I'm new to the site and have read all 64 pages of comments that have been posted. It seems that most of you have drank way to much of the club Kool-Aid and are completely brainwashed that anything that happens in the 6th grade really matters much. I'm a parent of a player who is on a club team (and was a member of the infamous 91 ICE team). The main focus at this age should only be the training that these kids receive to play the game. Parents will move there kids from team to team because they want to be part of a "winning" team when the only reward will be a $7.00 T shirt. What good is watching the best kids on the team play most of the game while your little "johnny" warms the bench and gets to play the last two minutes of a game? Training, Training, and Training is all that matters at this level. When these kids hit the 7th grade and some new kid that's never played club lacrosse joins the middle school team and blows away some of the club players you'll ask yourself, Why did I pay $16,000 for the past 4 years???? Your kid should be more concerned with how good can I be rather than how good are my teammates. A team, B team means nothing more than $$$$$ for the directors of these clubs.
Training is for sure very important. We are in agreement there. But I do have to say that the level of skill of the other players on your team is just as important. A few years back, my son made a top travel team at this age group. At that time, he was an good player, but was probably at the bottom of the team from a skill level. He was however, athletic and smart. Playing with boys who were bigger and better just upped his level of play over the years. His development has been fun to watch, as well as the development of his teammates. Had my son played for a lower level team, I do not believe his skills would have developed as they have. But yes, training is a big part of it. Good luck to your son.
