i appreciate all the posts. and my situation (and consequently my sons) is definitely, but only partly, a product of my ignorance and naivite of the long island lax world. but i have received several private responses from some people who seem to have their values straight when it comes to what a lacrosse program should be, and it is far from what my son and i have experienced with this current team. so yes, im a victim of a money grab, and i am guilty of thinking the particular lax team we chose to play for is going to care about my son more than they care about winning for better publicity next year.

the whole process reminds me of marketing for newborns. all of the stores and companies who manufacture and sell these fancy pacifiers, and special formulas pretty much claim that "if you dont buy our product, your baby is going to become brain damaged, choke to death, or grow horns".

maybe there should be a body that governs the coaches who run teams on long island. some sort of governing body to set forth certain standards and values teams should follow, like an emphasis on school grades, volunteer work, working with the underprivileged or communities who dont have a lax program, and it wouldnt be mandatory for any club to join such a governing organization, but earning an endorsement from such an organization might give parents who were/ are naive and ignorant like i was/am a better feel for what kind of team they are committing to. im sure my situation is not unique. there must be others that this happens to. but i also know from the private responses i received that there are coaches and directors who take their responsibility to the kids more seriously than our present coach, and im glad for that. so to the poster who suggests to 'move on', that is exactly what we are doing, and doing so much more educated about the world of long island lacrosse.

i hope, nonetheless, that all of this brings to light to the readers of this thread, particularly coaches and directors, that its not just about winning games. its about creating good kids who turn into good people. and what happens to a kid in the hands of coaches, especially a kid who is in his formative years, can really make an impact on him one way or the other. thats a big responsibility. but that is the responsibility you signed up for.

to all the great people who sent private messages, i thank you for stepping up, and helping my son take the next step in the right direction. im sure this will all be a distant memory very very soon for my son and i.