US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums PENNSYLVANIA LACROSSE PENNSYLVANIA FORUM Main Forum Philadelphia & Vicinity

1) it’s typically a mix of recruited players and developed players. Due to the nature of the game as you know, there are some skills that can’t be coached / taught that some players have that others don’t that given them a competitive advantage ( speed, strength, coordination, vision/anticipation, etc). If a player is a student he’s getting recruited at practically every level. Middle school club, high school club and of course college. Turnover varies by club and by year and has factors that influence it such as coaching changes, club mergers, players looking for greener pastures, etc

2) If your kid is a standout player he will get recruited regardless of the school he goes to. Show cases and club lacrosse will help him get noticed if he’s a standout player. Club lacrosse will help develop your sons skill but that’s no guarantee your sons skills will develop to a standout level. How much does he play on his own time? How much does he like the game? Is he a quick learner? How is his footwork hand eye coordination? Etc. If he enjoys the game, plays a lot and is a good athlete overall he has a good chance of playing D1 ball or high level D2 or D3 if he wants to. Bluntly, your sons skill level, athleticism and academic standing will be the biggest factors in his recruiting. The best thing you can do is put him in an environment with good coaching, support him academically and trust the process from there if playing college lacrosse is the goal. When recruitment time comes around be realistic athletically and academically about which schools are a good fit, visit multiple schools, and choose school that he’ll most likely have a positive, beneficial experience outside of just lacrosse. Of course hopefully you get some scholarship money academically and/or athletically especially considering the cost of higher education these days

Who/What is Philly Futures?

* If a player is a student he is getting recruited at practically every level (the moderators spell checked my post incorrectly)

The spelling keeps auto correcting or the moderator is changing the wording for some reason. “Student is supposed to be “student”.

*If a player is exceptional he is getting recruited at practically every level

Thanks! I appreciate the advice.

Congrats to all the 2025 commitments. Interesting that every single one of them is a hold back.

Agree HHH 2025 team had some real players.

Congrats on coming up with excuses why your son is not committed. #fakenews

Don't worry about my son committing, pal. My son is technically a young 2025 (Birthday in March) but he slid back to 2027 when I changed him to a prep school to repeat 8th grade year after enrolling him late as a child.. We will have our moment in two years. I'm glad the plan is working by utilizing the "freakonomics" method for athletics.

it is what it is. I'm not a fan of it. Ultimately it's what the colleges are looking for. If you put all your eggs into youth sports, you should play the game that is being played. No amount of complaining about it will change what the college coach wants. check out how D1 football is gonna change with the transfer portal rules. ND's current QB is 24, Georgia's QB last year was 25. The only difference is there is real money to be made in football (as opposed to just bragging rights in lacrosse).

Interesting statement. At first I read it as a slam, then I looked at the schools these kids are going to and I see it as an overwhelming positive. How else could you look at it? Duke, Ivy League, Nova, service academies etc…I agree with you buddy!

Why do people get so defensive about club lacrosse? It's not like it is a true part of the community....it's pay to play. Everyone knows that going into it. It is a business.

I would hold my kid back 3 years if he could get into some of those schools. It's a means to an end.

Boys are typically immature at that 18-19-20 year old age. Why not stack the odds in your favor for success?

Interesting that you assume a majority of them are holdbacks when a majority are not.

Seriously… who cares one way or the other. Clearly they are talented and top notch regardless. They put in the work and are rewarded. Hold back or not, they are great lacrosse players.

Can we get back to bashing club programs rather than kids?

The argument could be made that the “hold back” is taking a slot from the kid who did it the right way. I’m indifferent either way, but it has been proven what a large advantage a player has over the player that is 12-23 months younger then them.

"right way" is subjective based on an individual's perspective. In the college coachs' eyes, does he care if the student athlete was held back a year or not? he wants the biggest, strongest, fastest athletes he can get his hands on. If holding a kid back for a year helps him develop those traits that the college coach is seeking, I would argue that the college coach feels it's the 'right way' for him.

I'm not pro-holdback. I'm also not anti-holdback. I'm just a realist. It is the way the sport works and it's ultimately for the benefit of the college coaches - if it wasn't those college coaches could choose to blackbal holdbacks and not recruit them. Things would change really quick if that happened. I will never happen though, so holding back will always be there (even if they get it out of grade school, it will always be there in high school).

It’s not subjective. Older players have more muscle mass and dexterity then younger boys. It’s like saying trans women don’t have an advantage over cis women. The science is sound.

^^^big Biden guy here

The Biden guy clearly missed my point. My point had nothing to do with the physical advantage a hold back may have over other kids. Or the advantage a fast kid may have over a slow kid. Or the advantage a rich kid may have over a poor kid. Or the advantage a kid with a father has over a kid who is fatherless.

My only point is that using the term "right way" is subjective. If it is not subjective, you would be able to direct me to the sacred lacrosse text saying that hold-back children and their parents are doing it the wrong way. Again, I'll point to college coaches. They LOVE recruiting holdbacks. So to them, holding back your son is the "right way". High school coaches also love Holdbacks. Club coaches also love having holdbacks on their team as well. Have a good night. Let's chat in the morning on the same topic...for the next 7 years.

Nice spin. If this was the "right way", then why did the US Lacrosse governing body change the rules? Everyone knows this was a loophole that zealot sports parents used to give their kid an advantage on the field. Unfortunately, nothing they can do on the high school front. Congrats on beating the system and cheating kids who do it the right way out of playing time.

Nothing they can do on the high school front because the college coaches and high school coaches want hold backs.
If you want to complain, complain to the high level coaches about it. See how much they care what you think is the right way.

You keep arguing the wrong stuff to the wrong people my man.

Agreed. I held my kid back twice (he was young for his age in the first year) when he was in preschool and kindergarten. He is obviously older then his class mates and better at athletics. It did not come without sacrifice as he gets mocked for being older and we found out he missed out on early cognitive development by not being in the proper grade. The good news is the coaches love him and he is getting $15,000 off his college tuition next year.

..so he has that going for him, which is nice

Thanks for sharing that. I personally really appreciate the real talk on here. Everyone's journey is different and everybody has a different perspective. Best of luck to your son this year and beyond.

I'm not trying to be a hater. If you felt that your kid was good enough - you would never have held him back. You don't think he knows this?

I never wanted that for my son. While others around him were held back/reclassed or did PG years for sports, I told him that he was going to have to play by the rules of doing the right thing and that no matter what happened with his recruiting - he would always have his integrity.

He ended up getting everything he wanted and can always hold his head high.

As I look at all the cooperate greed and the so called smart kids who are going to prison - I wonder if taking a short cut to your goals is always the right thing to do. Nuff said.

Gotta love the "I'm not trying to be a hater but....."

Spare me... Just because you believe there is a "rule" against hold backs and that holding back is an "integrity" thing, doesn't make it a universal truth to every person on the planet. Just because you believe it, doesn't mean your neighbor has to. You are talking about corporate greed, but you are actually showing the mindset of a religious zealot.

Well said! This guy wants to keep blowing up a message board to prove his point meanwhile his point is subjective. It’s a “grey area”. Do you agree with it? That answer could be Yes, No, Maybe. It’s a matter of personal preference. Get off your soapbox & stop being melodramatic about your moral fortitude.

Mr “I’m not trying to be a Hater” do us a favor and start your own chat board about reclassifying so you can share your self-righteous opinion with those who want to constantly beat that drum. There are a lot of positive things happening in Phila area Lacrosse and this discussion is a constant downer. (Worth mentioning I am not a fan of reclassing but it’s part of the sport so I accept it and move on). Nuff said.

If the “holdback” was subjective, why did they change the rules for the younger club teams starting in 2031?

Everyone knows it was wrong and it caused a safety issue with younger boys playing against young men who were almost 2 years older than them in some cases. If you chose to hold your son back and don’t care about other people’s sons or their safety or potential success, then fine…..we have all met selfish individuals throughout our life like you. Just admit that you beat the system for selfish purposes.

You know you have more to worry about, like that johnny isnt good.Good news is still a little time to hit the wall.

Holding back is not about youth lacrosse. If you think there is a lot of "hold backs" in youth lacrosse, just wait till you get to high school. Ain't gonna change. Ask yourself what college coaches want. That is the goal right, to get on the radar of a college coach?

Say you have a dream to work at NASA. You know what NASA is looking for, right? Science, Math, Engineering, etc. They are not looking for Women's Studies Majors or Religion Majors. So If you goal is to work at NASA, which major should you be picking in college? You are getting mad at the people picking science, math, engineering so they can work at NASA, while at the same time spouting the righteousness of those Religion majors and not understanding why they aren't getting hired at NASA.

Get over it already. If you care so much about your Child's future in lacrosse, Hold him back if that is your priority. If you just want your kid to play the sport and have a good time (which should be 95% of the people involved in this sport), stop worrying about the holdbacks man. You only have a few years in the sport - don't have it spoiled by things you literally have zero control over.

So if my kid knows calculus, should be compete with the kid learning his times tables?

Lacrosse is a physical sport (not academics) and holdbacks have a clear advantage. Pretty pathetic you are trying to justify beating the system. I’d respect you more if you just said I know I took advantage of the system and don’t care what anyone thinks. Trying to justify it is sad.

Should there be a weight limit like in Pee-wee football? Or maybe weight classes like in wrestling? Some kids are naturally bigger stronger faster than other kids (regardless of age). Should they be put in a different division because it's a physical sport? You are harping on one single variable in a multi-variate equation of what makes a successful lacrosse player. Enjoy being miserable for no reason. I'm out.

Why is this guy so angry that his kid has to play with other kids his same age?

This topic should be put to bed right? 8th grade and under is now age based and verified, very reasonable. High school is not which also seems reasonable. Whether you are for or against holdbacks both sides seemed to be considered and concessions were made. Since rules were made and the situation addressed it’s highly unlikely we’ll see anymore significant changes for a long time. Can we please stop seeing the same tired arguments from both sides and just focus on important stuff like how good some clubs 2035 team is going to be? Anything but this [Censored] anymore.

Sounds good. This won't stop anything. The fact of the matter is that the bulk of players vying for spots on college programs will be holdbacks, reclasses and PG Men. It will be pretty much an even playing field because almost every player will be older. Big shout out to those who take a different path. Much respect.

NXT is going to dominate. Next question.

You guys are all nerds. Do something meaningful with your lives.