BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums MID-ATLANTIC LACROSSE MARYLAND FORUM Greater Howard Club Lacrosse Conference (HoCo)

Nice try, gonna call BS on that. I think very few kids know anything about the Hoco hubbub, nor would they care much. It's the parents and coaches who are stirring everything up.

Crush will beat Crabs and Loonies by 5 goals. Not even in same league..they had a couple lucky games but most of these match ups have ended badly for Crabs and Loonies.

Crush will beat Crabs and Loonies by 5 goals. Not even in same league..they had a couple lucky games but most of these match ups have ended badly for Crabs and Loonies.

The kids on our team were saying the same thing. Everyone knows the Crabs kids are older....it's totally obvious. The kids are around kids their own age all the time. They probably see it quicker than we do.

You are an absolute tool if you don't know that these kids know who the re-class player are. Enjoy it now crab's a-hole because once they hit High school everyone catches up and these "stars" who have been playing down will get a hard dose of reality.

I did not say that, I was responding to the OP who said that the kids are calling the elite bracket the reclass bracket, that is absolutely not true. Yes, the kids all know who the hold backs are, for the most part they don't care. My son is an on-age 2020 on one of the elite teams, not a crab, his attitude...whatever.

If by dose of reality you mean that most Crabs holdbacks make varsity as freshman at MIAA "A" schools then you are correct.

It's fun to make things up. My grandpa does it all the time

Considering most Crabs 2020 holdbacks are an "older" 16, some approaching 17 when they enter their freshman year. Something to be really proud of Crab dad. Maybe you can find a way for your son to game the academics in school also.

Any comments on the games played this past weekend at BL or the Next Level play day? I hope the majority of readers prefer constructive comments and not the crap that's been eating up this forum. Any teams or players(#s and positions only) stand out?

Completely agree. My kid is on age also. He played against the holdbacks/prefirsts growing up in rec with the U9, U11, U13 model. He could care less. Many of them are his friends and he has grown up playing with and against them. The only ones crying are the parents in regards to this issue.

It's not like it ends in High School either. BL's JV team played Hill Academy's Varsity "B" team yesterday. All those kids were 17-19 years old. BL's JV team ranges from 14-16. It was literally men against boys.

I would like to make the point that the reclass still has a advantage when he hits high school. He is a 15 and a half year old freshman. So the coach gets four years to play a kid. Most great players do not play Var. as a freshman. But when you are a reclass you are big enough to show up and play Var. your first year in high school. So 4 years of playing Var. is a large advantage.

First off, you're off base on your ages for the most part. But whatever. My comment was in response to the poster that said the holdbacks would get a hard dose of reality when they get to high school. That is completely not true in almost all cases.

Obviously you have a bug up your [lacrosse] about holdbacks. Everyone makes a big deal about how these kids are learning poor lessons in that you can game the system and play down. But isn't it also a poor lesson to teach our kids that everything in life will always be fair and even? All of my kids are on age. They have all dealt with playing against older kids. When they graduate college, are they going to be competing for jobs with only others with the same degree from the same school with the same experience and no one has any connections? Of course not. There are lessons to be learned all around.

As long as the kids are having fun, learning a great game and working hard, why should the parents be so pissed off? Because junior may not win every tournament that they can go to work and brag about? I really believe that's what this is all about.

All the talk about safety...Can anyone provide any proof that injuries in youth lacrosse have increased due to the influx of holdbacks in middle school? All of our kids grew up playing in age groups that were across 2 years. What's the difference?

Yeah, that would be a breath of fresh air. Watched my son's Team91 play Hawks and Rock. Sorry to be critical, but Rock should not have been there. Score was 21 (or so) -0. Rock may have had 3 shots all game.
Hawks was a much better game with 91 winning 7-4. Hawks is a good team, but 91 seemed better at more positions. That said, Hawks has done well against this team (as former Breakers team)previously, so I think it will continue to be a back and forth battle with them....okay, now back to re-classing argument.

Careful, the truth upsets people on here. Although no one really cares about high school on here. Everyone just wants to post on facebook and brag at work that little Timmy won a championship this weekend. And these damn holdbacks are making it tough for that to happen.

Who cares if Timmy is having fun and being well coached, the point of youth lacrosse is to win free tshirts!!!!!!

I heard that Crabs did not (probably didn't want to) play 91 or Hawks, they played Rocks and a light team form Philly. This is typical for Ryan McClernan, avoid the tougher teams who on any given day could beat them. He never wants to put his team in that position. Also heard FCA Blue was suppose to play but had to cancel.

FCA blue was never scheduled to play. If we were no one ever knew about it. We don't start practice until this week.

Sounds like you "heard" a lot. I hear things all the time. Doesn't make them true.

I can't speak to that, although I agree Team91 on a very good day could challenge Crabs. Originally, Team91 was also supposed to play FCA in the AM. I was told they were missing some players and with Calvert Hall (same coach) in Carolina for the weekend, they canceled.

The Hawks vs. 91 game was probably the best game of the day. Hawks struggled at faceoffs, (thought they were supposed to have elevated that this year) but still managed to keep it competitive. I felt bad for Rock as they were really overmatched. I was also surprised that the Crabs did not play better against Freedom. Freedom faired much better than Rock over all, but they lost to Crabs by the same spread as Hawks. I would liked to have watched Crabs vs. 91 or Hawks. Either game would have been fun to watch.

Did I say they were true? Just said I heard things. Looking for verification from someone who may know, but as usual get assho*e responses from people like you. Maybe you don't have the IQ to separate fact from fiction on the things you hear all the time.

Breakers beat Hawks in the same early Spring play day 3 years in a row. 3 years ago it was like 20-3. 91 dominated the faceoff.

I'll chalk it up to a mis-communication. We had FCA listed on our Team Snap schedule until Thursday or Friday last week. We'll play soon enough and I'm sure it'll be highly competitive.

So you just randomly post things you "hear" so that you can take a pointless random shot at RM and Crabs? And I'm the [lacrosse]?

I'll keep in mind that in the future I will just make stuff up, say I "heard" it, and then take shots at whoever I have a problem with.

Hawks have a new faceoff kid. Saw him in indoor. Did not see him Sunday.

Not true - there has never been that much of a spread between 91/Breakers and Hawks. 91 did win more face offs but would not say they dominated - their 3 face off middies are equally good. The teams have been battling it out for years and look forward to playing one another - neither team shys away from competition and both walk away knowing they are better for each game regardless of who wins. They are always great competitive games. Next game they may very well flip again. The kids and coaches are friends - do not drag them into the drama of this forum.

Don't worry. 91 goes 2-4 in hoco

You may be referring to the A teams - not Hawks Green and 91 Force(formerly Breakers AA). These two teams have gone goal for goal for years most recently a tie in the fall and we can look forward to more in the future.

Agreed. 91 tied Hawks in Fall and Breakers lost to Hawks in Spring play-off. Very evenly matched teams.

Yes you are the a hole, just proved it again and as I guessed it, a Crab dad. Why you defend a pos like Ryan McClerrnan is beyond me, but then again you have taken the Crabs Koolaid and in your mind all is good.
Go back and look at all the tournaments and play days Crabs hosts, anyone can quickly see how they put all of the lesser talented teams in their group, they never want to play anyone with the possibility of beating them until the final game, which they cannot avoid.
So I'll include you and Ryan M in the same POS category, you deserve each other. You just can't admit the truth or are too blinded to see the truth.

And 91 is probably okay with that as long as their games are competitive. Different focus as a team and coaches than others who would do anything to win a game regardless of the cost to the boys. Trying to stir up trouble again and get everyone down to your level?

US Lacrosse Adopts New Player Segmentation Policy

from press release | Twitter

BALTIMORE — US Lacrosse, the national governing body for men’s and women’s lacrosse, has adopted a new player segmentation policy to help ensure player safety, competitive fairness and a consistent experience for youth lacrosse. The policy was approved by the US Lacrosse Board of Directors in January.

In order to allow leagues, programs and events to adjust, the policy will go into effect on September 1, 2017, but groups are encouraged to begin following the policy sooner if logistics permit.

“We want this to happen as soon as possible, but we know it will take some time for people to adapt to these changes,” said Kristen Murray, vice chair of the US Lacrosse Board of Directors and chair of the task force that recommended the policy. “We need to keep driving it forward, because this is what’s best for the kids.”

Among the notable items in the player segmentation policy:
•An emphasis on grouping players by single-age years (12-month span).
•Age is based on player’s age as of September 1 in an attempt to align with the majority of school systems nationwide to allow players to play with people in their own grade level.
•Firmly defined playing season that begins its 12-month cycle on September 1.
•Standardized nomenclature that lists age first, i.e., 12U.

In order to help leagues and events monitor the age of participants, US Lacrosse has developed an online age verification system, which includes a review of a birth certificate or other legal document to confirm a player’s birth date.

“All of these things — player segmentation, age verification, athlete development — improve the quality of competition, play and overall experience,” said George Leveille, a task force member who also serves as organizer of the popular Summit Lacrosse Tournament in Lake Placid, N.Y. “The new player segmentation policy was designed to increase participation by making it a more enjoyable and safer playing experience.”

Rules for each age group will be determined by the US Lacrosse rules subcommittees. The rules subcommittees meet each spring and summer to propose rules, which are voted on by the US Lacrosse Board of Directors in September. The rules for each age group will be in sync with the Lacrosse Athlete Development Model, a new initiative for US Lacrosse launched this year.

Members of the lacrosse community wishing to provide input to the rules change process can do so by visiting the following links:

Boys: http://www.uslacrosse.org/rules/boys-rules/boys-rule-change-proposal-form.aspx

Girls: http://www.uslacrosse.org/rules/girls-rules/girls-rule-change-proposal-form.aspx

US Lacrosse recognizes that many leagues and programs are currently grouped in age spans beyond 12 months. For local league and community-based play, organizations may form teams with up to a 24-month age variance if necessary to ensure participation. If two age groups are combined, the even year age should be the maximum age for the paired segment (i.e., 7U/8U) and teams with a greater than 12-month variance must play by the rules for the youngest age group of the team. Local organizations that choose to form teams with a 24-month variance should have appropriate risk management policies and planning in place to ensure that player safety is not compromised.

A chart with the player segmentations for the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons is available here.

A task force that included US Lacrosse staff, volunteers, and lacrosse leaders from around the country developed the player segmentation policy. A complete copy of the policy is available on the US Lacrosse web site. Helping to guide the decision making process was a research-based position paper on recommendations for youth lacrosse participation published in 2011.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did the US Lacrosse Board of Directors adopt this policy?

The US Lacrosse Board of Directors adopted the player segmentation policy for three primary reasons: Player safety, competitive fairness and consistent experience for participants.

Why was age chosen to segment players?

Age is the best indicator for determining how to group children due to physical and cognitive development. It is also the most easily verified method to segment players. The new US Lacrosse age verification system will assist leagues and events in ensuring that players are segmented properly. However, the age groupings were designed to align as closely as possible with students’ grade level in school so that they can participate with their classmates.

What happens if there are not enough players to field a team using the new segmentations?

The task force recognized that some programs will not have enough players to segment by single-aged years. Provisions are included to allow 24-month age segmentations for local league and community-based play, if necessary, to ensure participation. The aim of the policy is to improve the experience for everyone in order increase participation, not discourage it.

Why was September 1 chosen as the start date of the season?

The playing season was firmly defined as September 1 through August 31 of each year to help ensure consistency. The fall date was chosen as the start date for the new season, as the majority of teams use the fall to begin their preparation for the upcoming spring and summer seasons.

Why is the age listed first on the groupings?

The nomenclature for age groupings was changed to have the age listed first for clarity and to allow for a clear break between youth (14U and younger) and scholastic (15U to 18U) lacrosse. Previously, the U15 level was considered youth, but often included age-eligible high school players. Those situations will be limited in the new structure.

Crabs play the weakest teams. Surprise surprise. What does the US Lacrosse new age segmentation rules released today mean for the Holdback central. Does this mean the age of holdbacks is coming to an end?

And....the USLacrosse website crashes.

RM and Boys Latin must be crying right now. No more gaming the system. I would imagine we see the end of class based leagues/tournaments. Hooray!

Show me where any of the large leagues or tournaments the Crabs and others play in have we follow US lacrosse rules. I can not find it anywhere. I have not paid for my US lacrosse membership in years. I hope they are all forced to follow US lacrosse rules but I can not find where any of the top leagues say they do.

Exactly. Bye Bye Holdbacks. Will take a year to implement. Majority of top minds in lacrosse don't agree with the Uber competitive parents and coaches that are holding kids back for non-academic reasons.

Why do you think Boys' Latin cares about Club Lacrosse. Shriver hates the club lacrosse system and is not shy about voicing his opinion.

New U.S lacrosse rules = a harsh reality that little Johnny wasn't really that good!!!
Its going to even the playing field...

I think the big deal here is age verification. This is a step in the right direction and will ultimately end the holdback scheme. Imagine all those kids RM was planning to holdback and get his kickbacks from BL. Too bad.

I seriously doubt that Shriver hates an extra year of tuition when little johnny's parents let him repeat a year so he can play for crabs against younger kids.