US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) Boys 2025-6th Grade Fall 2018/Summer 2019

Express parents know how it works by now. It's the 91 parents who are in for the rude awakening. No, no, it won't be _your_ kid who gets pushed to the bench. Lol lol.

Um, yeah. We also have a 4th grade daughter. I didn't realize that was strange. I guess my wife is more attractive than yours.

91 already has an out of state guest player they took this year. That can only get worse on a WSYL year not better.

express does as well. those clubs are the worst at bending the rules.

If you take on older kids it’s because you want to improve the team and make, and win the TV game. Let’s be honest if that game was not aired on ESPN, the teams from the east wouldn’t go. So if a club brings in rent a players, what’s the big deal? It’s within the rules. And you now know where you stand with the coach and club. Just go find another club.

The WSYL team for any club should be comprised of the best players who fit the age requirement, as long as they play for the club during the tourney season. It’s within the rules and it’s fair. For example, if a kid plays up, he should be allowed to play on age his rising 8th grade year. Rules are there for a reason. And the best kids on age from any club should play. And if your kid isn’t good enough to play, work harder or stay home. A spot at the WSYL isn’t part of your tuition.

Agreed on the above post...

Thanks Captain Obvious. It's not a grade based tourney. It's age based. Teams in other states have two tryouts. One for summer season and one for WSYL. LI will do that next year I'm sure. Cha-ching! $$

What’s the big deal . Wow. That’s the problem . It’s suppose to be the best team over the last few years. Not let’s get as many new players to win a tournament , including kids from out of state. . Now the tournament has no meaning . If you want to improve your team with local kids , I am all for that , but pulling kids from other states just destroys everything the tournament is suppose to represent. Now the tournament is Meaningless .

Hence why he said “age requirement”, Genius. On LI, most boys within the age requirement will be rising 8th graders.

Hence why he said “age requirement”, Genius. On LI, most boys within the age requirement will be rising 8th graders.

It supposed to be? I didn’t read that anywhere. Lol, how does make sense when it’s age based. Newsflash..., the rest of the world plays grade all year and this is the one age event. People selectively forget that. There is finally a tourney that is completely balanced and devoid of holdbacks and people find issue because clubs are trying win it. Every team should stack and make ithe best U13 team they can. It will further improve the tourney. If a team isn’t adding young 2023s, they shouldn’t go.. Shocked that Maryland, Pa and Mass haven’t done this yet.

The above post is 100% spot on. The clubs should send their best on age players, despite what team they play for during the summer.

so than its the best club not team, i get you. Thanks for proving my point that it is all about the clubs and the money they make. NOT the best TEAM. think of it this way.

Players need to live within 50 miles of the team's practice location. And yes, they check. You will need to send in birth certificates and report cards. Age-based tournaments are not restricted by grade. Teams have been putting together WSYL tournaments teams since the second year. The fringe players on teams going to qualifiers will be relegated to bench players. My only advice is to be selective and smart with your team choice next year. The tournament is only worth it if your team wins. That means, if you're not on Express, don't bother.

Because Maryland, Mass and PA kids are still too old for it!

The distance criteria is 100 miles, not 50 miles. Multiple PA kids are playing on 2024 LI teams this year. You just lost all credibility as a self proclaimed expert on the subject.

Top MD teams have 3 to 4 on age players on their roster. None of those teams could ever go.

What teams are these PA kids playing for? This is not meant to be rude, but I don't know of many PA kids that I've seen that would play on any of the top 4 2024 LI teams. Furthermore, Brotherly Love's '24 team is very good. They are probably top 5 in that tournament. If they're not good enough to play for them, they're not making the LI teams. I think you might be mistaken. Or you're just making things up, which is more likely the case.

I predict Express takes home the WSYL next year and 91 gets knocked out in a semi-final without making it to the ship. All other LI teams lose in pool play.

How is Coach Vicari's Igloo B team. I saw them in the fall once and they looked great. Were they able to fill there rosters with solid players?

Express and Express North are the top teams right now, obviously. And the gap is fairly comfortable. But it's impossible to predict because 91 or Igloo or rebels, etc.. could, and very likely will, add 5-6 new players next year. They may be enough to change the landscape of the division. Unless Express does the same.

Why isn't Geese in this conversation? I thought they were one of the better teams.

Obviously??!? Haha! I’m happy this thread is about to be resurrected from the dead!

Those teams are busy taking the kids who don't see the field on Express. No player with talent is leaving Express and any new top talent will go to Express.

Nope. HHH midi/faceoff kid is playing for Express. And best player from Bro Love is on Wolfpack this year. Both are within 100 miles. I believe both kids are on their regular team roster, not just for the WSYL.

Everything will change for the WSYL next year. Almost no team will go with their regular roster. Completely separate WSYL try-outs. Clubs create WSYL-only teams just for this tourney. They use all of the Fall babies from their older team, which this year would mean their '23 team, and next year it will be the '24's. They'll also grab kids (again usually Fall babies, ie younger holdbacks) from teams that aren't going, if they think they can help them. This practice was started and perfected by the Express organization. Now, almost every team does this, to one degree or another. They are all pick-up teams, so they really aren't "teams" at all. As far as I know, there is only one '24 team that is not doing this, meaning they are playing with the same team all year long, from Fall through the summer and the WSYL, and that's 91 Wolfpack. But that is literally the only team doing this. Coincidentally, they are the favorite to win this year. So when you think of "teams" that are going to compete for the WSYL next year, they are not teams as you know them today. They are pickup teams.

Agreed. I know a few '24's with fall 06 birthdays that would easily qualify for the WSYL next year. If they chose to go that route, they would be total game changers for the '25 team that they play for. Any above average '25 team would become the best '25 team anywhere, literally overnight. No exaggeration. And that could actually happen with these kids that I know. So don't get too hung up on what your kids team has done in the past, next years WSYL is completely different.

Actually,the first year, 2020 teams, was won by Crush. They played together forever. Then Legacy exploited the age loophole and won with their kids ‘20-‘21 team. Express did the same the next year and won with their ‘21-‘22 team. Last year, most teams took older kids except for the Bandit, who one with their normal team. With that being said, their are no teams from ‘24 down that are close to as dominant as Crush or Bandits. If teams want a real shot at winning, they will need to bring in the fall birthdays. I don’t know of any LI club that holds separate tryouts, though. Not yet. They do that in NJ and PA.

91’s home field is in Holtsville. That’s about 150 miles from Philadelphia. Brotherly Love is based out of Philly. I suppose it’s possible, but I doubt it’s true. I know a few WP dads. I think they would have mentioned that. I’m calling your BS.

I suggest if you are calling anyone, you should call the Wolfpack dads you know. Not fake news. And 91 has no ofilliation with Holtsville. Zero. Not sure where you got that from. They are now based in Commack. And distance is measured “as the crow flies”.

From what I heard, Express had a separate tryout this year. And, since 91 is going with their regular team again this year, sounds like you give them no shot at winning it. Everyone I know, says they are the favorite this year.

Express did not have a separate tryout this year. They may next year though. I fully believe that that’s the direction it’s going. Clubs will somehow get parents to pay an extra $2k for a supplemental team in addition to the $4k they’re paying for the standard team. But they didn’t do it this year. And I don’t think WP will win if they don’t bring in ringers. They’re a very good team, but have never been as dominant as the other two mentioned. Legacy is known for bringing in game changers every year. I’m sure they will again. Look for the trend to continue next year with our guys. Express will absolutely stack their roster, as will Express North. Geese will be back in the fold and very likely another team will make a push this year. If 91 or any other want to even be competitive they will need to follow suit.

It's disengenous to call it an "age loophole". This tournament is age-based. For this upcoming summer, players are eligible if they regularly play with the team (this is defined in the rules), live within 100 miles of the home field of the team, and are born on or after 9/1/2005. There is no reference to grade or graduation year. The kid can be Doogie Howser and already in medical school, left back 3 times and be in 4th grade, or not go to school at all. It doesn't matter. All that matters is that he or she be born on or after 9/1/2005, and meet the other two non-age/grade eligibility requirements.

isn't this the 2025 board? why is the discussion about WSYL??

I'm new to the site and have read all 64 pages of comments that have been posted. It seems that most of you have drank way to much of the club Kool-Aid and are completely brainwashed that anything that happens in the 6th grade really matters much. I'm a parent of a player who is on a club team (and was a member of the infamous 91 ICE team). The main focus at this age should only be the training that these kids receive to play the game. Parents will move there kids from team to team because they want to be part of a "winning" team when the only reward will be a $7.00 T shirt. What good is watching the best kids on the team play most of the game while your little "johnny" warms the bench and gets to play the last two minutes of a game? Training, Training, and Training is all that matters at this level. When these kids hit the 7th grade and some new kid that's never played club lacrosse joins the middle school team and blows away some of the club players you'll ask yourself, Why did I pay $16,000 for the past 4 years???? Your kid should be more concerned with how good can I be rather than how good are my teammates. A team, B team means nothing more than $$$$$ for the directors of these clubs.

+1. I'm relatively new to the site as well. My son plays on a club team in the Mid-Atlantic area that is High B/Low to mid A (depending on the kids do that day, they’re a 2025 team – 6th grade at this point in time). My son loves it there and I have no problem schlepping him 45 minutes each way to practice twice a week during the summer and then 1-2 hours to the tournaments. The focus with this team is development. They give equal playing to all the kids (about 17-19) who end up making the team (I would say about 25-30 kids try out and don’t make the team, it doesn't seem like a money grab). The coaches send e-mails out before the tournaments stating that they don’t care how many games they win, it really doesn’t matter. The practices are well-oiled machines. Skill development, defensive positioning and instruction and then about 20 minutes of scrimmage to apply what they’ve learned. During the games, if a kid makes a bad mistake, they’ll pull him out, give instruction on the sideline, and then immediately put him back in to apply what they just been taught. My son loves it there. Don’t know how far my son will go in the future, if he’ll make the HS team here or not (it’s a really strong program where we are) or if he’ll get any playing time there, but we’re just trying to enjoy the moment and get some good father/son time along the way. I do enjoy this site. Some of the comments are a little crazy, but it’s a good to get a sense as what’s out there and what the dynamics are like on and off the field.

Training is for sure very important. We are in agreement there. But I do have to say that the level of skill of the other players on your team is just as important. A few years back, my son made a top travel team at this age group. At that time, he was an good player, but was probably at the bottom of the team from a skill level. He was however, athletic and smart. Playing with boys who were bigger and better just upped his level of play over the years. His development has been fun to watch, as well as the development of his teammates. Had my son played for a lower level team, I do not believe his skills would have developed as they have. But yes, training is a big part of it. Good luck to your son.

Did you really just reference a team from 91 and that gives you some sort of expertise backing? You are a major db.

I agree with your perspective on the importance of training however you're missing a few VERY key components. As I've tried to drill into my kids, Practice makes Permanent... not perfect. Who's training your kid or kids? If you're knowledgeable enough and have the time to do it yourself (3 to 5 days a week), congratulations! If you're not... are you paying a professional trainer? Because if you have a 4th, 5th or 6th grade kid who can train on their own at the level needed to get significantly better then WOW! That kid will be special. Otherwise you're spending more money on a personal trainer, or your kid isn't improving from JUST the training.

I know some "lower level" clubs and even town programs have some excellent coaches... but the reality of the matter is the better clubs have the better coaching. Additionally, when you surround yourself (or your kid in this instance) with better players, then the coach can demand more, push the kids harder and faster, etc... hence your kid is going to develop at the game faster, be better, and gets the better "training" at practice and in games. NOW, if you want your kid to be in the top 5%, then yes, you also need to do additional independent training in addition to learning and playing the game. But (personal opinion), to state that they ONLY need to train at the ages up to 6th grade seems a little obtuse. UNLESS, you are paying thousands of dollars on private training that incorporates sport specific training, etc. Which kind of defeats your point of paying thousands of dollars to play club...

Just another opinion