US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums Maryland Youth Lacrosse Association Howard County League - Spring 2014

You do not have to care you just have to show up and lose to us. Good day sir.

Great news. There is a lot of talent in Bel Air. Glad to see they will now be represented in the NPYLL.

BAHAHAHAHA. Now thats funny. Thunder will get killed in NPYLL. Has to be a rumour. BOOM!

2020 Zingos 13, 2019 Thunder 5. Who are you going to roll out next from up there.....The Renegades? BAHAHAHA

What teams are leaving npyll to play HOCO

List your top teams by grade 2023-2018

For those ages - some combination of Bethesda, Madlax, Crabs, Hawks

Nobody else in the MD/DC/VA area can touch those programs' youth lacrosse

2023 hawks
2022 hawks
2021 hawks
2020 hawks
2019 hawks
2018 hawks

I guess you like the Hawks

Greene Turtle 2021's gave Bethesda a heck of a game in the GT U11A championship this Summer.

Arden Diamondbacks were the top 2022 team last year, I thought.

who cares at this point.

These teams were champs last year. They are the big dogs until the season starts and someone knocks them off. Prove it during the season...



Grad Team:

HoCo

2018 FCA

2019 FCA

2020 Looney's

2021 Crabs

2022 Rough Riders

2023 Zingos

NPYLL

2018 Crabs

2019 Crabs

2020 Annapolis Hawks

2021 Bethesda

2022 Baltimore Breakers

2023 Bethesda

2023 Bethesda
2022 Arden
2021 Bethesda
2020 Hawks
2019 Crabs
2018 FCA

Top around in each grade

Weren't Breakers a mixed 2022/2021 team?

Yes

yep - they were a U11 team that played down every chance they could

A lot of teams will change in the NPYLL due to new age / grade cut offs rules. The odd graduations years (19, 21, 23) will get there hold backs back (previously had hard cut off dates) and the even years (20, 22) will have to give up any older kids that are not officially hold backs (previously allowed 7 older kids)

The 21s on Breakers 22 team last year will have to be replaced (unless they are officially registered in a school as 2022 now).

Clubs that had teams in the A and B brackets were already typically grade/age based or had kids playing up

Its the weaker clubs that only had B bracket teams that will have to adjust

So glad my son is in HS now and I don't have to be surrounded anymore by dads bragging about which youth team is better.

When your kids get older, you'll realize how ridiculous you sound right now.

High school's play for the love of the game - not to see who is better.

I agree with this poster. It all will change every year. Enjoy your cocktail parties talking about how great your kid is and his youth team. Extended REC. Chris

Interesting - in your son's HS they don't keep score to see which team is better

What have you done with all of your kid's participant medals that they give out in youth rec leagues?

If you are seriously think that a U11 youth team should be analyzed/compared in the same regards as a HS team, I can't help you.

His rec team won several championships and I think he got trophies. No idea what happened to them.

Little League World Series is for 11 - 13 year olds
Broadcast on National TV and is represented by players from all over the world


Hopefully you can find the time to help those parents also

What is the best 11u tournaments this summer looking for strong competition.

""yep - they were a U11 team that played down every chance they could""

They didnt play down at all. They played where they should have ....did they beat your team with ease? Its ok your team is only a U11 team and your son will get over it quick, apparently you havent and never will get over a U11 team lost, pretty sad.. You are constantly saying the same drivel over and over..Just cause you say a lie over and over doesnt mean it is true.. Isnt it time for you to go after a U9 team now??

You have a lot of issues.

Any chance this league would go aged based by year instead of grade based??? Would make a lot more sense.

I do not think so. Because the coaches of all these teams have it in there head that they will carry there same 6th grade team all the way up to 12 grade. And they feel like they will play better if they play with the same group for lots of yeras. Even though everyone that has been around knows the kids/teams change by 80% from 6th to 12th grade if not 100%.

Not a chance Sat league goes age base. It is run by a grade base club, played at a MIAA school..Better chance getting the Orioles to change their name to Sparrows.
MYLA should be proud of themselves for starting the Grade base Sunday Club league last year. It has ruined their A teams and possible the better B teams. Now with this Sat league to go along with NYPLL Sunday league, goodbye MYLA except for B-minus and below competition..HOCO/MYLA Sunday will be very weak.... ..Good thinking MYLA ..

MYLA has always been a lame organization. Why would you expect them to get this right? They will go the way of Harco, extinct.

Agree totally. For once soccer has it right, age based by year, and Photo ID cards, with copies of birth certs needed to get those done. Everyone would be on the same level then. Talent and coaching would be more important.

Completely agree. Soccer does have it right with regard to both age based teams and enforcement of the age requirements (i.e. birth certificates and id cards), and NYPLL is getting it wrong going to grade based rather than age based teams.

So far as I can gather, the shift to grade based teams is nothing more than a shameless move by the large, deep clubs to take advantage of their larger base of players at the cost of exacerbating the differential in the height and weight of the players on the field (thereby increasing the risk of player injuries). In short, this was a decision that at least over the short term benefits the big youth clubs at the expense of making the sport more dangerous for all players on the field. This strike me as completely irresponsible.

As far as I am concerned, as the sponsoring organization to which we all play substantial annual fees, the US Lacrosse organization has a lot to answer for on this issue. US Lacrosse's paramount concern should be for player safety. By sanctioning grade based teams, US Lacrosse at a minimum is ducking its responsibility and failing its mission.

USL does not sanction grade base leagues and tournament. Here is what the Steve Stenersen the President and CEO of USL had to say on subject. I do think they need to be more pro active on this subject. They should take insurance away from grade base leagues and tournaments among other items.

"""""""""""" The problem with grade-based segmentation in youth sports is, of course, that it's not in the best interests of kids. The different rates of physical and cognitive development at each age varies widely so, in contact sport like boys' lacrosse, it's simply not safe to allow kids of such varying ages and development levels to compete against each other. Nor does it reinforce the fundamental principles of fair play and fun that are essential to player retention in youth sports. Allowing the club "system" and associated recruiting events to determine what's best for your child is not only a clear conflict of interest...it's a tremendous abdication of responsibility by the primary consumers of a child's lacrosse experience - parents. As most people should know by now, sport-specialization at an early age, year-round play, and the belief that playing more games is essential to player development are all myths. Sport specialization and year-round play burn kids out, drive them out of sport at too early an age, and lead to what has become an epidemic of overuse injuries in developing bodies. And, contrary to popular belief, playing more games doesn't make a player better; too often it simply reinforces bad habits because the quality of coaching offered by club teams is so inconsistent. It's incredibly ironic that peer pressure among parents plays such a significant role in the decisions they make on behalf of their kids...as does fear of retribution against their children from club programs and their coaches. That fear, alone, should trigger a serious concern. Sadly, parental ego also plays a role at times. But none of those are justifiable excuses for parents to allow and enable the youth lacrosse "industry" to make decisions based on its own interests...not those of the children they are paid to best serve. The single biggest factor in determining a child's success on the athletic field is genetics, not how much you play or pay. The overwhelming majority of kids who play club lacrosse and attend recruiting events won't get a college scholarship or admissions preference to play lacrosse in college. Most won't even play at the high school level. Club programs and tournaments are not inherently bad, but they need to be held accountable to what's best for your child. In a free market economy, it's up to the consumer - us parents - to make that happen. Or not. """""""""""""""

Agreed, if US Lacrosse was serious about player safety at the youth level, US Lacrosse should not insure grade based leagues and tournaments

US Lacrosse does not sanction grade based teams, but it effectively does facilitate grade based teams by providing insurance to grade base leagues and tournaments.

US Lacrosse cannot have it both ways: it cannot insist that it discourages grade based leagues and tournaments on the basis of player safety and then support those same leagues and tournaments by providing insurance. Are the premiums the same for both grade based and aged base leagues and tournaments to reflect the additional risk? If not, the age based leagues and tournaments are likely subsidizing the grade based leagues and tournaments.

Stenersen's quote is self serving. He seems to be suggesting that it is up to the parents. How does that work if the league your son plays in goes grade based? If I read the quote correctly my choice is simply to let my son play lacrosse or not and US Lacrosse is absolved from any responsibility for not providing any leadership on a core concern relating to player safety at the youth level.

US Lacrosse was advocating a two year system based on age. Now the leagues are trending towards a single year system based on grade. While this will occasionally include a couple kids 1 year older that are held back, it is in general a safer system than the two year system. Kids (and smart parents) will play up to challenge themselves until they get to high school anyway.

I agree, the grade based is better then the 2-year span of US lacrosse.

I have never seen USL advocating two year leagues vs one year grade. Thats a nice straw man argument.The two year was done to accommodate the low number of players in Lacrosse in most areas of country. Now that many areas have players to accommodate single year , USL advocates single age based year. Just like every other sport in the country does. Somehow lacrosse in Maryland seems to think it is ok to ruin youth lacrosse. Pretty easy to follow single year age base. Single year grade base is for the Maryland holdbacks and the clubs that get them. It is how adults turn youth lacrosse into a joke.

Ny, philly, and nj were all doing grade based tourneys well before md. Fact. Md changed most tourneys to align with the other states. There are also a lot of age based tourneys still in md unlike other states.

Talking about youth lacrosse...High School teams have always been by grade as they should..Now we have 9 and 10,etc year old teams based on grade not age..