Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by DMVLAX
Covid has very little to do with the talent missing from 29 class. It is a down year for the majority of on age players. Like Capitalism, the flow of goods ( holdbacks) will
fill this in soon.

This is somewhat true, but 2028 (on age) is a smaller class of lax kids in the DC/MD area also. Maybe 1/3 smaller than the 2026-2024 groups.

2028 has no Koopers team, no Breakers team, no Looneys team, and Kelly Post's B team folded to bring #s to True Baltimore, who couldn't put together a roster either. 2028 Predators is basically HoCo Pink (gone) plus several FCA and Crabs kids (honestly, all kids who historically would be at Looneys or Koopers now). 2028 Team91 is mostly kids from Swarm, with some HoCo Pink kids). Swarm just pulled up a bunch of rec kids for this year, they will drop to A or B in HoCo for 2028.

Some of it is just shuffling but it's simply not as many kids, or as some claim "there's too many clubs."

As for COVID, I think what we will all see is a talent gap erupting. The players who had resources and a work ethic during COVID and whose parents could support/remind/transport kids to lax events (aka "resources") are going to be just fine. That includes club resources, not canceling practices due to COVID shutdowns, kids having access to fields during shutdowns, skills coaches with access to outdoor turf, etc. And for lax, let's remember this includes academic success and performance. Your son may have a great BTB highlight video but if he has a 2.9 GPA he is not playing for Maryland. Period. And so many kids are one or even two grades behind at this point (nobody really wants to discuss this). That will work out fine (in time) for attending Towson or Mason or JMU but not for getting admitted to many D1 schools (basic admissions).

I think we are already seeing that kids who wanted to work out and travel for lax during COVID, and whose parents could support it, did, and they will be just fine. I think that all the rec kids, and the rec kids who usually start showing up at club at 5th and 6th grade, are not going to develop fast enough to be a real presence for middle school lax at least. Whether those kids will buckle down and train and their parents can/will invest the resources for those kids to catch up.....I guess we will see.

And before anybody hits the "elitist" pearl clutch, it should not be controversial to say that - especially in lacrosse - access to good education, quality coaching, flexible and affluent parents, and good modeled behavior (aka the kids know elite HS and college players) are huge (and unfair) factors in success at most things.

Lots of good stuff there. I am not sure if this is more of the same for concern with Rec dying off, but seems like post-COVID there is more of a risk to Rec really suffering with the continued growth of Club teams. Maybe it'll bounce back some this spring, but at least where I am the vibe is NOT good. And then it seems like HoCo is going to be a scheduling conflict on Saturdays for a number of boys age levels.

Its okay fellas

Rec registration numbers in Baltimore County are flourishing this year. All are filled or at capacity. A few pprograms will have multiple teams at multiple ages.
Hearing good things up in Harford County too. But we shall see.

I think what the one guy was saying that as far as the 2027-2029 blip, the temporary downturn in rec scheduling, workouts, recruitment, and overall play has maybe impacted total club numbers, and unlikely that a huge crew of new players will NOW show up out of the rec wood work. The future guys for the 2027-2029 groups are already in the rec clubs, if not in the full, for-profit clubs.

But what you say is encouraging, perhaps it means that (as predicted by many) the sport actually hasn't past its peak in MD/DC while it continues to explode elsewhere in the country. Good stuff.

Club over a rec centered teams are already having effect in many areas. Participation is down in most areas.

The one thing Club has done, is made lacrosse continue its elitist look. Many teams from out of area are Clubs loaded with private school kids. Offshoot of it is the large amount of holdbacks from other areas south and west.