Originally Posted by Anonymous
It is unfortunate but High School Lacrosse (boys and girls) has become a mess here on Long Island. Parents, High School Coaches, Club Directors and College coaches all contribute to the problems. The players are caught in the middle and even if they have grounded realistic parents it can be very stressful for the players.

Parents: Many of us are crazy and unrealistic. Many of us are bitter, jealous and hateful. Many of us create toxic and unpleasant sidelines. Not all are bad but there are a lot that cause all sorts of issues.

High School Coaches: There are some really good ones. There are also some really bad ones. There are incompetents and there are coaches who do not care. Some are misguided and there are bullies. There are coaches who allow a financial conflict of interest to influence their decisions. There are also plenty of arrogant coaches.

Club Directors: Some good, some bad but at the end of the day the parents can choose. The parent can choose what club to play for (as long as HS coach does not coerce the player). The player and parent can choose not to play club at all.

College Coaches: College coaches lining the sidelines of 9th and 10th grade games is great for the top players but it can negatively impact many of the players. It also fuels the fires of the crazy unrealistic parents. In some cases it also impacts the insecure HS coach, many do not like it when players are recruited before they play a varsity game.

High School sports are supposed to be about the players. Its not supposed to be about the coaches or the parents or getting recruited. My kids all play multiple sports and none of the other sports are anything like lacrosse in any way. Parents, High School Coaches, College Coaches and Club Owners all contribute to the mess known as Long Island Lacrosse. Forgot, some youth league directors and youth coaches are problems as well.

Good luck to all who try to navigate this crazy landscape.


YOU ARE A 100% RIGHT! As a parent of multiple children who all play 3+ competitive sports a year, Lacrosse by far has the worst sidelines and sport tension. In every other sport we root for the team AND individual accomplishment. In Lax the parents, clubs, booster programs and recruiting make it so tough to enjoy. Parents don't talk, kids don't pass and everyone is playing for themselves. That's why in our town enrollment is dropping like a brick at the younger ages and its a shame