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

typical

My sons 3rd grade team's game was cancelled before plus I heard about 5 other team drop. The sucks for the kids who want to play.

Teams that don't show get docket $150 but I agree, it's a waste of time

My only complaint is why can't they give the schedule out at the beginning of the season or at least what the time slot will be? Waiting for the week before is what causes all the conflicts forcing teams to scramble for players or just forfeit all together. Also how hard is it to email a goddamn field map? I must of been asking forty times where a field was. I was told that all the 8am games on Saturday were cancelled. Is that incorrect?

Fields are terrible, other than the turf. Rosters are thin and supplemented because travel kids already bailed. Whats the point? Do away with it already...

Does anyone know how the boys divisions will be set up this year? (2016) I am hearing strictly A/B/C. But in previous years it was A/1/2/3/4. With the A division being the so called elite town teams. Thanks in advance

No elite division this year for 5th and 6th grade.

PAL in our town is a joke. The director thinks that having kids pass the ball to someone who can't catch is a terrific way of keeping the town together. There needs to be an A and B at some point. I believe it should be at 5th grade.
Any thoughts?

We were asked to request A,B,C for our teams . Also the festival will not be mandatory this year

What town?

Is any other town doing A & B teams for 5th grade?

Separating your kids at any youth age will be the beginning of the end for your towns program. This trend started about four years ago and many not all but many are struggling to field teams in 6th grade. Good luck.

Pequa is proving to do it best. We don't have any fall off of kids who want to play, only except for kids whose parents are making them play. The other big towns who don't separate a/b usually have people running their programs who really shouldn't be running them.

PAL is a joke. To much politics and daddy coaches running around. Never based on talent just who knows the coach better and if your son plays the same position as his son, forget it. Stick with A travel better coaches and boys play where they belong based on skill and overall effort they put in.

PAL is the lowest common denominator for lacrosse on Long Island. It should be inclusive. There are numerous other outlets for your future D1 star to go play if he wants a more robust experience and not be with his town friends whether they can or can't catch and throw. Definitely no reason to separate prior to 5th grade. Lacrosse is a skill game and the skills of the B/c players younger than 5th are not there to carry a team on their own.

Our town split 2nd graders into an A and B team last spring. Yes, 2nd graders. Guess how well that worked out? Most of the B team quit. Some of the A team players were miserable trying to keep up with the higher tier A team kids playing in the A bracket. So it's likely that we eliminated at minimum ten to twelve 7 year olds from playing a sport. Brilliant. Did I mention the PAL (dad) head coach and genius engineer or this plan doesn't believe in club lacrosse? He says he can't afford it on his teacher's salary. Same genius who had his kid in tears at practice. He's the kind of winner I want to be my kid's role model.

We were faced this issues for my son. The only issue was we had a rare instance of 12+ boys who had an overall athletic aptitude. The problem was the town really didn't care and the coaches pushed their own agenda. The year had enough boys to carry two teams; the last 5/6 boys to round out the "better" team to 17 players and the top 3/4 on the second team (18 players) were hard to split and yes favors came to play. But many of the parents of the second team fought the process because they didn't want their son on a second team. Felt things were done sneaky. You realize after the years there is no easy way to do it.

I always thought PAL you split evenly and you form a "tournament team" of the better players. You practice twice a week. One as a grade and one day as a team (with the option of a second team day before games start).

I think the school coaches should have some involvement though. I've heard all the nightmares. Lived through a few. Good luck have fun and remember you are their parents and advocates. The boys will be friends for a long time they are building lifelong memories.

There is no right answer to this, just people with different opinions. I've seen it from both sides with my kids. My older son was on a very good team and he was still developing. Of course, he was put at attack because PAL youth lax is middie-centric (ie; coaches let the best kids run the show instead of coaching the young young kids). He stood out there every game with his stick up, moving to get away from defenders, and never had a ball thrown his way. My other son is on a team of relative equals. It's the B team, but he is one of the better players and is an integral part of the team. They play against comparable teams and he loves it. I'm happier with this model because he comes off of the field happy and proud instead of sad and dejected like my older son did. Most kids don't care as much about A/B as the parents do. My older son put in the work and developed a little later than the other boys in his grade, but now he's a quality player on his school team. It's about player development and readiness more than it is about parental egotism. Let the kids play in an environment that will keep them positive and have them enjoy the sport.

You'll get, mostly the mom's upset about their son being labeled anything but an A player. So politically correct organizations have gone to colors. Know what happens when that lesser player plays with the better players? They won't pass them the ball. Kids figure out quickly who can/can't catch. Ive been coaching a long time (on all levels)and no matter how much you implore the kid to make the right play, in crunch time, they will throw it somewhere else. And you know what happens when that B/C player goes to middle school? They get cut. And you know what the parent says/does? Nothing. You know why? Because parents feel that a paid (most times a teacher) can cut their kid, but a volunteer (no matter their experience) must catch [lacrosse] if their son is labeled anything but the best.

So true!

Yes my town is one of those P/C towns that went to colors...still many parents were pissed that their little Johnny wasn't on the Red team. They all felt the white wasn't good enough for their kid. Doesn't matter though, the coaches kids and his friends are not the best players but they play where they want. My kid plays attack and plays on one of the better club teams and is on the first line but I was told to go buy a long pole for him because he is playing defense this year. I asked why and was told that they needed him there. Doesn't matter that the kids playing attack cant catch or shoot straight. It's crazy but my son wants to play with his friends so I guess I'm spending some more money. in the long run it cant hurt that learns another position. I at least hope they have fun, isn't that what its all about.

Most youth PAL clubs don't value the attack position and hide kids there. They let the middies go coast to coast. So ridiculous. Your son's coach probably needs an athlete on defense but will probably move him to attack when they need a few goals. Many of these coaches don't know what they're doing.

the hiding players at attack only works till maybe 5th grade after that the coaches need to realize who doesn't have the wind but some sort of sports IQ.

What Towns have the most players in their PAL systems. Both Nassau and Suffolk?

Thats the truth! Our town has coaches who never even played the game, and those who know the game are not allowed to coach because of politics.

The technical term we use is "bury them on attack". It is a viable strategy with the little ones until their skills catch up. And they might even get a goal from a GB even if they can't catch or pass. It does happen.

It's a cop-out strategy for coaches who lack the patience to work with young children. They'll never learn to play the position if they're not thrown the ball.

In my experience, it does change somewhat around 5th. I have seen the more aggressive Middies with good stick skills change to poles. I have seen the kids with the better stick skills, better hand eye coordination and a penchant for the game move to Attack. And the runners stay at middie.

Those kids who were buried at attack no longer have a place to play. get moved to 4th line middie Never a good thing to get buried on attack

Attack is becoming a very valuable and used position in youth lacrosse. Give me a kid with IQ and stick skills and I will show you an attackman that is game changing. A good attackman makes every player on the offense side of the ball better. Hiding a kid on attack is a tactic used at the 5--7 yr old level, once they are 9 and up those coaches that can find a kid who understands the position, has the IQ and can move the ball the right way, you have a triple threat at a position that wins games. Go to any good Travel team 9 and up and you will see how they utilize good attackmen on every play call. The way middies are moved on and off the field consistently in todays game makes the attack spot that much more important. coaches that are not utilizing this are falling way behind and it shows up in their record at the end of the season. Having a kid with speed run up the field at middie and dodge through 4 kids is no longer a viable play as they reach that 9-10+ year old age and actually will start to hurt the team. Yes I am a youth coach and no this is not a position my son plays but he does play D and I am seeing how good teams are putting much more faith in the attack position and its working.

At 4th grade and under, if you have middies that are both good and will pass the ball, and if you have attackmen that can catch and shoot, than you can light up the scoreboard. On my son's town team, the top athletes that could both run and had stick skills played middle. The more mediocre athletes who still could catch, cradle and shoot played attack. Kids who were none of this were hidden on defense, and supplemented by middies who were occasionally rotated back there. The key is to have a coach that stresses passing. A middle who runs through 4 kids and scores is a middle who is taken out and told to not do that again.

Can someone shed light on the Hofstra full day week long lacrosse summer camp? Is it worthwhile at the younger age levels?

It's a lot of lacrosse, but if that is what johnnie wants, it will be ok. They also break up the day to fit in some pool time. There are less expensive options but Hofstra runs a lot of camps and has the camp system down pretty solid. Still lots of young college player coaches and not all of them are good, more cellphone watching sometimes, but they are really all like that.

I agree, the top teams at k-3 that have a stud that does all the work, start to fade as the better passing teams catch up. I wish I could hide some players on a 4th line. I have 15 kids and maybe 8 athletes with 5 lax players.

by the end of the 4th grade season defenses get it and the game shifts to attacking the cage from behind with skilled attackman. up until then its usually your best middie(s) against their's. those middie driven teams sputter in 5th and 6th where you need offense and movement and not just one kid dominating...

maybe you should take the time and teach the players who are on ur 4th line....thats what good coaches do..not hide them...teach them..u never know they might be the next great one!!!

4th line??? Who actually has a 4th middie line? I have two! The 4th line should be the 1st line of the second team. Get more kids the minutes they need to improve.

It's PAL, its a joke

Love the West Islip PAL dads decked out in there now dated matching State champ shirts and matching satin jackets...

Your kid must be really good since clearly you think he's too good to play PAL with his friends. Oh wait, he does have friends, right?