One of the many great thing about travel lacrosse is that it prepares boys for high school and college sports, which in turn prepare them for real life. Look at the holdback debate this way. Families who are successful, rich, and well connected find a way to make the system work in their favor. Those who do not fall into those categories can take one of two paths - figure out a way to thrive and be happy within the system, or complain endlessly how the successful, rich, and well connected get their way. That is travel lacrosse, and that is real life, whether you like it or not.
summary. This may be applicable when the boys are young men, in HS, etc. but to teach your son you have to cheat in the youth level to get ahead makes you a POS. Nothing like watching Mortimore & Randolph's 15yr old thump on 13yr old's.
It's actually a very true and accurate summary. Lacrosse is not a meritocracy, and neither are most things in life.
My son lost his spot on a national team to a double holdback and a single holdback, both from out of state. I mean oh well? Now....how it was handled was embarrassing on the club's part. But the decision was fine, and my kid gets it too.
What it means to the kids who are heldback? My son's experience with them is that they feel pretty embarrassed by it except when they are out on the field, being awesome. The decision was made by their parents. The parents usually are evasive about it as well. They know it's a [Censored] move. Their kids know too. How is that different than any other type of entitled parenting, like legacy admissions to college, getting a $60K job at your parents' business the day you graduate college, having someone else pay your college tuition, etc?
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