Actually I have a 16 year old senior who has been playing varsity age kids since 9th. We welcomed the challenge and it helped him develope into the great player he is. No complaints, just play the game. Think the Turtles are great but you didn't really think other kids wouldn't catch up? None of our kids are that special, and having a #1 on your back just inspires others that much more to try to take you down. Be happy you are still a top team, enjoy your accomplishments, and be humble and when you do lose don't look for excuses, it cheapens the team.
You CHOSE to have your kid play against older kids. He is certainly an outstanding athlete and was capable of playing up. No one has a problem with this. The complaints are that kids are being forced to play against older kids due to this absurd system that has them grouped by grad year and not date of birth.
What is often lost is that it need not be all about college recruitment. Most will not play in college. But they all play because they love it and are having fun competing and being with, and making, friends. Club lacrosse is a great activity for a young man, from 8 years old all the way up to 18. It occupies their time productively, teaches them a lot of valuable life lessons, and keeps them busy.
Club lacrosse would grow (more $$$ for owners of clubs/tournaments) if they went to a strict age structure. More kids, more teams, more $$$. And it will not hurt the kids chasing the college spots. There will still be big time teams, AA brackets, etc.
I do agree with you for the most part. I have not always been happy that my son was forced to play against older beasts in some cases. It seems that this is how lacrosse works. Unfortunately there are no enforced age brackets for the most part. I also realize that not all kids play in college. But we not talking about average lacrosse players here. We are talking about the Turtles, many of whom have been doing just fine on their varsity teams. I still believe that at this stage (11th grade), age should no longer be major factor in their performance in the club circuit. If a team has a few holbacks it should not really matter. The sport has grown and there are a lot more great players out there than there were 3 years ago. It just plain got harder to stay on top!
