ok...I may be the one that is missing something, but anyone who has been traveling the last couple of years (starting in SECOND GRADE) up and down east coast for travel lax--your words--is lacking a screw or two...curious--did he still use a booster seat on those travels?I get that your son is 'putting in the work"--grrrr- to get better at his craft, but something tells me that my 4th grade son will be just as well playing PAL and doing his own thing...but hey, I might be the crazy one...who knmows?...
PAL and club travel lacrosse are two completely different animals. Most club teams do travel off of Long Island to play better competition. Having kids compete against higher level teams brings their own level of play up.
PAL lacrosse is for equal playing time, skills development, daddy coaches, and town politics. Have fun with that!
I have two in HS, one in MS and one 4th grade. Most of the people who sign their kids up for travel in 2nd grade are doing so with their oldest kid. They think that they will lock down a spot on a top tier team and this will be his/her ticket to a D1 ride (not happening, BTW). Anyone that has been through the machine already knows that once the kids hit middle school there is a massive "leveling off". Once they hit high school, kids who started playing in 8th grade but are over 6' are the ones that play (sorry little guido dads, it's different than when you played). 2nd-4th grade teams are made up of the kids that can catch, throw, run and shoot. By the time they hit 5th and 6th grade, everyone can do that and it's the bigger, more coachable kids who see the time and get moved to the top teams. I've seen it with my older kids, from both sides. Two moved up, one moved down.
But by all means, burn them out now so the thinning of the herd will be quicker at that time. It'll only help my 4th grader who's just starting now.
