BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) Best way to deal with summer sleep away and tryouts?

as a relatively new parent of a laxer, may i ask what the accepted etiquette is of trying out for a travel team when there is a chance that my child will go to sleep away camp next summer (2014) instead of playing with the travel team here at home during that time? just to be sure, he is not trying out for team 91. thank you in advance for any constructive input. my child is going into 6th grade.

be honest and upfront with the team - most teams have a lot going on in the fall, winter and early spring and some teams are done by July 4th. - I would probably stay away from the most competitive teams that tend to not understand that there is more to life then lacrosse.

Honestly, that put both you and the club in a tough spot..if you agree to a roster spot you have to commit to the full travel/tournament schedule. It put a strain on that relationship if you cherry pick which tournaments you go to. The Time (age) is coming to decide between one or the other

Generally, your summer travel season consists of practice and tournaments the last week of June and first two weeks of July. If you are doing sleep away camp the month of July there is no point in trying out for a travel team.

Good morning, I went through the same issue a few years back. My son ultimately decided that he wanted to play lacrosse and never went back to sleep away camp. Alot depends on what team he makes ( A , B , C team within the organization ) When tryouts are over and your son is offered a spot you have to give the organization a deposit which is non refundable . If he chooses to go to camp you will have to eat the deposit. I think the best thing to do is when he makes a team before you give a deposit speak to one of the directors of the particular organization and see what their feelings are. I have heard of situations that parents picked up their son every weekend and bring him to the tournaments. The problem with that is he wont be around all summer for practice. Organizations such as 91 , Express, Dune Dawgs all practice 2-3 times a week. You also have to realize that your son might be taking a spot from another player especially if you choose not to play. I hope this helps you. Any other questions please feel free to post. Good Luck

thank you very much for all of your replies, i greatly appreciate your input. for anyone who might be wondering, the town team my son plays on is not as competitive as the travel teams. i hope to gain for my son a heightened level of instruction and acquired skill by playing with other players who are more talented than those he plays with now. it is not my intention to take anyone's spot on the roster. and i suppose open and frequent communication with the coach is necessary and the responsible thing to do. i just hope that by being open about it with the coach, my son doesnt lose playing time when there are games. i think the tryouts will also be good for my son to give him (and me) a much better feel as to where he really is in comparison to where i THNIK he is as far as talent and competitiveness go.

anyway, please keep the ideas coming if there are any more. thank you very much everyone.

Club lacrosse = You will play lacrosse on every single weekend in June and July, half of May and the 1st weekend in August. Then you get two weeks off before tryouts begin. Its allot for a kid who also wants to enjoy the summer and be a boy or a family that wants a life beyond lax. Be honest with the coaches and yourself. If you don't mind paying and not playing then its not an issue but its becoming a very expensive hobby that many parents see as some sort of investment.

I think Millon is done by the end of june, may be the right fit

I think it would certainly make sense for an organization to cater to players who want to be done in early June,. At ages before middle school, Vacations, camp, family all come before lacrosse. There are plenty of players who would be attracted to such a club. Any takers. Don't make kids have to choose at such a young age.

That would be nice but there don't seem to be too many tournaments to pick from that early in the year. Most start after the PAL season ends to avoid conflicts.