Originally Posted by Anonymous
I know nothing about "bringing kids in" or how they go about pulling a team together and not sure why that would be of concern to any parent. I would just want my son, in the offseason, to be around the best to raise his skills. It doesn't make any difference about the model, its about getting kids better in the offseason and thats what is paramount. Worrying about a "model" sounds like its coming from business perspective-which is foreign to me. Get my kids around the best in the field and in the box so he becomes better and elevates his own game-simple.

As a parent, I want my son playing for the program that will provide him the best platform regardless of what high school he is attending. Best training, deep college relationships, best platform for tournaments where college recruiters will be attending..etc.. I would think, that as a club team, you would put on the field the best players that give you the best chance to win regardless of high school affiliation.

Anyone on tryouts after labor day instead of 4th of July?


The concern with bringing kids in to play, regardless of talent level, is that you end up with different line-ups every tournament. As a result, the team is unable to build any chemistry on the field. If kids are unfamiliar with their teammates, that directly affects their decision making on the field, which is a disadvantage in their development. I agree that it is preferable to play with the best kids that you can, and clubs certainly want to put the best product on the field, but having kids that show up and don't know the offense, defense, rides, clears, etc. is not any type of advantage. Not saying that this is an issue with O2, just offering my two cents based upon experience. And for what it's worth, looking at club lacrosse as a "model" makes all of the sense in the world, club lacrosse is a business, period. You may have great coach, team, etc., but the fact remains that they are in it to make a profit.

As for the high school affiliation, it is not a club issue, the question is whether a kid feels pressured to commit to a certain club to help his status on the high school team. For example, if your kid will only play third line middie for O2, but could start for BBL, would you keep him on O2 for fear that he would lose playing time at DB because he doesn't play for the DB coach's club. Again, not suggesting that anything like this would occur with O2 or DB, but it is certainly an issue with other clubs that have a connection to a high school program. Take Rumson-Fair Haven for example, I imagine that some might think that there is an advantage to playing for Leading Edge Elite because of their coach's affiliation with the club.