I agree about the age concern. My 8th grader played varsity last year. While it was worth it for the lacrosse, the team is very important. Only half the time they spend together is on the field. The rest is in the locker room and bus etc. The conversations and after practice activities are very different in the varsity locker room than the JV locker room and especially the MS locker room. Most middle school teams are not talking about the parties and the girls the way 18 year olds are. It is, or it should be a major concern as a parent.
I had some serious conversations with my boy before and through out the season. It was something I failed to fully understand when the move was discussed beforehand
I'm having the same concerns about my 9th grader playing varsity. As it is he is on the younger side for a 9th grader, and he isn't into the same things that seniors are. Even though he played with these boys all summer, I'm concerned about the locker room talk. It is a different world for these younger boys, and he had some issues playing JV last year in the locker room with the 10th graders. They didn't think he belonged, and let him know it.
