BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) Boys 2033-4th Grade Fall 2024/Summer 2025

Use this thread to discuss lacrosse pertaining to 4th Grade Boys (2033 Grads) for the Fall 2024/Summer 2025 Season.

Early returns in 2024 fall lacrosse, Columbus Day Invite, NY: 91 Nitro wiped out Rebels Kraken and Towermen. 91 Navy, Kraken, 91 Empire and Towermen all traded with no standouts.

Parent of an older child here. My best advice, get out now while you can. Save your money. Spend weekends on vacation and not at DE Turf. It’s not worth it at all! You will spend tens of thousands on the teams, gear and traveling. In the end the high school years are dominated by reclasses. The local teams fly in out of state reclasses to play on your local team. Your kid may be good but at some point a 17 yr old will be showing up to tournaments to take the reps away from your 15 yr old. Your coach will sell you out in a second to get wins because it means more money in the long run. He wants to brag about the high D1 kids he “developed”. Don’t believe me? Read some of the older Maryland BOTC boards.

Can’t disagree more. Travel lacrosse is an amazing experience where your son will make lifelong friends and learn great values that will help him in every aspect of life. If you work hard and want it, there is a place for everyone.

Amen to all of this. I'm only mad that it took 4 years to come to the decision. My kid is happier, my wallet is fuller and the weekends are free to enjoy with my family. My 9th grader has never been happier, with school ball, clinics and such to keep them engaged.

Don't let them sell you that there is only one path to play.

Amen to this. But it is the parents job to ensure the child is on the right team, and isn't on a particular team just for status. If your child isn't really an athlete and isn't interested in being pushed off his phone or computer game, you can't force him into higher level sports. How is the team's development program? Are they getting playing time, at least when the score difference increases and as coaches use most of the roster? If they are on the right level team for your player, nothing better for comraderie and teaching and friendship and excitement than travel lacrosse.

Is there a Legacy East team at this age? Or is combo’d with the 2032 East team?

It’s so evident by this comment that you are new to the travel scene. Yes when your kids are in 4th grade it’s fun and all about if the tailgate has brownie bites. As the kids gets older it gets way worse.

I have 3 kids in it now and I can’t wait for it to be over. The amount of pressure placed on these kids on such a young age isn’t healthy. And no it doesn’t predict “success”. All of us didn’t have this pressure as kids. And a lot of us have grown up to be quite successful

Travel lacrosse is filled with some of the worst human beings. Between the scams and outright lies it never ends. Then you are forced to keep your mouth shut in fear of being labeled a “difficult” parent” and your kid being cut.

The people who seem to love it the most are the ones with the endless wallets of cash. They reclass their kids or literally fly in from California to take playing time away from your kid.

And to be honest all my kids are much closer with their high school teammates and enjoy high school ball way more.

Get out while you can.

I two have had multiple kids through this process and there is good and bad in everything. However, LI is filled with so much choice and go find a chill situation. Or just quit and play with HS and go to showcases. Nobody is stopping you.

Apparently this parent never had the benefit of reading the earlier post:
It is the parents job to ensure the child is on the right team, and isn't on a particular team just for status. If they are on the right level team for your player, nothing better for comraderie and teaching and friendship and excitement than travel lacrosse.

Going for status at the expense of your kid is never a winner. Playing time and fun are criteria in whether your child is on the right team at the right level.

Exactly. Find the right level of competition for your son and let him have fun. Put aside all thoughts of college, and club lax is probably the best youth sport going. Sure, there are dad coach and club greed issues, but there's always another club to join that's a better fit for your boy. The trick is putting ego aside to focus on fit and not "development" or "recruiting."