US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums MID-ATLANTIC LACROSSE MARYLAND FORUM True Annapolis

If you've read True's business plan for Maryland, that's not it at all. Most of the True rosters in Maryland have a handful of rec-based clubs they can't beat.

In Maryland, True has simply acquired other locally-run clubs (or rights to the club's name, or hiring a club's entire coaching staff....), so if anything, it's subtraction by addition. Cutters, Fallston, Mason-Dixon, Wolfpack, Kelly Post, MESA-MD, Koopers that I can recall off the top of my head. How has True increased the competitiveness and opportunities of any of those players? The local (mostly positive) culture and branding of the clubs replaced by "just add more mediocre reps." It's only been 4? 5? years total. What contribution to Maryland youth lacrosse do they have to show for it?

The Cutters acquisition in particular was designed to build True's first elite presence on the east coast. Cutters players across several age groups were promised roster spots on True National and True Maryland teams, and despite all this "elite opportunity", the families "in the know" have gradually left True.

Fast forward to 2023 and you have a corporate club (True Maryland program) with a documented, factually based reputation for illegal roster substitutions even in Hoco playoff games and in tournaments. Players dramatically flopping for penalties like it's a soccer game, and most dramatically, players failing to achieve high school varsity roster spots.

Then there's the Allergy Medicine situation with the True MD full time staff.

The True MD experiment is almost over, but yes, I expect their next "5 year business plan" to look as you suggest, "A $3000/year bridge between rec and club." As if that is what anybody needed or asked for.

It’s a great business model. It just [Censored] for local kids/parents.

-Offer a struggling rec/club team admin some money to join the “family.”

-Promise to keep the team together.

-Take over the team. Advertise new green/black logo.

-Split up team how it best serves the company. Install new, overwhelmingly mediocre coaches.

-Charge parents $2800+ for the same A-level lax they were getting a year before for $800.

Then kids CAN’T leave because they no longer have a local cheap rec/club option to play lacrosse at and still aren’t good enough to make a good club team.

So sure. They are “bridging the gap” between rec and club alright. By letting hopeful and naive parents pay club prices for rec lax.

Wow, I wish I would have done some research before we joined True. I know this has unfolded overtime, so maybe it would not have made a difference.

For some of us that have played the game for a long time and have multiple kids having positive and not so great club experiences. The lack of leadership, structure and cronyism is terrible.

We all want our kids to have positive experiences, and be developed to the best of their effort and ability.

The last post really felt like someone was going through the exact same situation. For those of us who love the game, and always well this is hard to watch.

Seen the same thing here too.
A one-way transactional relationship.
Definition of the lax parasites you hear about.

Allergy medicine?

A True employee was allegedly fired from a part time coaching gig at an MIAA school, and allegedly escorted off campus, for allegedly being disorderly and disoriented during a practice on campus. The response from the coach was allegedly "cold medicine." Allegedly.

Heard the the 2029 coach is leaving.

Why are people still so worked up about the (alleged) cold medicine situation? If your kids don't play for True, let it go. Seems/feels like disgruntled Dons parents. Did little Johnny not get enough playing time on the Dons fresh/soph team?

The balrimore 2029

Or maybe a kid didn't get time cause he refused to blow into his coaches steering wheel.....


You got to admit it is pretty fool that a guy gets families to pay a ton of money to play a game, call him coach, and can't even make to the first game at the HS freshman team level. But he did coach NAIA in Kentucky or wherever?! Preys on parents that never played the game...

Why dont Crabs, Hawks and LI Express have national teams like True, Madlax and 91

]Why dont Crabs, Hawks and LI Express have national teams like True, Madlax and 91[/quote]

Because it’s all just a money grab and these clubs are elite already. Don’t need all the extra bs.

Because they are as good or better than the true national teams. They don’t need to pull together national teams to play competitive tourneys.

They don't need them

They don’t need national teams. They compete all year at competitive tournaments with the same players. National teams are just a ploy for more money.

Nice job True!!!!!

Crabs is a national team...many kids from out of the area and as far away as FL, CA, TX on the middle school/high school teams -- esp. among the kids that see the field. "Locally grown" is not true, at least among the crabs.

Eyeroll. Remember that corporate culture is defined by "what is allowed to continue" and apparently at some clubs, being openly intoxicated (by whatever chemical) and in charge of minors in a contact sport is totally OK and not cause for concern.

I'm so sure you'd self-regulate your comments if it was your kid. "Maybe I'm just mad about the PT. I'll keep this to myself!" Yeah right.

Crabs charges 1 price - True makes you pay for the regular team and if you want to play on the National you have to pay another fee!!!!

Can you say money grab

Dons Dad If you are truly that upset/concerned, what actions have you taken to escalate this issue to True leadership (above the club director)? What are you hoping to achieve by posting here? I would truly like to understand.

Any one heard the rumors that 3Steps and True are in negotiations to merge?

What is anyone hoping to achieve by posting here

Had not heard that. Very different business models (from branding to revenue sharing) though I can see how they seem similar on the surface. I'd be surprised if this was true.

Scathing article in Daily Beast about True Lacrosse infighting, lawsuits, and big corporate lax:

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-adults-of-the-youth-lacrosse-world-are-getting-rather-nasty

Interesting quote:

In the end, Huth thinks there’s a way for operators like True and Supreme to make a profit in the club lacrosse game “and still have morals, and still not lax everybody and their brother off.”

“I’m hoping we see a trend where it’s kind of taken back by, let’s not say the adults, but by adults that have better intentions,” he said, “versus the adults that have realized, ‘Holy [Censored], I love coaching lacrosse. I love making money. Let’s put those two things together and let’s make a boatload of money.’”

Welcome to America, go sue someone.

True is just what most people think it is. An expensive Club that shows everything that is wrong with modern youth sports.

#SueOn2
#WeSueMore

And get to claim they are on a National Team ! well at an additional price can claim that

“Something great is coming.”

Can’t wait! 😂

Yay!

Is it a new green and black logo?!

Or maybe a new top-tier coach?

I did hear the volunteer assistant from Iowa Southern Community College was spotted leaving the True corporate HQ last week.

Can you give a hint ?

Heard him and Rocky from Whatsamatta U are teaming up. Guna be epic, i hear.

Sure. It's marketing.

It's not gonna be great.

True is a top program and will continue to climb to the top .

This is not credible. Unless you have the goods on table,

It's been 5 years since True moved into MD.
Unlimited ops budget
Connections with USL
Tons of paid coaches
Huge marketing budget
Numerous purchased clubs
2000+ MD kids getting "more reps"

Results after 5 years:
0 hoco elite championships
0 AA level tournament wins
0 (md-based) national team tourney championships
0 top 100 ncaa recruits

Facts.

Something great is finally here.

True's advanced offering in MD was True Chesapeake.

That folded in a bad way.

So it's been rebranded into "True Premier."

Expect it all to turn around!

Those are not fun facts and Facts I dont want to hear. Can you at least keep this to yourself while I think my son is on an elite national team and getting recruited D1. That is what True told me ! .

Who cares but true kids still get recruited facts

First of all the idea that clubs get kids recruited is true 40% of the time

Second, with 100+ DC and MD kids playing for True in every grad year, yeah, gee, I would hope a few get to play in college.

Third, need I mention Cultural Truepropriation, where any kid who went to a True workout in 9th grade is featured on True's IG when they get recruited 3 years later. I'm sure it was the 60 mediocre reps behind the Moose, not their actually HS coaches, that got them noticed! Never seen any other club do this except Breakers...now defunct.

Get serious.