Here is the truth about the Coach. He is a man who is a very good coach at practices and does run a family-type club. Everyone stays together but as in any club, there are cliques. He is very driven to make Elevate a strong name on the East Coast. The club is very organized. However, he is very good to the people/players in his inner circle and on his top teams. If you are on a lower team, your team is just practice to the top teams. You and your daughter will feel a little left out. He practices all teams together which is not a good thing if you are on a lower team. On the top team side, there is parent coaching and they definitely promote certain players over others. Our team did not go to the tournaments we should have this year. If you don't drink his Kool-Aid you will hate being there and so will your daughter. The lower teams are an after thought.
Interesting take on things but not quite the same as our experience. Have a kid NOT on a top team and thought the practices were great. We welcomed the opportunity to practice with the better teams, playing with better kids, makes you better. We did not feel left out at all. Totally felt like we were part of the club and kids had a great bonding experience with girls on many of the teams. And yes, coaches play the better kids (it is competitive travel lacrosse) and no matter what club/team you play on, that will be the experience where better kids will play more. However, overall, the playing time was very fair and my child was not one of the better kids. Our Elevate experience was a great one and look forward to returning next year.
