Here's one for you guys to chew on:
What does the B kid need to do to make the A team--politics aside? How does a kid that is one of the better B team players make the jump to A? Does he need size, speed and great lacrosse skills? What happens if he's average size for his grade, yet has really good stick skills and can play attack, midfield?
What are the things that set an A player apart from a B player? What are the things that need to be done at tryouts in order to convince Chanechuk or Spalinna that the kid should make the team? What does it take to make Anthony Alexander's eyes and ears perk up and get noticed? 2-3 goals and 1-2 asssts in the scrimmage at tryouts?
I know that 60-70 percent of making an elite can be political. Either a kid is coming form the 4-5 traditional lacrosse towns or his father/uncle was a D1 stud and therefore is a known quantity. Are A teams usually 10 stud players with another 10-12 kids that are good but not great? Do clubs just take kids that fill a need or do they take the best kids available?
I know that club season has not even started yet, but it is never too late to get better. I would love to hear any and all replies.
Thanks,
Concerned Daddy
Totally valid questions. I think many people often have the same questions. These are just my opinions based on my sons being active in travel lax for many years.
-Size matters more as they get older.
-Skills matter more when they're younger (although, they ALWAYS matter).
-Teams are looking to improve every year, so there will always be opportunities to move up.
-Knowing someone, just so your child can get a closer look at tryouts, is part of the game and very relevant. Elite teams won't take a bad kid just because daddy knows him, though.
-Clubs are generally filling specific needs, even at 3rd grade.
-Your kid has to be a fair amount better than a kid to bump him off of an existing team (but it happens every year, especially in the younger years) because you need to factor in the learning curve for an already established offe
Be careful what you wish for, though. Top teams mean much more money. More off season practices, tournaments and traveling. Many kids get burned out. I know of two top committed 2019's that already lost their love for the game. It's a very fine line and some kids don't want it as much as their dads.
Best of luck.
