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

I wasn't commenting on DMV, nor putting down older teams like Black Wolf or VLC.

I meant NoVa youth teams. Is 3d Mid-Atlantic the old Fuze and out of NoVa? Perhaps that is another option and they are or will field "A" teams. My point wasn't to pump up NC lax or put any club down - just wondering where are all the competing "clubs" south of the Potomac that I'd expect from the population. I'm sure there are some but I just haven't seen in tournaments.

dude. not long ago nobody cared about N VA or DC lacrosse either...

We big time. Team Carolina even has overage kids and a director who sends mean emails.

I grew up in NC and live in the northeast now. I still go back to NC to see family and for business. The kids there are eaten up with lacrosse. They can't get enough of it. Don't forget that there are already very strong affiliations with Duke and UNC due to basketball and the kids are naturally turning into lacrosse fans as well now that they are playing the sport. One of the main impediments is that NC is still largely a public school state and the public school AD's are struggling to come up with the funds to cover lacrosse. Eventually, lacrosse will take over baseball and the AD's will use the baseball money to fund lacrosse. In some cases, the parents are covering the cost of fielding lacrosse teams. The kids want it that badly. North Carolina is only one state that I can give as an example. The current hotbed areas will only be that way for another 10 years and then lacrosse will largely be a national sport. It will be fun to watch.

Raw nerves in Maryland and DMV. Firm beliefs that our kids have higher lacrosse IQs and all that drivel. It makes all the sense in the world to me that there is parity in the youth game now in places like Texas and California. Soon to be North Carolina and others if not already. I do get concerned that the negative aspects of lacrosse including early recruiting and abject lunacy of club owners and crazy parents don't alienate the masses back to other sports. If the competitive side of lacrosse revs up with all of the negatives with it, I'd be concerned that the growth of lacrosse in places like the Carolinas will stagnate quick.

I know this guy (madlax photographer). Honestly he is beyond a proud parent -- he's a social media addict and obnoxious the way he markets his kid. Kid is good midfielder but not as good as you would think based on the social media coverage - he got the most out of his relationship with Maddux and Ty Xander's and the whole recruiting machine. Any kid who plays with madlax has a hype squad/press agent. I wonder if they pay extra for that

Really now the Madlax kids are only good because of the hype machine

You need reading comprehension lessons. That's not what he said.

Only pointing out the guy is obnoxious the way he pushes his kid and other madlax kids all over social media and recruiting sites. Plenty of good kids in the program. Plenty of good kids outside the program that don't get the attention. But who cares - in the end I don't think social media and Ty Xander's gets your kid a D1 spot.

[quote=Anonymous89000]Only pointing out the guy is obnoxious the way he pushes his kid and other madlax kids all over social media and recruiting sites. Plenty of good kids in the program. Plenty of good kids outside the program that don't get the attention. But who cares - in the end I don't think social media and Ty Xander's gets your kid a D1 spot. [/quote
People are lazy and college scouts are people so if someone is doing the work for them. I am sure they let Ty and the others start the list and they take it from there.

Are you saying that the defending national champion, coached by perhaps the greatest ever in Tierney, buys internet hype? Or is lazy in their evaluations?
The jealousy is palpable and laughable.

Yes, over the top marketing and hyping of his son and a few select others. Yes, obnoxious. But, did he really get the most out of his relationships with Maddux and Ty? Denver...on much less than a full ride? That ain't the moon.

When we left Madlax I called and emailed the director. I explained why we were leaving and listened to all of the reasons he had for us to stay. My son wanted to stay, but, as the person paying the bills, I vetoed his wishes. There were several times in my communications with Cabell that I could have taken the bait and watched it turn into a deadspin type exchange. I resisted, which for me is not easy. In the end, I did what proved to be best for my son. Cabell was unhappy but not a monster.

He reached out to us a few months later to initiate a new round of discussions about coming back to the program. When we rebuffed the interest he went ballistic. Name calling and the like. Life goes on and it is what it is. My son is in a better place and I will not ever permit my younger boy to play for Madlax.

As a Madlax parent I am sorry this is how he acted again. For all the good the program has done for my son, I hate to hear these stories. His passion is what helps push Madlax to where it is but it also pushes him to act like this. I hope he reads this and just acts like he should.

You sound like a nice person, but your rationale is off a bit. Plenty of people are passionate. Being passionate doesn't automatically give one the right to act vindictively and like a child. He has THREATENDED MANY people in the exact same manner when they chose to leave. This is not some isolated incident. He tells people he will ruin this chances of playing HS or college lacrosse. He tells kids his former teammates will be gunning for him on the field.

If you ask around, you'll learn that many of his top players have left for Blackwolf, Crabs and VLC once they hit HS. Why? Because families tire of his antics, tire of the exorbitant amount he charges and/or find that other clubs are better in terms of the experience and/or recruiting results.

There are a lot of good people/kids in the Madlax program. But you are unfortunately supporting someone who is not a nice person.

Well I agree he is not a nice person, I do not need a nice person in charge I just wish he would be smarter. When you state other options I laugh a little, Blackwolf is invite only so it only a option is they call you. Crabs are in Baltimore, And when you speak of VLC they have a long way to go with the younger teams coming up. If he could just get over this issue he has when a kid leaves. Madlax would be the clear cut best option for the most kids. Maybe he could take some of my monthly fee money and go sit on a couch and work this issue he has out. Is there a girl out there that left him and gave him this complex of people leaving him.

I don't understand the comment about Blackwolf.

Just found a Madlax tryout email in my Junk Mail folder. What a scam this is. He is now making kids try out who are locks to be on his A team, so that's more money in his pocket. It used to be that if you made his A team, you were in. More money for him now.

Then the poor kids destined for the B team will be split into 2 B teams. More money for him, worse experience for those kids.

Almost as bad as how he charges kids to call college coaches.

He isn't making anyone do anything they don't want to sign up for. The self loathing of typing in that credit or debit care number would be a delicious sight to see. I opened the email and then felt kind of dirty for doing so before deleting it. It was so wrong but...I....just...could...not...not read it. And this thread too. It's lik reality TV. Seriously, parents signing up for this knowing he is a sociopath is just too good to tune out from. Can we live mic this guy at tournaments? I would pay for that. A lot.

He is quite the show on the sidelines, sometimes I lost track of what I was doing, because I was watching Sideshow Bob on the other end just lose his mind because he didn't get a loose ball push call.

You crack me up when you call the Blue teams a B team you are correct they are a second team but they are a mid level to high level A team and the top teams are a top level AA team. You can call us crazy and you can call him crazy that is true but to imply that the Madlax teams are not good is just wrong. Just a FYI everyone knows the prices we pay and the owner is nuts. And us and others are still coming. People like to win and be on good teams. You get what you pay for.

You parents are getting too involved in this. Step back, find a good fit club team and let your kid have fun. Remember, in the end: 'after college', it's about the friends theymade ' not you' and getting a well paying job, so the kids can hopefully have their kids involved in lax.

I am a dad of 3 boys and 1 girl.

True. My parents drove me there and back, cheered me on and took me and my mates for ice cream at Dairy Queen on the way home and that was about it. I thought about college when I was reminded to start thinking of a list spring of junior year from the school college guidance counselor along with everyone else in my class. Recruiting for my sport happened fall of senior year and there wasn't a point in trying to make that happen any sooner. I feel bad for these kids because of their parents. If you are heavily invested in your kid getting a college placement as a 8th to 10th grader, that is just sad and takes most of the joy out of it. I was on three ACC championship teams and made All-America, so it didn't go badly. I have no idea where those ACC plaques are but I do have the phone and other contact data for over 60 ex-college teammates who to this day are my best and most reliable friends. BTW those plaques don't help at job interviews or on grad school applications. Calm down and let your kids be kids, and if you aren't seeing your kids being kids having fun, intervene and do something about that. I don't care if my sons play college lacrosse or should you. If their lasting memory of a childhood game was winning a recruiting war and then sitting on a college bench for a few years or playing for a few years without having a lot of fun along the way, they will come to resent that and resent the people they blame for it which will start with you.

^^^^ this guy is smart. My kid was looking D2 and D3 then just told me he wants to go to a big school and get a good college education and maybe play club. I am cool with it because college is where you sew your oats. I have a buddy that played at Calvert Hall, and all the best clubs growing up. Played one year of D1 and hated it. Quite the team and play club rugby and chased girls. He said his dad burned him out on Lax. Don't be that dad or mom. Make sure your kid is into it. Sometimes driving an hour and a half one way to practice may be taking some of your kids childhood away.

The thing is I agree the juice is not worth the squeeze when you look at the work vs award with youth travel lacrosse. But if the dream of college lacrosse keeps him focused on his grades and off the streets I am cool with it. If he gets good grades and gets into a great school because of Lacrosse and quits the first day of practice I say it was all worth it. he is now at a great school with a great work ethic. Its about learning to work for a top goal and doing what you need to do to get there. You can change the top goal at any time once you learn the blue print on how to get it done.

So long as it is his dream and you are being supportive that is great. The blue print doesn't include writing checks to a sociopath and rationalizing it as a decent means to and end. We can all be better than that.

Who cares whether it's referred to as a B team or a single A. Everyone knows what we're talking about. Madlax has this stupid thing where they now call their best team "AAA" despite nobody else in the country doing that. It's just marketing ploy.

The point is they are doing these separate MD and VA tryouts just to make more money. It really isn't going to affect their best teams at all, except that the kids already on those teams now have to pay a tryout fee - another extra cost. For the kids on their "AA" or B teams, they now are on teams that are more diluted.

Nobody said the Madlax teams aren't good. Madlax gets a lot of the best kids early and he locks them up with that stupid monthly fee. But kids peel off after a few years because the parents are fed up with his BS and there are better options for recruiting. Winning games for 5th graders is what Madlax does best. Many people realize later that's not the point of playing club lacrosse.

Look at what happens to Madlax

2016 - best player and FOGO both left for the Crabs
2017 - best defenseman went to VLC
2018 - best defefenseman went to BW, best FOGO went to BW, one of the best attack went to VLC and one of their best middies went to another club
2019 - best FOGO went to Blackwolf
2020 - best player went to Crabs

See a pattern?

Really sociopath that is the word you are going to use. You lose creditability when you use words like that. Everyone reading this he is only crazy when you quit. And its just some nasty emails know this going into it. And its only if your son is going to get a D1 spot. So if you leave and he gets mad be happy your son is a stud. He knows the game I can testify to that. Yes he is loud on the sideline but every time I have heard him yell it was the correct thing he was saying. And 9 out of 10 coaching act like a fool on the sideline. That is just a fact.

Cabell Maddox is the most crass and classless sideline coach I have ever seen in youth sports, period. And I don't have a hearing problem. He is a sociopath. To reason that we could compartmentalize that behavior only in emails and only at "studs" who leave the program -- as opposed to losers who leave I suppose -- is really pretty disturbing to hear from any parent.

You must be the most soft man I have ever heard. What else hurts your feelings? Are you a kindergarten teacher?

Has anyone ever seen the Cavs 2019 head coach he is the biggest fool on the sidelines I have ever seen. And about the ones he does not get mad at when the leave, they are not losers they are just not D1 players. He knows what keeps people coming back and wanting to play for Madlax and thats D1 players.

I don't think he's saying his feelings are hurt. I think he's saying the leader of the organization to which you write all your checks and whose uniform your son wears is a complete a**clown.

You sure sound like a pretty tough anonymous lacrosse dad. I'm retired, sold my business to TPG 6 years ago right after I turned 40. As irony would have it, yes I am currently working on getting a teachers certificate in Virginia and I do hope to get a chance to eventually teach math at a Fairfax County public school.

And I and most any Madlax parents knows he is and can be a hot head. We just know the clearly bad parts about him and the club are not greater then the many great to good parts the club gives them. I am on the inside the only bad part for anyone is when you leave the club to go play for a rival club. He acts like a big child and fool. But when you are playing for him and the club everything is great. So if you are leaving why would you care if he is mad at you. The other coaches in the program are all great. And the two kids who really run the place are and the teams are really good guys who hate when he acts like a fool. So that is why I call people babies who are scared he might yell at you in a email when you leave the club. As for him yelling at the kids on the sideline that is so over blown its crazy. He yells yes but is direct and has a good point when he yells at a kid. I have not one problem with how he handles the sidelines. He does not baby the star players like these other club coaches do. On the sideline during the game that is. He and Madlax are not for everyone but I cant let people just bad mouth him and the club for other reasons. Like I have said before there are things you can talk bad about but over blowing things is just girl stuff.

Not true at all. I don't know what team your kid is on but any "insider parent" knows you get abusive nasty emails if you don't do everything exactly the way Cabell Maddox wants you to. Also half the parents on my kids team are sick of the blatant favoritism shown to certain overrated kids with overblown egos and dads with cushy relationships. We lost a few great kids because of that bs.

That sounds like the same story you are going to hear at any club for any sport anywhere in the USA. Madlax has no dads as coaches. You might think a kid is better or worse then they think he is but how does it help them to play a worse kid over a better kid. They get more money and better kids when they win. So why would they do anything that would not help them win. You can disagree with what kid is better or not but I think they just disagree with your opinion.

Boom, that's another reason why madlax is works and will be strong. No daddy ball! Name a club that won a reputable tourney and I bet 100 bucks they was no dad as a coach

2020 crush. Spallina. Boom!!

I actually agree that offering non-Daddy ball is a real plus, but I'll take the bait:

FCA won the U.S. Lacrosse U15 national championship with a Dad coach. Team 91 won the World Series U13 championship with Dad coach. Now, one can criticize both teams (all star team; daddy ball) and tournaments (made up without best teams there, though that is also true of [lacrosse]'s whose U15 and U13 championships Madlax is deservedly proud - and now Madlax is doing it's own FL championships in late Dec.)

Listen, a great professional non-Dad coach is choice #1. Not every team has that option.

Not sure if this is the right forum but I am looking for feedback on the Blackwolf combines for U11 and U13 kids... They had a couple of dates in June - did anyone send their son and if so what did they think about it? Any thoughts welcome. I am trying to decide if it would make sense to send my son to the August combines. Thanks.