The y went 1/4, the program is on the downhill slide and players know it so they are staying away.
What tournament were they at?
Tri-Star Lax Clash 2019, Garden city last weekend
One win (a 2 goal win over the statistically lowest team in the tournament) out of 5 games is NOT what I would consider an "elite team". And given the previous edict that "This is your #1 team, you play for DN over any other team." either appears to no longer be a rule or no longer be anything that anyone cares about. Wow.
Business model is still the same. Take all the money upfront, put your kid high on the depth chart for a couple of months so you feel good, but then slowly you begin to realize the kids and coaches are turning over more frequently than you expected, you then begin to question the value in playing scrub B league tourneys blowing out the other teams to claim hollow victories, maybe once in a blue moon you play a real AA team and the wheels come off, and then the first time you have a conflict and play with your regular club team they disgracefully throw you off the team with no refund. Eventually, you do that enough times and you read the repeated cycle of that silly experience in the 79 pages of posts here on BOTC, you run out of dupes to keep cash flow coming in. I have to admit, I’m still amazed that it has continued to survive this long.
I love when the parents of kids that can’t make the team or that can’t stay above the travel line post on this site. I’m surprised you took the time while you are at Lake Placid to post this one!!!
Yes Dukes should play in harder tourneys, but those that are sticking with it are enjoying the opportunity for our kids to get out of their hometown bubble and play with kids from a half a dozen states. The families look forward to hanging out with each other and the kids that have been around a while (most of the team now) really get along great!
If saying that all the people who are complaining are those with kids who just aren't good enough helps you sleep better at night, then by all means, continue believing that. But deep down you know it's not true. Great players have left the team. Great players have chosen to play on their local club team instead of DN when there is a conflict.
There are a few reasons for that.
First, DN is no longer the only game in town. The elite nationals team landscape has changed in the last few years and there are a number of new teams out there that offer more consistent and better coaching and training. Many of these new teams are comprised of honest brokers who deliver on what they promise, something DN does not do well.
Second, DN has strayed from their own core values. Best students? Hard work? Honesty? Respect? Asking for report cards is an after thought and I bet most don't send it in. And if they do, does anyone actually look at them and take action? Are they treating everyone with respect including parents, coaches, players and partners? Nope! They don't even honor their own depth chart. (The one exception being the 23 coach, who, when allowed to coach, does exhibit strong core values. Unfortunately he's not always allowed to coach the team as he sees fit.)
Third, DN no longer delivers on their elite lacrosse promise. Elite players should have elite practices and play elite competition. Instead you pay ever increasing fees for mediocre mini camps. It used to be that you went to a mini camp and there was position specific coaching for the first half followed by team play and drills. Not anymore.
The idea behind DN was to help elite players get better through coaching and competition. Now it's just a bunch of families sticking around with the hope that their kid makes Duke's Elite (which, by the way, is more of the same).
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