BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) Nassau PAL League - Spring 2014

Problem is PAL doesn't police itself and enforce their own rules. It is well known both in Nassau and Suffolk that coaches and directors on their power trips stack their "town" teams with kids from outside their own towns just for the sake of winning to make themselves feel and look good, which it doesn't. This is done at the expense of kids who actually live in these towns and the school districts they are in. These players don't get the chance to develop due to the coaches own selfish desires to win....yeaaaaay!!, the kids don't really matter. If this is what these coaches want then go play in the Oyster Bay league and try to compete there, leave PAL for truly town based teams as it was meant to be. Don't get me wrong, I think PAL and the people running it are generally good and well intended but they need to weed out the people corrupting both leagues(Nass./Suff.) and need to be willing to enforce their rules and punish and expel those who don't want to follow them. If they are unwilling to do so they are doomed to fail as they are now failing a lot of kids in both counties by not doing so.

Any coaches receive their PCA badges yet? First game is a week away -- what a mess

Problem is PAL doesn't police itself and enforce their own rules. It is well known both in Nassau and Suffolk that coaches and directors on their power trips stack their "town" teams with kids from outside their own towns just for the sake of winning to make themselves feel and look good, which it doesn't. This is done at the expense of kids who actually live in these towns and the school districts they are in. These players don't get the chance to develop due to the coaches own selfish desires to win....yeaaaaay!!, the kids don't really matter. If this is what these coaches want then go play in the Oyster Bay league and try to compete there, leave PAL for truly town based teams as it was meant to be. Don't get me wrong, I think PAL and the people running it are generally good and well intended but they need to weed out the people corrupting both leagues(Nass./Suff.) and need to be willing to enforce their rules and punish and expel those who don't want to follow them. If they are unwilling to do so they are doomed to fail as they are now failing a lot of kids in both counties by not doing so.

Our school literally has to ask kids to play VARSITY in the school hallways! The travel players have hijacked the program and pushed everyone out so our PAL is crumbling and our school teams are suffering. There should be a place for everyone regardless of skill level.

That is completly inaccurate. I don't know a strong lax school that doesn't separate the strong and weak after 5th grade.

Look at the big programs on LI. The ones that keep their PAL teams balanced. They develop as many players as possible. The kids play with their friends and learn the game at different stages. Those programs consistently put a strong team on the Varsity field. When towns start with the win at all cost mentality and forget about the weaker kids it directly reflects the product they put on the Varsity field.

This is not correct. Syosset,Garden City, Massapequa, Manhasset, C.S.H. and others do not have balanced teams in 5th and 6th grades. I think their varsity teams have been "strong".

This is not correct. Syosset,Garden City, Massapequa, Manhasset, C.S.H. and others do not have balanced teams in 5th and 6th grades. I think their varsity teams have been "strong".

That's just not true in Nassau, but it's rampant in Suffolk

That is completly inaccurate. I don't know a strong lax school that doesn't separate the strong and weak after 5th grade.

In NCPAL the girls are not allowed to stack teams at any grade they must be balanced.

This is not correct. Syosset,Garden City, Massapequa, Manhasset, C.S.H. and others do not have balanced teams in 5th and 6th grades. I think their varsity teams have been "strong".

PAL also has many kids who don't want to be there but mom and dad are pushing it.

This is not correct. Syosset,Garden City, Massapequa, Manhasset, C.S.H. and others do not have balanced teams in 5th and 6th grades. I think their varsity teams have been "strong".

the problem is they do it and they don't separate the division they are in. you are not supposed to have a strong and a weak team in the same division. but it's done all the time.

If it is done all the time it is because your director request for it to happen.

Yes that is correct, just like in our Town West Islip, there are 2 teams at the 7th grade girls level this year...one is considered "ELITE" and the other is just regular PAL. One team is heavily stacked with self proclaimed talent by their own parents and majority club players and the other...????????????

Is the heavily stacked team playing in PAL or in LISGYLL? LISGYLL is a highly competitive league that plays HS rules with full checking and has playoffs and a championship. If a town puts a team that isn't comprised of its best players in the grade, they will get slaughtered on a weekly basis. Did WI have tryouts or just hand-pick the teams?

I believe the stacked team is in fact playing in the LISYGYLL, however there were no tryouts, girls were hand picked by director and assistant. Selected parents were notified by email only.

Why is that weak?

Ive seen it all to many times, the tryout process is not for the players but the parents. the coaches know who can play and who mesh with the teams. At 6/7/8 the coaches have ben with the girls for a few years and I am sure they will take the new girl who played soccer or softball who is an athlete.

yes it stinks for those 3/4 bubble players. I wouldn't call it weak though. Those girls just need to work harder maybe attend a clinic or two and the all important their folks need to STFU so they don't hurt the child's chances next go round.

what year does the LISGYLL start 7th

Why is that weak?

Ive seen it all to many times, the tryout process is not for the players but the parents. the coaches know who can play and who mesh with the teams. At 6/7/8 the coaches have ben with the girls for a few years and I am sure they will take the new girl who played soccer or softball who is an athlete.

yes it stinks for those 3/4 bubble players. I wouldn't call it weak though. Those girls just need to work harder maybe attend a clinic or two and the all important their folks need to STFU so they don't hurt the child's chances next go round.

what year does the LISGYLL start 7th

It's weak because the coaches' kids aren't always in the best 20-25 players. Sounds like you're a coach that's afraid to leave it to chance that an independent evaluator might not see how great your daughter is. If it's that obvious, just stay out of it and trust that someone with no vested interest in the team will see it the same way. What's the downside?

LISGYLL starts in 7th grade.

So sad. Now that there are all these travel and club teams everyone is ready to shelve PAL. How quickly everyone forgets where the travel kids first learned their love of the sport. And for a very small fee of like $100. Would you really pay $2200 so you child could "try" a sport and see if he likes it? Doubtful. PAL is a program based on volunteers and doing something for the greater good of the community. And I think these little 10/11/12 year old "elite" players should play with the less skilled kids. It's a good thing to do to keep a great program running and hopefully it makes them more grounded gentlemen with their egos in check. It's part of what will make them better adults. We should all try to remember where we came from and not be so quick to stick our noses up because we were blessed with a skilled child. And if your child was one of the other kids........

BS.. WI PAL/LISGYLL is all politics.. more that half the girls on the Self validated "Elite" can't catch, much less run. If you really want to see some slow nonathletic lacrosse then pay attention to the games this season. Things are done based on self interest and what makes their daughters look good and not based on what's best for teams. There is a huge conflict of interest here. Coaches only care about their daughters, No wonder they are having difficulties filling slots.

And travel programs don,t care about the money its all about the kids

BS.. WI PAL/LISGYLL is all politics.. more that half the girls on the Self validated "Elite" can't catch, much less run. If you really want to see some slow nonathletic lacrosse then pay attention to the games this season. Things are done based on self interest and what makes their daughters look good and not based on what's best for teams. There is a huge conflict of interest here. Coaches only care about their daughters, No wonder they are having difficulties filling slots.

If this is the case the better players and parents know this and if they don't like it then they need to step up and get a coach and tell the current Grand Pubba and assistant it is no longer their call. If they, have maybe that is why they leave.

If you are complaining because you fit between 20-30th player in the grade (or 6th best at position) I don't think you have much say for the A travel team. As I will admit many times there isn't much of a difference between the 20th and 30th player to a coach (of players that have played a few years). but to that 22nd ranked player they are always ranked top 10 their parents. This unrealistic impression also causes issues.

This is where the community needs to step in, not to force a coach to take a second team player, but to force the league to development those 2nd team players. It isn't always about that A "Elite" team. It is about building a program not 15 individuals.

Is this just a 7th Grade issue or was the 8th grade team hand-picked too?

Another bitter parent, maybe your kid isn't that good.

Not even a 7th grade parent but just to let you know that both coaches kids aren't even that good. One is on top team at a club don't know how much longer that will last as the girls are getting older and will now need more speed and agility and the other is on 2nd team at another with no hustle at all. Time will tell as hs is right around the corner and they all have to show and prove. Everybody's looking for that lax scholarship and not all are cut out to get it.