Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 15:13     Subject: Girls Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Well, they all say "we develop players" and we want to have "fun", etc. etc. I get your point though, it's tough for a newer parent to figure out what is what. Once your daughter plays a year or two, you better understand the landscape.

Maybe an easier way of determining which teams are in it for fun vs. playing high level competition is to look at the brackets in one of the tournaments. There is a big one coming up this weekend (Mid-Atlantic) in which many teams are invited. If a prospective team your daughter is looking at is not listed, they are likely not as far along skill-wise as some of the other teams in the DMV. This is not meant to discourage, just reality.

The below link has the 28's brackets. If you see "Hero's Green" or ""M&D Black" you are in the top bracket. Not sure which of the other two brackets is the B vs. the C.

https://tourneymachine.com/Public/Results/Division.aspx?IDTournament=h202108232002516974b439a46418749&IDDivision=h20210823200626940c6e9b9d558bc46


Green is the B bracket. Yellow is the C.


Agreed. Compare Skywalkers with YJ South.


The Mid Atlantic brackets are pretty spot on, props to the Tourney directors for putting teams in the right divisions (at least for the 28s). Real curious to see how NL does against those teams (although not a strong draw). They toughest game will most likely be against CClax. If NL had any plans to move up in NGLL, they should have been at least in the Green bracket.
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 14:22     Subject: Girls Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Well, they all say "we develop players" and we want to have "fun", etc. etc. I get your point though, it's tough for a newer parent to figure out what is what. Once your daughter plays a year or two, you better understand the landscape.

Maybe an easier way of determining which teams are in it for fun vs. playing high level competition is to look at the brackets in one of the tournaments. There is a big one coming up this weekend (Mid-Atlantic) in which many teams are invited. If a prospective team your daughter is looking at is not listed, they are likely not as far along skill-wise as some of the other teams in the DMV. This is not meant to discourage, just reality.

The below link has the 28's brackets. If you see "Hero's Green" or ""M&D Black" you are in the top bracket. Not sure which of the other two brackets is the B vs. the C.

https://tourneymachine.com/Public/Results/Division.aspx?IDTournament=h202108232002516974b439a46418749&IDDivision=h20210823200626940c6e9b9d558bc46


Green is the B bracket. Yellow is the C.


Agreed. Compare Skywalkers with YJ South.
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 13:40     Subject: Re:Girls Tryouts
Parents need to do some basic due diligence though. If you know anyone that has a daughter or older girl in the travel lacrosse world, you can get the skinny pretty quickly. Everyone knows who the pretenders are vs. the contenders. Surely there is someone in your rec. program that is good and went to a travel team? Why not ask them? Sorry folks got sold snake oil, but I think the lesson learned is to ask around before signing up.
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 13:32     Subject: Re:Girls Tryouts
Exactly! It's frustrating especially because many times people come to these boards AFTER they realize something is a miss. It takes a couple of years to navigate this lacrosse world. By then you have spent way too much money and have been deemed a club hopper because you finally figured it out. Just trying to help others earlier.
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 13:27     Subject: Girls Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:28s are 6th graders. 30s are 4th graders. Get some perspective people!


The perspective needs to be that there are different levels of clubs and different brackets in torunaments. They don't label them as such, but they are sorted by talent of the team and the club. So, not all wins are of equal value. If the parebts of the club realize that, then they have the correct perspective. It is fine for some clubs to be for rec girls to get experience in the off season and some to be competitive. However, many parents are sold on a product and they get something different when they are playing. And parents who oversell their clubs wins are contributing to that. The NL parents have been talking about how great they are since last NGLL season when they were successful in the B bracket, but have played no competition since then. They havwnt even played those same teams again, let alone better talent. People are looking for the right fit for their daughter, and often seek the opinons of others, and this board is full of opinions.

The 28s-30s are exactly the people who need this kind of information because they are trying to figure out where their daughter will play and where they will be spending A LOT of money. A wasted season is a waste of a lot of money and time.

Next time feel free to read and move on. No need to reply with something that offers nothing to add to the topic. It is possible to just scroll and think things in your head.


100%, well said here and it's somewhat funny to see comments going against this thought/thinking. This is spot on.

There are several clubs out there, especially in the DMV area that are "great marketers" but the product they are selling is not the same product that is being delivered or promised. That is where the disconnect comes in and players/parents are stuck in a lost season with a club that over promises and under delivers. Regardless if girls are "having fun", there's a financial investment and time commitment along with expectations of what a Club is selling. Too often, those promises are just that and reality sets in. As others have said, posting on Social media about going undefeated and winning tourneys is great, but a lot of prospective club families out there don't understand the bracket/competition differences and just see the shiny ball. There's where problems start imo.
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 12:53     Subject: Re:Girls Tryouts
I agree with all that is being said here. It is nice to see NL has at least gotten into this tournament. This one is a more competitive one to even get a spot in no? With that being said, they will do well and the only think it will do is increase the chances of them being in a better bracket next time. Good stepping stone for the program.
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 10:58     Subject: Girls Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:Well, they all say "we develop players" and we want to have "fun", etc. etc. I get your point though, it's tough for a newer parent to figure out what is what. Once your daughter plays a year or two, you better understand the landscape.

Maybe an easier way of determining which teams are in it for fun vs. playing high level competition is to look at the brackets in one of the tournaments. There is a big one coming up this weekend (Mid-Atlantic) in which many teams are invited. If a prospective team your daughter is looking at is not listed, they are likely not as far along skill-wise as some of the other teams in the DMV. This is not meant to discourage, just reality.

The below link has the 28's brackets. If you see "Hero's Green" or ""M&D Black" you are in the top bracket. Not sure which of the other two brackets is the B vs. the C.

https://tourneymachine.com/Public/Results/Division.aspx?IDTournament=h202108232002516974b439a46418749&IDDivision=h20210823200626940c6e9b9d558bc46


Green is the B bracket. Yellow is the C.
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 10:55     Subject: Girls Tryouts
Well, they all say "we develop players" and we want to have "fun", etc. etc. I get your point though, it's tough for a newer parent to figure out what is what. Once your daughter plays a year or two, you better understand the landscape.

Maybe an easier way of determining which teams are in it for fun vs. playing high level competition is to look at the brackets in one of the tournaments. There is a big one coming up this weekend (Mid-Atlantic) in which many teams are invited. If a prospective team your daughter is looking at is not listed, they are likely not as far along skill-wise as some of the other teams in the DMV. This is not meant to discourage, just reality.

The below link has the 28's brackets. If you see "Hero's Green" or ""M&D Black" you are in the top bracket. Not sure which of the other two brackets is the B vs. the C.

https://tourneymachine.com/Public/Results/Division.aspx?IDTournament=h202108232002516974b439a46418749&IDDivision=h20210823200626940c6e9b9d558bc46
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 09:10     Subject: Girls Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:28s are 6th graders. 30s are 4th graders. Get some perspective people!


The perspective needs to be that there are different levels of clubs and different brackets in tournaments. They don't label them as such, but they are sorted by talent of the team and the club. So, not all wins are of equal value. If the parents of the club realize that, then they have the correct perspective. It is fine for some clubs to be for rec girls to get experience in the off season and some to be competitive. However, many parents are sold on a product and they get something different when they are playing. And parents who oversell their clubs wins are contributing to that. The NL parents have been talking about how great they are since last NGLL season when they were successful in the B bracket, but have played no competition since then. They haven't even played those same teams again, let alone better talent. People are looking for the right fit for their daughter, and often seek the opinions of others, and this board is full of opinions.

The 28s-30s are exactly the people who need this kind of information because they are trying to figure out where their daughter will play and where they will be spending A LOT of money. A wasted season is a waste of a lot of money and time.

Next time feel free to read and move on. No need to reply with something that offers nothing to add to the topic. It is possible to just scroll and think things in your head.


I don’t think the fact that tournaments attempt to put together brackets by skill is a state secret. My daughter has been playing club since 4th grade and is an 8th grader now. If your kid is learning and having fun, you are getting your money's worth. If you are bragging about having a 5th grader on "the top club team in the country" or whatever, you are missing the point. In my view, when it comes to competition, the club is doing it right when it is playing in competitive brackets. When you are blowing people out or getting blown out, the club has misplaced its team (or the tournament has) and that doesn’t promote either fun or development, even if, in the former case, it makes Lax Mom and Dad happy.

I do agree about this board being full of opinions, but you know what they say about opinions.


Yes, but see you are in the minority of people who actually understand the club landscape. The more transparent clubs and parents are, the more helpful it is to others trying to decide the right fit for their daughter. There should be places for girls who want to have fun and develop skills and friendships and they should be playing against similar like-minded organizations. There should also be places for girls who would like to play with and against the most competitive teams possible in their age group. And to parents who don't know the difference they often appear the same especially when Facebook and Instagram also muddy the waters with the emphasis on marketing themselves and their wins. The clubs are in the business of making money and they want to attract players and will market themselves to do so. You are over estimating the number of people who actually know about the differences in the organizations.
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 07:07     Subject: Girls Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:28s are 6th graders. 30s are 4th graders. Get some perspective people!


The perspective needs to be that there are different levels of clubs and different brackets in torunaments. They don't label them as such, but they are sorted by talent of the team and the club. So, not all wins are of equal value. If the parebts of the club realize that, then they have the correct perspective. It is fine for some clubs to be for rec girls to get experience in the off season and some to be competitive. However, many parents are sold on a product and they get something different when they are playing. And parents who oversell their clubs wins are contributing to that. The NL parents have been talking about how great they are since last NGLL season when they were successful in the B bracket, but have played no competition since then. They havwnt even played those same teams again, let alone better talent. People are looking for the right fit for their daughter, and often seek the opinons of others, and this board is full of opinions.

The 28s-30s are exactly the people who need this kind of information because they are trying to figure out where their daughter will play and where they will be spending A LOT of money. A wasted season is a waste of a lot of money and time.

Next time feel free to read and move on. No need to reply with something that offers nothing to add to the topic. It is possible to just scroll and think things in your head.


I don’t think the fact that tournaments attempt to put together brackets by skill is a state secret. My daughter has been playing club since 4th grade and is an 8th grader now. If your kid is learning and having fun, you are getting your money's worth. If you are bragging about having a 5th grader on "the top club team in the country" or whatever, you are missing the point. In my view, when it comes to competition, the club is doing it right when it is playing in competitive brackets. When you are blowing people out or getting blown out, the club has misplaced its team (or the tournament has) and that doesn’t promote either fun or development, even if, in the former case, it makes Lax Mom and Dad happy.

I do agree about this board being full of opinions, but you know what they say about opinions.
Anonymous
Post 11/09/2021 06:41     Subject: Girls Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:Agreed. The issue is there just aren’t enough “true” travel middle school girls in the DC/ NoVA area. As a result, many of the “travel” teams are only slightly better than Rec., but parents are willing to pay 3k a year because they are labeled “travel”. That’s fine and dandy, but parents should know these teams aren’t even in the same stratosphere as the top teams in the area (mostly Baltimore). With that in mind, to brag about beating similarly weak “travel” teams seems somewhat silly. It’s good to have success and it’s a win if the girls are having fun and getting better, but the A league and B league in the NGLL is like comparing Harvard to a community college. Just saying.


This kind of attitude is exactly what I do not like about lacrosse as a sport. I tolerate it only because my daughter loves to play. Will be glad when she is out of middle school...we won't be pursuing college lax cause she has her sights set on a D1 school that she realizes she will only play club. Good luck in the rat race.
Anonymous
Post 11/08/2021 21:29     Subject: Girls Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:28s are 6th graders. 30s are 4th graders. Get some perspective people!


The perspective needs to be that there are different levels of clubs and different brackets in torunaments. They don't label them as such, but they are sorted by talent of the team and the club. So, not all wins are of equal value. If the parebts of the club realize that, then they have the correct perspective. It is fine for some clubs to be for rec girls to get experience in the off season and some to be competitive. However, many parents are sold on a product and they get something different when they are playing. And parents who oversell their clubs wins are contributing to that. The NL parents have been talking about how great they are since last NGLL season when they were successful in the B bracket, but have played no competition since then. They havwnt even played those same teams again, let alone better talent. People are looking for the right fit for their daughter, and often seek the opinons of others, and this board is full of opinions.

The 28s-30s are exactly the people who need this kind of information because they are trying to figure out where their daughter will play and where they will be spending A LOT of money. A wasted season is a waste of a lot of money and time.

Next time feel free to read and move on. No need to reply with something that offers nothing to add to the topic. It is possible to just scroll and think things in your head.


+1 Perfectly said. I am the pp that said for most kids it’s an awesome experience but you cannot compare apples and oranges
Anonymous
Post 11/08/2021 20:24     Subject: Girls Tryouts
Agreed. The issue is there just aren’t enough “true” travel middle school girls in the DC/ NoVA area. As a result, many of the “travel” teams are only slightly better than Rec., but parents are willing to pay 3k a year because they are labeled “travel”. That’s fine and dandy, but parents should know these teams aren’t even in the same stratosphere as the top teams in the area (mostly Baltimore). With that in mind, to brag about beating similarly weak “travel” teams seems somewhat silly. It’s good to have success and it’s a win if the girls are having fun and getting better, but the A league and B league in the NGLL is like comparing Harvard to a community college. Just saying.
Anonymous
Post 11/08/2021 19:39     Subject: Girls Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:28s are 6th graders. 30s are 4th graders. Get some perspective people!


The perspective needs to be that there are different levels of clubs and different brackets in torunaments. They don't label them as such, but they are sorted by talent of the team and the club. So, not all wins are of equal value. If the parebts of the club realize that, then they have the correct perspective. It is fine for some clubs to be for rec girls to get experience in the off season and some to be competitive. However, many parents are sold on a product and they get something different when they are playing. And parents who oversell their clubs wins are contributing to that. The NL parents have been talking about how great they are since last NGLL season when they were successful in the B bracket, but have played no competition since then. They havwnt even played those same teams again, let alone better talent. People are looking for the right fit for their daughter, and often seek the opinons of others, and this board is full of opinions.

The 28s-30s are exactly the people who need this kind of information because they are trying to figure out where their daughter will play and where they will be spending A LOT of money. A wasted season is a waste of a lot of money and time.

Next time feel free to read and move on. No need to reply with something that offers nothing to add to the topic. It is possible to just scroll and think things in your head.


+1. You more than hit the nail on thee head.
Anonymous
Post 11/08/2021 18:24     Subject: Girls Tryouts
Anonymous wrote:28s are 6th graders. 30s are 4th graders. Get some perspective people!


The perspective needs to be that there are different levels of clubs and different brackets in torunaments. They don't label them as such, but they are sorted by talent of the team and the club. So, not all wins are of equal value. If the parebts of the club realize that, then they have the correct perspective. It is fine for some clubs to be for rec girls to get experience in the off season and some to be competitive. However, many parents are sold on a product and they get something different when they are playing. And parents who oversell their clubs wins are contributing to that. The NL parents have been talking about how great they are since last NGLL season when they were successful in the B bracket, but have played no competition since then. They havwnt even played those same teams again, let alone better talent. People are looking for the right fit for their daughter, and often seek the opinons of others, and this board is full of opinions.

The 28s-30s are exactly the people who need this kind of information because they are trying to figure out where their daughter will play and where they will be spending A LOT of money. A wasted season is a waste of a lot of money and time.

Next time feel free to read and move on. No need to reply with something that offers nothing to add to the topic. It is possible to just scroll and think things in your head.