BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums MID-ATLANTIC LACROSSE MARYLAND FORUM MD Girls 2028

The NEMS 27 team had their own internal issues they were dealing with. Shouldn't be a surprise their top three players went to M&D. Will be interesting to see when/if the 28 team makes a move back to A league. Anyone know how their tryouts went?

It's too early to honestly say everyone on top teams plan to stay put. And why except MDU and Crush?? Things change, people grow unhappy for reasons they might never have anticipated, and priorities shift...especially heading into recruiting years when winning becomes less important.

Those 2 have the biggest question marks, especially with Crush and the long term prospects there as you mention about Recruiting.

Why does MDU have question marks when they’re a very good team and the club is the 3rd best for recruiting out of the top 5 teams from last year?

I don't think MDU is a question mark, they can stay together as a solid HS program.

If these teams stay in the top 10 in the rankings, and play in the big tournaments they will get looks from college coaches.

3rd best? Ahead of who ? Heros , Sw or Mnd. If
You’re talking about 23 I would add Elite up there too.

Huh? It said out of top five 2028 teams from last year.

SW is not in the top-5 of 2028 teams we’re they? So it’s obvious…

28s aren’t getting recruited. Has to be talking about 23 class.

There are question marks because they aren't on the same level as M&D, Hero's or Coppermine from a team perspective. They may have an edge on recruiting over Coppermine today but in 4 years that will not be the case.

In 4 year Coppermine will only be on the cusp of having their first decent recruiting class IF they manage to keep the talent they have today. You may need to move that timeline back a little. Also, you have no idea how complete MDU will look come fall.

MDU beat Hero's in both meetings, and lost to M&D by a goal multiple times.

I may have missed it but I don't see anyone saying MDU isn't a good team or club here. They are in the top 5 for a reason. However, take for example the Integrity goalie went to M&D this summer instead of going to MDU. That's why I think some are saying that there are some unknowns. And yes we will definitely see come this fall on all of the new additions to the top 5 teams.

They also beat M&D in OT at LFTC. They we're right up there with everyone else last year. The fact of the matter is, there has been a ton of parity among the best 5 local teams. Though it might make people feel better to say their team is going to stay together while other teams are question marks, the fact of the matter is, you have no idea which players are question marks. Team dynamics change and players leave both winning and losing teams for many reasons.

"There are question marks because they aren't on the same level as M&D, Hero's or Coppermine from a team perspective"

This is just an opinion based on feelings and not facts.

Even if you don't follow other teams closely (which is to be expected) you can pretty easily look up scores in the rankings.

I have no idea how good the new M&D goalie is (formerly Integrity) but did she knock off a M&D goalie or just take a 2nd goalie spot? MDU already had two goalies, both are established and play equally.

Any clubs have their Fall practice schedules yet and which Fall tourneys they will be participating in? Hopefully, soccer won't put too much of a damper on lacrosse tourneys.

M&D only had 1 goalie. That was a more logical move than MDU who has 2. That is not an indicator about future success for MDU

MDU can, and should, stay together and keep growing as a team. They are only improving the competition at the 28 level. They can be a successful HS program. It doesn't have to come down to 3 teams with history.

But you don't think the coaches have already reached out to top girls on other teams? Coaches obviously want more talent, but the amount of talent truly assessed is not what you think it is.[/quote]


As in poaching? I don't know that they would be reaching out unsolicited at this age. Maybe in high school.[/quote]

At this age, most of the poaching comes from players on top teams who make friends who girls at camps and clinics. They figure out that they are good and encourage them to come to a practice then tryout.

M&D, Hero's, and SW have a really strong recruiting pipeline and track record. MDU has a good history as well. As for Coppermine, it is nonexistence and has NO history. College coaches barely know the program. As for the 2028 team even if it they stay together and get stronger and a few girls get recruited to top D1 schools. It will do nothing for the overall program. Coppermine will just be Coppermine at the end of the day. There is no new genesis.

We can hang on to this and see how it ages. Coppermine and other similar clubs will be fine. People love to sell the idea that you have to play for a major recruiting pipeline to make it anywhere. That is not entirely true and more of a scare tactic. The top players will be recruited regardless. There are plenty of good clubs and clubs like Coppermine that are adding recruiting directors with college connections will help them continue to grow. There is room for more than 3 clubs.

Check with the older Sw teams and see how much help they are getting. Coaches watch the best teams and reach out to the program. If you have good players they will reach out. Sw needs to get someone to help with recruit. M&M don’t really do much.

Nice try. The older SW teams are doing just fine. The 2022s had all of their girls committed before any other MD club. I would venture to say SW and MnD are the 2 best for recruiting.

Recruiting those 2 are easy when you have that much talent. They bottom 6 on every team needs the help of the club.

Does this talking point ever get old? The game is growing every year and there's room for a lot more clubs to be at the top of the recruiting scene as more and more talent develops and is spread out across more than 3 clubs.

Agreed- it just depends on when parents and girls decide to not leave their current very good team for the allure of the big three (and their history of recruiting) which is hard to deny if you are a top player.

Crush is the obvious outlier with their 2028 team being their strongest by far and not even having a high school program (until maybe this year?) I think it will be hard to keep those girls together with that type of uncertainty but I hope they all stay.

SW has a top recruiting reputation and even though the younger teams are not as strong, until their recruiting stops being top notch girls are still going to go there for high school.

Coppermine is a definite up and coming club and their 2028's are leading the way. The club just needs to get them in the top tournaments/brackets and convince the girls if they remain intact college coaches will be watching them no matter what field they are playing on.

MDU has been around longer and has a solid recruiting reputation. The 2028 team is the club's strongest and club has to hope that they can hold it together for the next few years.

MDU 2028 likely are their best team in that club, but let's not forget the MDU 2022 finished as a top-10 national team.
MDU 2024-2026 are average in not below (2026). Lots of reasons for that, but def involves Integrity reaping those benefits.

MDU 2027 is just outside the top-10.
MDU 2029 should be right there as well in top-10.

On average, how many training sessions are your girls doing outside of practice each week on the off -season (if any)?

My daughter sees a professional lacrosse trainer once a week and trains with me 2 times a week. Also, she will soon start a sports performance training program at our local athletic club.

Ours does something every day, whether it working out, running, wall ball, shooting etc. Add in high level lacrosse sessions 1-2x a week with former D1 athletes. To continue to grow and stay at a high level, our philosophy is to work hard every day to get better.

Usually 1 training session or private lesson a week and daily work on her own (wall ball, shooting, conditioning etc). She is a multi sport athlete, so the current season's sport has her at practices and games for that, so more than 1 training session or lesson a week isn't really feasible.

My kid is 12-13 and I let her live a normal life.

If your kid has aspirations and goals to play at the next level, then putting in daily work is "normal life ". Read any sports illustrated article, or talk to talk to most any collegiate athlete, and you will hear the same stories about there there drive to get better. Whether it it was out shooting 200 baskets A-day for basketball, Hours of wall ball,or Pitching against against the backstop, they all had work Ethic and lots of practice in common. That doesn't mean Every kid is doing that, but You also don't need to shame shame people for working hard.

You guys doing this is mid Aug as well? Sorry, but that's insanity. Your kid most likely is going to suffer from mental burn out if she's doing this at 12 yrs old, but just as important, physical strain on the body. Dr. Andrews just came out with his advice to avoid long term injury, play multiple sports and have a 2-4 month break. Obviously 2-4 months isn't happening in our society, but no reason for a kid to be doing this stuff daily 365.

If your kid is lax first, Aug is a good month to dial it back. They aren't going to lose what they've gained with a few weeks of off time.

No one can say what is right for the next kid. If this is what your kid REALLY wants to be doing during their summer and it's not only what YOU want them to be doing, then more power to them. I'm not PP but I do think some of the routines above sound a little intense for many 12 years olds. Many of whom only have August off of school and other sports, and maybe want a little time to have friends, focus on other interests, and relax a bit. I'm not saying don't pick up a stick, but I also think there's benefit in letting them take a lighter approach during the off season.

August is actually the perfect time to put in some work and make some improvements to your individual game. Not being in school, kids are looking for things to do. Plenty of time to relax, have fun, and get some exercise in. There is nothing wrong with 30 minutes of work each day to keep growing your skills. I don't think the over kill comes in the off season it is when kids are practicing multiple days a week in-season and parents are still scheduling all of the extras.

If they play on a top team, they bust their [Censored] playing lacrosse from March until mid-July. So IMO it is borderline overkill not to give them a mental or physical break...in the dead heat of August...when they are 12.

If this is kid driven and they are the ones wanting to get up and get out, great. But if you having to force it or make it a required chore, that means they don't want to be doing it and it may be overkill.

Agree on this. There's nothing wrong with trying to get some work in every day, even if its only 20-30minutes. Kids can still be kids and relax, have fun with friends etc. I'd argue that if you are on a Top team and want to continue developing, you should put in some type of workout almost every day if possible.

Let the kids decide and be there to support them with whatever they need. The ones that are self driven will enjoy playing on their own and the extra training. Others may need the down time. Having an older child playing in college now with multiple friends also playing in college- the extra training doesn’t guarantee you will play in college nor does taking a month off mean you won’t have the opportunity. I was amazed with my oldest seeing how some develop later and some I thought were the most amazing at younger ages fade in HS. So much can change over the next couple years with the girls socially, with injuries, mentally and physically. My best advice as a parent who’s been through it- Support your daughter and enjoy it as it goes by fast. Remember playing in college is like a full time job for the kids and not cut out for everyone.

I see TLC has 2028 team this year. Where do you see them fitting in? BTW, these CAPTCHA Verification's [Censored]!

The FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is huge!! Let your kid be a kid, hang with friends, watch some Netflix. She doesn't need to be with a personal trainer or lax trainer in August. If she wants to go do some wall ball, or shoot on her own accord, that is great!! All these lax trainers now tagging kids on instagram and twitter is out of control. Half the stuff they have kids doing, won't even be utilized in a game. Throwing 8 fakes, 3 behind the back fakes, and crank it from 1 inch outside of the 8M. with is that. Remember work in silence and let your results show up in games. Don't be anInstagram star!!