As promised, BOTC has tracked down this issue of improperly placed teams and we have received the following confirmation from the Big Time Lacrosse Shootout team :

We were very displeased with one organization in particular: 3 Tribes. They registered ALL of their teams in the grades they were currently in, rather than the grades they were entering. This was after numerous emails and phone calls to confirm divisions. The worst part... the guy did the same thing last year. We are most likely not going to allow 3 Tribes to come back next year... not worth the headache or risking anyone's safety.

BOTC has also asked that the tournament organizers check into the Unparalleled Lacrosse organization that was also cited in this discussion. While it does not help any team in the short run and particularly those who paid the $1350.00 entrance fee, what we can do as a community is root out these player age situations once and for all - even if it has to be done one by one.

They are going into 5th/6th So Yes Outlaws were in right bracket. The other teams were Not.

Many teams were claiming ignorance of what "rising" or "entering" meant. In "entering" 4th division, Team Dynasty had, according to their parents, almost half "entering" 5th on their team. It was obvious on the fiield. In the end they won the championship, congrats Dynasty.

The 3 tribes team in the 7B division told our Kids (Express Blue) that they were going into 8th & 9th grades, with the majority of the team going into 9th. The kids were bigger then our coaches. We lost, but held our own against them. Total downer for the kids though....

I agree with teams being classified correctly and one way is to do what I have seen in youth football - each player has to be certified with a birth certificate and picture and checked in before games. The coaches come in with a "book" of their team, the kids shake hands with the opposing coach as they get checked in and the game is played. Do the tournaments ask for a list of ages and birthdates with registration? If so, do they check it?

However, I think it is unfair to come out on a blog and accuse teams of cheating. You want to take it up with the tournament directors that's fine, but from what I have seen at these tournaments there are many teams that have kids on the wrong teams. Even if the claims turn out true, its really not the right way to go about it. I bet if you looked at each team from 4/5 up to JV, you would find issues on more than not. From there you can talk about A division being travel teams and B division town teams. Take a look at the schedules and you can see that wasn't the case.

Uncle Johns Band is a well-known member of the lacrosse community here on Long Island who had the "cahones" to expose a team (and potentially more than one) that was incorrectly representing their players' ages. Think of it this way - was it right to rip off this "younger" team for their $1350.00 entry fee and not being afforded the competition to which the team was entitled? If they did not play their fourth game, did they get their money's worth? This issue is bigger than the 3 Tribes question - this is about the integrity of sponsoring a tournament. We can tell you that the No Limit Lacrosse organization takes this issue very seriously.

BOTC investigated with the Big Time staff and not only found the assertion to be true, but it was a problem in every age group entered into the tournament by the 3 Tribes club across the board ... and for the second straight year according to the Tournament Director.

The truth is that folks are actively accusing organizations and franchises of "cheating" within the poorly policed US Lacrosse rules and when someone stands up, signs their name, and does the right thing, you want to post an anonymous complaint?

Unless the lacrosse community starts calling out these situations so that OTHER TOURNAMENTS AND CLUBS start to learn what is happening in the marketplace, how will the situation improve?

This further confirms the information that BOTC received from the Tournament Directors.

This would not happen if the tournaments listed the brackets by the graduating year. class of 2016, class of 2017 etc. This way there is no confusion. Coaches couldn't say " I didn't know "

Agree with the sentiment here - but the Big Time Tournament staff confirmed with us today that they specifically confirmed the age groups of the 3 Tribes club prior to the tournament in explicit detail knowing the situation had previously existed.

At this point, BOTC expects that this group will be ruled out of future Big Time Shootout events and we advise other groups to carefully review their applications in line with this practice.

I am a parent who has a 10 year old child on the Outlaws Silver 4th, 5th grade team. It is a fact that the Outlaws played succesive games against teams with children that were 2 and 3 years older than the correct division bracket. I was at the tournament. Both parents and children confirmed their ages to us, and some of our kids were guarding teenagers with mustaches. As a parent who has a 10 year old child on the Outlaws Silver 4th, 5th grade team, I would be embarrassed to have my child play a team three years younger (7 year olds), and claim a victory. I feel sorry for the children of 3 Tribes and Unparalleled Lacrosse whose coaches did not feel confident to play them against kids their own age. We are very lucky on the Outlaws that no one got hurt based on the obvious size and physical developmental differences of playing against children 3 years older. And by the way, this is not sour grapes. Our team played hard until the very end. we left with our heads held up high. Nevertheless, it is simply unfair to ask a 4th/5th grade team to play a competitive game against children heading into 9th grade.

It was based on what grade you are going into next year. So the 4th/ 5th grade team has children that just finished 4th/5th grade going into 5th/6th grade. outlaws were in the correct bracket playing up to their oldest player. Not playing down like these other teams.

I was at this event and when I spoke with the 2 men at the registration tent they told me that there is no way to chenck ages but that is false because when I filled out the waiver it asked for my sons date of birth, make a line to enter the team name and have someone get it together. Dont get me wrong our kids held their own but I find the whole situation disgraceful. All that needs to be implemented is have each coach carry a book with the player photo and copy of birth certificate. the kids were disappointed to say the least but at least none of them got hurt. The coaches and directors of 3 tribes should be ashamed of themselves.

The coach of outlaws made a official complaint to the tournament officials and were rebuffed. The outlaws were told that the games will count and the teams cheating will not be thrown out of the tournament. The outlaws were told to wait 3 hours to play their next game against a team that also may be 2-3 years older than the correct bracket age group. Put at a competitive disadvantage against cheaters, where the tournamnet officials would not do "the right thing" when they were given the opportunity to do so, the Outlaws, as a team, left the tournament with class and dignity. I disagree with the other posting. This is the exact way to go about it. How can anyone be offended by calling out cheaters and tournament organizers who knowingly do nothing about it. If we don't speak up,this will continue to happen. Kudos to Uncle Johns Band for doing the right thing!

I've had multiple children in multiple lacrosse tournaments. Unfortunately, teams outside of long island do this sort of stuff all the time. I heard one excuse one time that non long island teams don't have stick skills as good as us and thats their justification. Unfortunately, they don't take into account the size differential of the kids and the danger they put the younger player in by having their high school kids run over middle school kids.

I support Uncle John's Band for having the integrity to bring a problem to the forefront and not put his players at risk.