BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums MID-ATLANTIC LACROSSE MARYLAND FORUM Sky Walkers Lacrosse

This thread will be used for discussion and coverage of the Skywalkers Girls Lacrosse program.

Program History

The Sky Walkers Lacrosse Program was founded in 1997 with a single team of high school athletes, most of whom would graduate in 2000. The first team included my daughter Molly McLaughlin.

The goal of the Program was to teach the Sky Walkers that by playing with "no limitations" they could achieve a level of freedom, which would allow them to be recruited to compete at the collegiate level.

When the first Sky Walkers' team graduated in 2000, with all the seniors going to Division I colleges to play lacrosse, there remained approximately four players, who were underclassmen, who wanted to continue to play. As a result, the 2nd Sky Walker team was formed. By the time the members of the second team graduated from high school as future collegiate athletes, a determination was reached to form a permanent lacrosse program for girls.

Within a year or so, it was felt that two teams per year could play with similar success for each team. Since 2003 the Sky Walkers have fielded two teams per year – Sky Walkers Blue & White. The goal of each team is to develop collectively and individually into collegiate lacrosse athletes.

The ultimate desire of the Program is to utilize lacrosse as an opportunity to compete at the highest collegiate level. This experience – which challenges a player constantly to face competition, overcome adversity, and develop self-confidence – will forge the player into a young woman. This young woman will be prepared to face any situation knowing that she can succeed in any endeavor or profession she chooses to pursue in life.

The guiding principles of the Program are that a girl who is an athlete; who possesses parents who will allow the journey to be their daughter's journey; and who has character (along with a good academic record), can succeed as a collegiate lacrosse player. It is that player, who develops a passion for the game; who is willing to work harder than any other player; and who is able to believe she has "no limitations" on the field who will realize her dream. The Sky Walkers Lacrosse Program holds that it is not winning, which will allow a player to succeed; rather, it is the journey during which each and every player progressively develops and matures into an athlete.

The Program is honored that two Tewaaraton winners, Katie Chrest (SW 2002) from Duke University and Caitlyn McFadden (SW 2006) from the University of Maryland are Sky Walker Alumnae. The Program likewise is honored that the National Defender of the year in 2009 and 2010, Sarah McKinley (SW 2006) from Salisbury University is an alumna. Further, two Sky Walkers were selected as Female Athletes of the Year in their senior year, namely, Emily Franke (SW 2007), a Vanderbilt Commodore, and Corey Donohoe (SW 2007), a University of North Carolina Tarheel. Moreover, Sarah Flynn (SW 2007) received the Outstanding Achievement Award upon her graduation from Stanford University.

Numerous Sky Walkers have been chosen as All-Americans, team captains, and showered with other similar honors. Countless Sky Walkers have been nominated to play on the United States Teams - both Developmental and Elite.

A recent development with the Sky Walkers' alumnae is the significant number of players, who have chosen to become coaches in the college ranks. It is a tribute to the Sky Walkers' passion for the game and desire to pass on their successful experiences as college athletes to young women, who are following their paths.

A matter of singular pride is the number of outstanding "teachers" who have given their time, talent, and passion by coaching the Sky Walkers' teams from the onset of the Program to the present. They did and continue to imbue the players with the knowledge that developing as a Sky Walker into a collegiate athlete is a life-lesson, which they will learn as Sky Walkers then carry with them for the rest of their lives. Then there are the fathers and mothers, who have volunteered to be team parents. These individuals are the glue, which helps make the Program successful.

A question frequently posited is why was the Program named "Sky Walkers." It was my desire to teach the players to feel they had no limits so could walk in the sky by feeling so free about their play.

Sky Walkers Open House - September 6th - 6:00pm-8:00pm

Registration will open August 1, 2013
September 6, 2013
6:00 - 8:00 pm
Towson, MD

The Sky Walkers Lacrosse Program (est. 1997), one of the original girls lacrosse programs in the country, will be hosting an Open House for prospective players interested in the Sky Walkers Lacrosse Program in the 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021 graduation years.

Players and parents are cordially invited to attend.

The goal of the Program is to place all of the athletes at NCAA Division I Colleges.

Logistics

Event: Sky Walkers Lacrosse Program 2012 Open House
Date: Friday, September 6, 2013
Location: TBA
Time: 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Who: Prospective Athletes in High School Graduation Years 2017 - 2021

Purpose

1.Introduce prospective athletes to the Sky Walkers Lacrosse Program, its philosophy, and training methods.

2.Give prospective athletes the opportunity to see if they possess the ability and desire to join the program.

skywalkers, you are the best, parents, coaches and players a real class act ... saw you guys in florida last week. keep it going. from a topgun parent

Sky Walkers 2013 Open House (September 2013)

2021 & 2022 - September 22 - 4:00 - 6:00 pm - Maryvale Preparatory

The Sky Walkers Lacrosse Program (est. 1997), one of the original girls lacrosse programs in the country, will be hosting an Open House for prospective players interested in the Sky Walkers Lacrosse Program in the 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, & 2022 graduation years.

Players and parents are cordially invited to attend.

The goal of the Program is to place all of the athletes at NCAA Division I Colleges.

Anyone in ocean city maryland - don't go
To the blue ox - roaches in the nachos
Wish somebody had told me had bad this
Place was

Is the Blue or the White the top team for Skywalkers?

Blue

Is Skywalkers still planning on attending National Draw? Apparently M&D is bailing - guess they can no longer dominate that tourney so it's time to move on, very disappointing

Or perhaps they just decided to play in a better tournament in lax for the cure and play in a local tournament the weekend of national draw that has much more competition.

GT invite tourney only on good match up in 2022 crabs hawks.
Breakers play nobody nor do the cannons. Will be hard to tell who the top 2022 team will be heading into the spring season. Where is Arden are they doing any fall tournaments? Did Breakers lose a lot of kids from 11u last year they had some 2021 kids on their team along with the Cannons. Hawks have some major pickups and first year for 2022 crabs. In 2 weeks maybe some answers

It seems that there was plenty of competition for M&D at ND, only one team made it out of their bracket!

Don't be mad that Skywalkers follows M&D around and after finally going to ND last year M&D is leaving. That tournament is not what it was.

Hi
My 13 year old daughter wants a lacrosse stick for Christmas she plays defense and mid. Can anyone recommend a good stick she had an almonte 2 but its best days are behind it. Any input would be great thanks

Well its all about what she wants. There are little things deffernt about the sticks. But its mostly in the kids heads about thre stick. So if she thinks in the best its the best. But lighter is always better.

Opinions on Skywalkers' coaching? Motivating or abusive...

There is no real answer to this. Its the "you will know when you see it" answer. Some kids need, want to be put in there place. Other kids want you to explain everything to them in a inside voice. I have three kids the older two I tell the coaches to yell and get to the point as fast as you can. With the youngest I tell the coach she plays better if you give her a why and let her know it will make you happy if she does it this way or that.

I think their on field performance shows your where most parents fall in this argument. When they were the only top option, MM could get away with this behavior. Skywalkers is not getting the kids they once did because most kids don't need to be berated and belittled by their coaches. There are other options out there where this doesn't occur. If he doesn't change the way he deals with the girls the program is going to fall apart imho.

MM is abusive. Tells girls that they are slugs and throws them off the field. I think his time has passed. The game has changed and he is not changing with it. His precious "blue" team never gets reprimanded. Other more impressive clubs are moving into the area and MM is no longer getting the best athletes.

My 5th grade daughter is a slightly above average player. There are approximately 8 club teams vying for her attention and the attention of her friends (and decimating the MYLA teams in the process). A screamer is going to have a very hard time competing with clubs that are sugar and spice and everything nice. Add poor results in the win/loss columns and you have a program in steep decline.

Yeah. With their 2020 team 1-4 and their 2021 team 0-6 in NYPGLL, hard to imagine how they are going to keep the few decent players they have. Let alone draw new ones. They are surviving on their name and legacy kids alone at this point

Skywalkers is used to pulling the best athletes after they have already been developed and normally when they are in 8th or 9th grade. Now that they need to develop the younger players, they are losing.
And they are not the only club in town anymore. Skywalkers has seen its best days. MM needs to see the writing on the wall. Screaming isn't going to get it done.

Sounds like LI Yellow Jackets!

So help me understand why my daughter shouldn't try out for Skywalkers. I know of and have seen MM go crazy at practices when I was at the same site for my daughter's club practice, but is it just one team or does he float around? Is he the only lunatic out there? i have to think they have a good program in place for practices, development, etc.

It is Mike and Molly. They not only roam around at practices, but I have seen them roaming to different fields at tournaments berating the girls on teams that he didn't coach. He'd stand and scream at them for 15 minutes and then move on to another field. While their high school teams are still good, their middle school and younger teams are not. Their 2019 is now middle of the pack and the 2020 and 2021 teams were two of the worst for their ages this spring.

There are so many more options out there without dealing with those two. They could get away with it for years because they were the top dog. Now that parents have seen M&D, Heros, TLC surpass them, there is no reason to subject your daughter to it. Like you, my daughter practiced on a field next to a Mike run Skywalkers practice and that was all I needed to see to not even look into them as an option. My daughter went to M&D and loves it.

Better check your stats again, Skywakers 2020 white had a great Spring season, 9-1, if memory serves. Skywalkers consistently produces top quality teams. No one is perfect though and no one is going to dominate the world of club lacrosse any longer with som many teams. Every program has its ups and downs. Huge fan of Michael and Molly and the Skywalkers program though. They are top notch. They may get on the girls and push them and might not be PC all the time but if you understand what they are trying to achieve, you will want to be part of it. This Coming from a parent that doesn't believe every kid deserves a trophy for showing up, hard work and dedication comes first. Losses keep you humble and make you work harder to improve.

It's great you are enjoying Skywalkers, but did you really just tout Skywalkers White team as a sign that their methods were working? How'd Skywalkers Blue teams do this spring?

You do no need to subject your daughter to this club. MM humiliates, degrades and is not an appropriate coach. Plain and simple, go to another club. That's what everyone else is doing and that's why Skywalkers is failing.

Not very well.

Well said. Why any parent would subject their daughter to this man is beyond me. I doubt they are even considered a top club in 5 years if he doesn't remove himself from the sidelines.

H

No doubt this club is competitive but the head is over the top. I witnessed a practice last week where he was berating the girls non-stop...then he made them hug him at the end....borderline creepy. His daughter is no better, much better options in Baltimore, unless you or your daughter is a sado masochist with extreme Daddy issues

So I respectfully question the motivation for those who care to put down Sky Walkers' program and similarly the motivation of those who care to criticize those who choose to play for Sky Walkers. I have no interest in criticizing your choice - each to her own. My daughter has played for various programs and loves her Sky Walkers' experience and family. In my daughter's own words - playing for Sky Walkers makes her want to work harder and she never, ever feels badly about herself after making a mistake - to the contrary, she knows that she is supported in making mistakes in the journey to be the best she can be and she feels nothing but support from her coaches (including Mike and Molly - the attention of whom she and her teammates crave). To those who care about winning - don't bother checking out Sky Walkers. Mike and Molly are passionate about developing the self-confidence of young women. Never once have I heard Mike or Molly or any other SW coach "berate" a girl for making a mistake. But yes, if a girl is not giving her best effort - then she will be pushed. My daughter plays other sports and sadly she often feels / has felt like she disappoints the coach and/or the coach is angry at her or her teammates for not winning or making a mistake. Sky Walkers' coaches create an environment where girls play for themselves and each other and the focus is trying your best and letting the winning be secondary - truly a huge (and I think valuable) difference. Yes Sky Walkers' strongest teams are historically older teams, and that is to be commended since it should be the girls' own choice to take part in a club that is, while undeniably and unapologetically intense, also incredibly supportive. For young ladies who want to play lacrosse in college, I encourage them to do their own research, including asking college coaches what they think of the Sky Walkers program.

You of course are entitle to your own opinion. I however, witnessed several times Mike berating young girls in practice as my daughter had rec practice on the next field. If you think that is the proper way to "push" young women, then have at it. I decided at that point I would never let me daughter play for that organization and I have zero regrets about where she ended up. Obviously based on their numbers and performance over the last couple of years, you may be in the minority. Skywalkers used to be the top dog in the area and they could get away with these antics. Parents have now seen that those same antics aren't required to push girls to get better. You can go out to an M&D, Heros, TLC, etc practice and see that girls are being pushed without being berated and talked down to. In most ages, these same teams are better than their Skywalkers counterparts. To each their own I guess.

Respectfully question peoples opinion????? the head coach is a nut, but if you want to subject your daughter to his antics to make her a better lacrosse player, he's all yours. His daughter and son are no better, little crazy clones. Skywalkers are a talented program, just not for every family. Had my daughter stayed I would have a very hard time watching Mike berate my daughter, make many girls cry and then demand hugs after practice and games. Good luck and yes, many girls from that program will go onto good schools and play lacrosse.

The authors of the two above comments miss my point and are focusing on defining what makes / who are the "best teams". I realize people who make comments such as these will not want their girls to play for Skywalkers and truth be told, I am glad. No doubt, not every girl is a match for SW and that is absolutely ok. We (and many others obviously) support girls in choosing to play for Skywalkers for reasons beyond the fact that they may win games or go on to play at good schools - the last thing we would do is choose a club based on "numbers and performance". It is so much more than that, and that is what we value. I am happy there are so many great clubs out there for girls and I wish them all the best. I hope everyone out there comes to the realization that there is no reason to hate (especially when your own daughter isn't part of the program you are hating on). I have no reason to speak negatively about other clubs and I just wish everyone else would do the same.

I don't see any discussion about being better teams. The points were that Mike and Molly verbally berate and belittle the girls. If you fell that is necessary to motivate your daughter to be a better lacrosse player have at it. But people should know what they are getting into with that club. Hugging everyone at the end of practice doesn't make it ok to act the way they do on the field during practice and games. It's like an abusive husband telling his wife he loves her after he just hit her.

I have witnessed Mike at a tournament yell "STOP" at the coach of one of his teams because she went to run on the field when her player was hurt!!! He wanted to waste the time. It was a disgrace.

I'm not sure if the one young blond haired make coach is related to Mike or not. Someone said its his son. I've witnessed him not only berating his own girls but also making comments to and about other girls on opposing teams.

not his son. I have coached against his team many times and although he is very intense, i haven't witnessed any bad behavior towards his players or opposing team's players.

Why is it only Sky Walkers being discussed in the Maryland forum? There are lots of other girls clubs in Maryland and all of them have their faults and/or warts. club lacrosse is not all unicorns and rainbows. I'm not a Sky Walkers supporter but I just refuse to believe that it is all unicorns and rainbows in other clubs...