US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) Long Island Top Guns Lacrosse

Yes, it's a business, just like ALL the other travel programs. I hope everyone knows that by now. My daughter's team also paid for extra practices, and I don't have a problem with that. You want them for free? Then all the teams have to be offered extra practices for free...like you said - it's a business. Let's move on, and also like you said - good luck to all the girls! Have fun at the fall 7v7's, and in the winter leagues!

YJ teams don't pay for extra practices!! My daughters team had 2 a week and I didn't pay for any of it!

You actually pay for extra practices, I hope you are only paying for renting a place to practice ie indoor space. If any of that money is going into your coaches pockets you would have to be ridiculous to pay for it.

You actually pay for extra practices, I hope you are only paying for renting a place to practice ie indoor space. If any of that money is going into your coaches pockets you would have to be ridiculous to pay for it.

You actually pay for extra practices, I hope you are only paying for renting a place to practice ie indoor space. If any of that money is going into your coaches pockets you would have to be ridiculous to pay for it.

Paid coaches shouldn't be paid for conducting "Extra" practices?? Why not??

Many reasons why not but I will give you a couple
1 If you have a family on a tight budget they should know the cost of being on a team beforehand
2. Now you have set up a situation where Bill Smith has no oversight and he will end up having coaches being paid whatever they feel is fair for their time and not what he feels is fair
3 if your paid high school coach charged kids for Saturday practices would you have an issue w it

If your coach is pocketing money for extra practices for the team you should let bill smith know because he is going to want a piece of that as he should because it is his club not the coaches

1. the extra practices are optional, so no need to impact family budget
2. BS makes the arrangements, sets the price, and pays the coaches
3. HS is completely different than travel

Not true on my team as we pay the coach directly and if you think who goes has no bearing on playing time you are wrong.

I guess each team is different. You might be paying the coach directly, but I'm sure BS is involved in setting the price. The original post said that the coaches are doing it on their own without his oversight. I doubt that. I never said practice and dedication don't affect playing time. Again, that's different for each team, and each player. Just said it doesn't have to impact the family budget. Just like fall tournaments and winter league, extra training, etc.

My close friend tells me that one of the 2017 Goalies is a 2018 grad year player.
Do teams normally let girls play up and if that were the case why wouldn't BS play his niece who is a 2018 grad up as she is highly regarded. What happens when the 2017 girls graduate, where does this goalie go for her last year ?
I see this mixing of years as a potential problem for the girl who is brought up or some poor kid playing 2018 and is booted her last year to bring this girl down to her actual graduating year. Is there rules for this as I know there is movement at the U15 tournament but was not aware this could go on during the summer travel season.
If BS would not move his niece up, who is a better goalie than this new girl then if I were the Goalie who was getting moved up parents I would be concerned and asking questions. I get it that goalies are not easy to come by but where does this stop,,,,,,,like the u15 do they start mixing teams by birth date and not graduating year.
We like the club but this has a few of us raising our eyebrows about what the main objective is here.

Was that an 2018 goalie for last summer or are you talking about this as a move for next summer? 2018 had 4 goalies for three teams last year. That's a tough position with all the politics that go on. One team had two goalies splitting time while the other two teams did not, seems very unfair to both of them and one of them may very well be a top goalie for the age group.

Refering to this coming year, a 2018 graduate will play for 2017 Purple, the girl is new to Top Guns. If the Goalie is good enough to play up a year why would she not just stay in her own year and play on Black, the reason for this is pretty simple, BS niece is the 2018 Black goalie and she is not going to share time with anyone it appears. Very few teams have the luxury of two goalies but here is an opportunity to have two solid goalies on one team and it is not being handled that way.
The best 2016 YJ goalie is Charlette Campbell a St. Anthony's student and about as good a High School Goalie as you will find. She splits time with another Goalie on that team. That team gets a lot of looks from Colleges and both those Goalies are showcased, and in the proper year.
It seems to be allowed but I just think it is done without the best interest of the player as no one is walking around tournaments stating the kid is playing up a year and its not like you have this player on a Black team.
This goalie is good enough to move up but likely by being on Purple never get to go with a team to U15.

As a proud TG parent, I find that statement very rude. The parents that we have met are very nice people

I think it's official, Top Guns and Yellow Jackets are the same club with different colors. Same politics, same complaints, same obnoxious parents.

Very well said.

It is the case TG seems to be more YJ like every year and why wouldn't it as the Smiths are obviously following CR game plan,except for the horrible uniforms.In both organizations money is the main factor followed by politics.If anyone in these clubs doubts this they are fooling themselves.The main difference I have seen between the parents is that YJ parents have come to accept this while many TG parents do not want to believe it, although it seems even they are starting to see the reality of it.

He should have stated not all the parents but there are a handful and the apple has not fallen far from the tree as some of the girls have a bit of a chip.
This goes far beyond club lacrosse though and the best I can say is consider the source.

That's not well said - it's a dumb, generic comment.

sorry bill but it's not dumb or generic, it's the truth

I took my daughter to the 2018 Top Gun tryout last month and when I got there I was impressed on how organized they were. Little did I know what I was in for. My daughter and just about her whole current team came down to tryout that day in the hopes of making one of the teams. Wouldn't you know that NOT ONE GIRL MADE ANY TEAM. Billy's response was that "They miss a few every now and then".
Granted, some of the girls just cant play at a high level and I get that, but Bill Smith missed the boat on several top players who just recently tried out for another top lacrosse program and made that Lacrosse clubs A and B teams. These girls are good athletic LAX players and Bill and Shannon let a college friendship control a tryout.
After looking into it, we the parents discovered that Shannon apparently played LAX at Northwestern with our coach. Was it a coincidence that not 1 player made any team?? They took 15 kids $35 per kid and had NO INTENTIONS OF ANY OF THOSE GIRLS TO MAKE ANY OF THE TEAMS. Its disgusting what they did to these girls.
Im so glad my daughter IS NOT PLAYING FOR TOP GUN. Talk about politics and who you know. The only ones here who get punished are the 13 year old girls. Shame on you Bill and Shannon..Shame..

I took my daughter to the 2018 Top Gun tryout last month and when I got there I was impressed on how organized they were. Little did I know what I was in for. My daughter and just about her whole current team came down to tryout that day in the hopes of making one of the teams. Wouldn't you know that NOT ONE GIRL MADE ANY TEAM. Billy's response was that "They miss a few every now and then".
Granted, some of the girls just cant play at a high level and I get that, but Bill Smith missed the boat on several top players who just recently tried out for another top lacrosse program and made that Lacrosse clubs A and B teams. These girls are good athletic LAX players and Bill and Shannon let a college friendship control a tryout.
After looking into it, we the parents discovered that Shannon apparently played LAX at Northwestern with our coach. Was it a coincidence that not 1 player made any team?? They took 15 kids $35 per kid and had NO INTENTIONS OF ANY OF THOSE GIRLS TO MAKE ANY OF THE TEAMS. Its disgusting what they did to these girls.
Im so glad my daughter IS NOT PLAYING FOR TOP GUN. Talk about politics and who you know. The only ones here who get punished are the 13 year old girls. Shame on you Bill and Shannon..Shame..

Oh yeah, he missed the boat. I'm sure they had good reasons. Good luck.

I took my daughter to the 2018 Top Gun tryout last month and when I got there I was impressed on how organized they were. Little did I know what I was in for. My daughter and just about her whole current team came down to tryout that day in the hopes of making one of the teams. Wouldn't you know that NOT ONE GIRL MADE ANY TEAM. Billy's response was that "They miss a few every now and then".
Granted, some of the girls just cant play at a high level and I get that, but Bill Smith missed the boat on several top players who just recently tried out for another top lacrosse program and made that Lacrosse clubs A and B teams. These girls are good athletic LAX players and Bill and Shannon let a college friendship control a tryout.
After looking into it, we the parents discovered that Shannon apparently played LAX at Northwestern with our coach. Was it a coincidence that not 1 player made any team?? They took 15 kids $35 per kid and had NO INTENTIONS OF ANY OF THOSE GIRLS TO MAKE ANY OF THE TEAMS. Its disgusting what they did to these girls.
Im so glad my daughter IS NOT PLAYING FOR TOP GUN. Talk about politics and who you know. The only ones here who get punished are the 13 year old girls. Shame on you Bill and Shannon..Shame..