will competing for market share in the latter category.

Is True VA going to have girl’s lacrosse. The team they took over was a boy’s program