I guarantee, all these people talking garbage about any particular club, are the ones running to their tryouts. Pick a team, Outlaws, Rebels, rebels, 91, Express, Turtles, Legacy, the list goes on and on and you will find parents on those teams who aren't satisfied. Entire teams become dissatisfied with the Parent Organization and go their own way. Look at the Mighty Ducks. Oh, we were treated like a red headed step child, blah, blah, blah. The point is, at the end they couldn't draw the kids in and why do you think? People will have something to say anywhere you go. I see it every year at tryouts, so many kids wearing different club helmets and we only take 2 to 3 of those kids. I bet all the people talking garbage, have no clue about what's going on within a particular club. it's only gossip. But sometimes it's very funny.
Why wouldn't parents bring their kids to other clubs tryouts? It would be notIntelligent to put all your eggs in 1 basket. Some reasons to shop other teams are and not limited to:
- Maybe your kid isn't good enough on current team to get playing time so why would you spend thousands to stay there and have them watch other kids play and practice? Find a team where they might get some playing time or even reps in practice for the $$$ parents are spending. Move from AA team to B or C so at least your 13 year old gets to develop. Your not going to get any better watching other kids play. You can watch pros on ESPN for free. If coaches think at 8th or 9th grade its too late to develop in lacrosse then they don't know anything about sports and those are not the coaches you want. - Maybe you don't make your current club because new players come in better than your kid. If you don't go to other tryouts now you have no team to play on. - Location. Maybe parents are tired of driving 45 minutes to practice and would like to find something closer. - Promises not kept by current club. As we have seen above some clubs promise to do one thing and don't deliver. It's too expensive to hope that things will change at current club. - Politics - If you are on a team full of coaches kids then those spots are closed. Also town associations. Many teams are full of kids from that town where coaches have a vested interested in developing them for High School. If your not from that town you are SOL even if you are good enough to play. - Money - Move to another team and save enough money to take the family on a weekend getaway. Crazy that club lacrosse is so expensive that you can actually do that.
At the end of the day there are many reasons to look for or switch new teams and its not always because parents are jerks or crazy. And believe it or not most parents are realistic about their kids ability. Its usually because they are spending thousands of dollars and their kid is getting nothing out of it despite what was promised in tryouts. If you don't see any improvement in a 13 year old from the start of the season to the end then why stay? Your paying for a service which is to make kids better lacrosse players. Some parents like myself don't really care how many tournaments we win. I want to see my kid leaving practice and games with a smile on his face and throughout the year see my kid doing a new dodge or a better shot or better footwork on defense or some other kind of improvement.
If I don't like the food at one restaurant I decide not to go back there and spend my money elsewhere. Same thing with SOME lacrosse clubs it seems. They are serving bad food and then after a couple years consumers stop going there and they shut down. Don't blame it on the customers, its usually the food.
Very well stated.
If your kid is not getting playing time or the coaches don’t show up or cancel practice often, it’s time to look for another program, in the long run playing time and good coaching is much more important that
The frustration some parents demonstrate is astonishing
Called lacrosse psychos This should surprise no one
At this point if your kid doesn’t start they are the B string. If they are B string on current team they may very well be B string on another. Time to be honest about their skill level.. Every one of these organizations are looking to win games to keep their reputation up so they can continue to bring in $$. [/quote]
Pretty safe to say you never played sports growing up. I’m guessing anyone reading this site who actually played sports growing up can still remember a handful of kids who were the best in grade 8 and were washed up by 12 grade, replaced with kids who didn’t even play the sport in grade 8. Anyone who tells a kid they can't be any better at anything then they were in grade 8 knows nothing and should be banished to chess club forums - no lacrosse for you!
From inside lacrosse magazine-
TREND #1 - LATE BLOOMERS, FINDING THE NEXT "DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH" Coaches focus on identifying players with a lot of potential, and then developing them once they get to college. A player's true athletic potential may not be apparent until junior or senior of high school. The best player in 8th grade is not going to be the best player in 10th grade, and he’s not going to be the best player by sophomore year of college. Every athlete will develop at a different speed. Dozens of factors such as skill development, coachability, strength and agility training (to name a few) make every player's growth trajectory different. Scores of successful college players were undersized and under-recruited during freshman and sophomore years of high school, only to blossom their junior and senior years.
Intangibles Matter Once a player proves that he has the athleticism and skills to play at the D1 level, then the intangibles come into focus. Does the player like to compete every day? What is his work ethic like? Does he want to improve or is he complacent where he is now? It’s the intangibles that will make the difference over a player’s college career. Four years is a long time and there will be challenges every player will need to handle. Also, coaches want to know what the player is like in the huddle, in the locker room and off the field. Coaches seek out players with character and integrity, as they know that will serve their programs well in the long-term.
