US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) Boys 2024-4th Grade Fall 2015 Summer 2016

My daughter is a freshman in dartmath. I wonder in 4 yrs, when she goes on a job interview, I wonder if she gets asked what her 9 yr old teams softball record was.

Only 4 kids will remain on that team in 5 years. Your son probably won't be one of them.

I'm assuming you didn't go to Dartmouth...darthmath lol.

I alao wrote in dartmouth, I should have wrote at dartmouth. Also its a proper noun. I should have used a capital D. I also should have used a comma instead of a period. I was typing while I was driving. I was wrong about that too. Ok professor. Several mistakes. It was a point I was trying to make.

You should have "written" Dartmouth .... Your point was lost in a sea of dumb mistakes.

Avengers finally taken off 91's website. It's crazy a program like 91 only has one team for this age group.

It is sad especially with the Outlaws have 2.

Team is good enough to be the only 1

Breathe man. There will be more tryouts next season.

Maybe when his kid goes to HS next year the express coach will jump back again and jerk all his kids (2026, 2025 and 2024) back to 91 with him.

Dartmouth is nice this time of year.

Nice try, but he has a kid on the Terps too

Oh! But He can make those teams. He is doing just fine where he is.Playing with his friend and learning from great coaches.We don't stress about getting to practice's or playing other sports...And his team is very good! Sure, they lose once in a while, but they learn from there losses. You need to learn how to lose or you will never be able to really win down the road in life when it matters.

What team are you talking about?

Anyone know their Spring and Fall schedule?

Anyone know their spring and summer tournament schedules?

2024?...lets see, we are going to the Chucky Cheese lax-fest in July..Followed by the 'cant miss' Sesame Place Shootout in late July...very cool!

Valid question on a 2024 lax thread...typical tool response. So average of you.

There are a couple of people on this thread that think it's way out of line to ask questions about 2024 teams and tournaments and post snide comments like the one above. If they don't think it's appropriate to ask 2024 lacrosse questions on a "Boys 2024-4th Grade" forum, then why do they read and then post on here? If they don't have kids in this age group or don't have kids that play lax at all then we should all be a little creeped out.

My 4th grader doesn't like Chucky Cheese or Sesame Street. 2024 thread = 2024 questions. Seems OK to me

That's my point to you.It does not matter what team he is on.. at this stage in his life. It is a very good town travel team.Again with great coaches and lots of learning and fun going on.

Lighten up, Francis....

What 4th grader likes Sesame street? Chuck e Cheese? You just showed why your boy is a step behind the better teams. My only hope is that you are a Mom writing this. And if your 9 yr old is still watching Sesame Street, Lacrosse should be the last thing on your mind.

sorry.. Barney still big with 4th grade Laxers?

Funny. Many of these 4th graders have actually played up and down the east coast (Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, etc...) for the past 2 years. I guess while your son is home watching Barney, a lot of other kids are putting in the work to learn the game.

ok...I may be the one that is missing something, but anyone who has been traveling the last couple of years (starting in SECOND GRADE) up and down east coast for travel lax--your words--is lacking a screw or two...curious--did he still use a booster seat on those travels?I get that your son is 'putting in the work"--grrrr- to get better at his craft, but something tells me that my 4th grade son will be just as well playing PAL and doing his own thing...but hey, I might be the crazy one...who knmows?...

PAL and club travel lacrosse are two completely different animals. Most club teams do travel off of Long Island to play better competition. Having kids compete against higher level teams brings their own level of play up.

PAL lacrosse is for equal playing time, skills development, daddy coaches, and town politics. Have fun with that!

I have two in HS, one in MS and one 4th grade. Most of the people who sign their kids up for travel in 2nd grade are doing so with their oldest kid. They think that they will lock down a spot on a top tier team and this will be his/her ticket to a D1 ride (not happening, BTW). Anyone that has been through the machine already knows that once the kids hit middle school there is a massive "leveling off". Once they hit high school, kids who started playing in 8th grade but are over 6' are the ones that play (sorry little guido dads, it's different than when you played). 2nd-4th grade teams are made up of the kids that can catch, throw, run and shoot. By the time they hit 5th and 6th grade, everyone can do that and it's the bigger, more coachable kids who see the time and get moved to the top teams. I've seen it with my older kids, from both sides. Two moved up, one moved down.

But by all means, burn them out now so the thinning of the herd will be quicker at that time. It'll only help my 4th grader who's just starting now.

guy, just stop now...we get it..you drank the travel Kool-Aid out of the sippy cup...and ty to the subsequent poster for expanding on my thoughts...the travel lax directors loooove you and your ilk for playing travel lax in 2nd, 3rd & 4th grade...and your sons future college coach will be enthralled hearing how your son has been spending summers traveling up and down the coast since he was 6 or 7 years old....make sure to load up on your programs swag for Christmas!

Sorry that your son didn't make a travel team...Well, there's always next year. In the meantime, enjoy your PAL season!

Another B level Dad. Haha too funny. Go have a catch with your son.

Yes there are some kids that come out of nowhere and are able to compete when they get older. But the top kids on these teams are the ones that stand out in middle school. Look at the list of the top players in both Suffolk and Nassau and then look at the history of where they played. 80+% played for top Travel programs during their 4th, 5th grades and then continued through Middle school. To say they all level out is a blatantly wrong statement. Travel lax is not for everyone but to think that boys who are playing at a high level of competition now don't have the jump on kids that don't, you are sadly mistaken. 6 foot tall boys play over everyone else? Where do you come up with this stuff? It sounds like another Dad with mediocre kids who cant find a reason why this happened to him, so he just spews out wrong or jealous information. C'mon man we can see right through you.

The young years of travel lax are the best. I could care less about the scholarship. My son loves playing and I love watching. Even more than that I enjoy the car rides and boys weekends at the hotels in Maryland an PA. Too many great experiences to count. Competing, winning, losing, team camaraderie. Not comparable to PAL. In a few years its about girls, texting and social media. And travel lax gets way more serious which is a negative for the boys and parents. These are the best years.

And btw, he loves his team swag and if he has to switch teams i'll replace it all.

Dito, last response....

Both of you are right. The kids that go D1 are kids that are both elite athletes (size is but one aspect of one's athletism), and have elite stick skills/lacrosse IQ. By and large, these kids started playing at a young age and were on top teams very early. But it is also true that there is a leveling off in the sense that at the younger ages (4th and younger, but also maybe 5-6), kids who can catch, pass, shoot and cradle can dominate without elite athletism, and elite athletes can dominate without the skills or IQ. These are the kids that fall back to the middle of the pack as they get into MS/HS. You just need one when you are young, but you need both as you get older. I have seen a million parents think that their 3/4 attack man is great simply because he can score a million catch-and-shoot goals against bad defense. The same kid, when he gets older, will never get a good shot off when an athletic long pole is in his shirt and he lacks the athletic ability to get open and beat his man off a dodge. This kid gets past by the athletic 6 footer who picks up a stick in 8th grade. But said 8th grader is never getting past the 6 foot athlete who started when he was in 2nd grade.

It is great that you are building memories. However I would bet that this is your oldest or only child. Spending all your vacations running around with your family on the New Jersey Turnpike to play Long Island teams is not everyone's idea of a dream vacation. Oh and if you are taking your entire family to every tournament (Hershey or Stowe) be advised that the rest of the Dads are probably talking about you. Club ball literally consumes every weekend in the summer. If you have the time and disposable income, go nuts. I knew 6th graders that paid for "showcases"!? But from my own personal opnion with multiple boys, club lacrosse is not a good idea before 6th grade. 5th grade and under is solely a money grab. And guess what? Everyone can throw and catch in High School and Junior's mad run to the cage bull dodge wont work by 6th grade. He has to learn work within a team offense. And if he isnt 6 foot by 2022 think about trying baseball.

Not sure which club goes all summer. Our team is done by mid July.

You've gotta love dopes like this. Lecturing the rest of us about what's best for our kids and family. If you don't want your kid playing travel,that's fine, but please just shut up and keep your opinions to yourself. Also, if this is all such a bad idea, why are you on this thread posting about 4th graders?

We play 1 month out of a 3 month summer. What are you talking about? And if your Travel team depends on one or two boys Bull dodging to win tournaments you are on the wrong team with the wrong coaches. The best Travel teams at this level have taught the boys to move the ball and work in a team concept even at this age. To think all teams are the same at this level is just wrong and if that's how you feel look for another program. My sons team moves the ball and team concept is the main reason for their success, if the team is counting on 1 boy to take them to the winners circle, exit left immediately