Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
I am the FOGO dad from the above post. Thank you for the thoughtful comments in response, all good points.

One further note that I am not sure many people know. For D-1, the best FO percentage in the country in 2014 was 68%, the tenth best was 58%, the 42 best was 50%.


So while people may want parity as a result of the new proposed rules, I would venture to guess that the best kid in the country will still be around 70% next year. So the rules won't likely accomplish parity.

It means that the issue really comes down to the back of the stick vs scrums and injury.

That said, I know that through HS, the disparity in winning %s is far greater. The kid that wrote the petition (nice kid by the way) wins all the time. My kid (different age) wins all the time. As a result, the audience here which is most likely the parents of kids between 3rd grade and 12th grade, see it from a much different perspective and I understand that also. It must be hard to be losing a big HS game because the opposing FOGO never losses.

But in college D-1 lax, there is pretty good parity now and the truth is that if they left it alone as more pinch and pop kids get to that level, the playing field is level.

We should also note, the HS rules haven't changed, even if the NCAA adopts the HS will not, at least for this year. SO those kids will still be pinching and popping for the next HS season. As most tournaments we attended this summer play HS rules, I suspect we will see it all of next summer without regard to NCAA rules.



The face off is a great part of the game and has been for a long time. It should remain an important part of the game, but it shouldn't have a disproportionate impact on the outcome. Lacrosse is a game of possessions. If you have a FOGO that wins north of 50% then that team has a huge advantage over their opponent. I can't think of another sport that has a "face off" like event that can alter the outcome of a game. Not allowing a player to hold the ball in the back of the stick is a fine change and will result in more ground balls and should mitigate the impact of having a FOGO that has mastered the pinch and pop - it's better for the game and is probably a better alternative to doing away with the face off entirely. And more injuries? Please, that's a lame excuse to not making changes.


Why is it better for the game to remove pinch and pop? I have heard several times but no one gives an answer. Please enlighten those of us that don't understand why the game will be better.