BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) Long Island Top Guns Lacrosse

My daughter was in the older group and she really liked it. Lots if good stick skill drills and not tons of girls (although it was close to Christmas as we've been to several other clinics that were more crowded).

My daughters friend went and she said it was very boring. She said it was advertised as stick skills and shooting and they did almost no shooting. She said the place they played in (or at least the space they were given was tiny). She said it was no more than having a catch with another kid and every now and then they would show you how to do a trick. Her mom was shocked that they would even have the nerve to charge for that type of session. Sounds like they did it as they are new to TG and wanted to be part of the programs SS is running but she was amazed at the lack of quality of what was put on. She only told me as I told her I was considering sending my daughter to the HS clinic SS is running in January and she said if it is anything like what they went to we should save our $$$'s. Sounds like it was an quick way for SS to pick up a few easy $$'s but she should be careful about diluting her brand too quickly.

Yeah, I heard the same and was a little disappointed since I was thinking about sending my daughter to the next clinic she was running at Hofstra but now I am reconsidering spending money on it. Thanks for the honest feedback.

It is funny that you say that. When we were looking at teams for my daughter this year we had heard about this issue with the parents/coaches and had actually seen some of it first hand at a tournament last year. When we thought about having her tryout for TG she herself (an 11 year old) said she didnt want to go because of the feeling she got from them last year. They lost to one of the teams and beat the other team at their Hofstra tournament and my daughter said the parents were yelling at the kids when they were losing and that the kids themselves did not display "good sportmanship" when they were losing and when they lost. While we did see some of this as well it was overly apparent to an 11 year old girl - wheich really says it all. And you are right, it all starts at the top with the people running the program, the coaches and the parents. Learning the game is important - but what is more important is what you learn around the game (teamwork, sportsmanship, unity, etc.) and these are the values you will take with you way beyond your lacrosse career which will end at age 21. The lack of all these values are clearly displayed on this website everyday by TG parents - calling out kids and coaches and teammates and complaining about the program directors and clinics, etc. There are other clubs out there that teach far more than just lacrosse and I am glad that we have found one.

Yeah, I heard the same and was a little disappointed since I was thinking about sending my daughter to the next clinic she was running at Hofstra but now I am reconsidering spending money on it. Thanks for the honest feedback.

Amazing Cage you are no longer even attempting to hide your bias for TG.

Just wanted to ask if anyone knows, why would Top Guns put teams into tournaments like National Draw when on the same dates in Va. There is a recruiting tournament sponsered by IWLCA that has a large amount of college coaches attending and no coaches go to National Draw? At least the teams in recruiting years should be attending this, isn't it about getting recruited?

Amazing Cage you are no longer even attempting to hide your bias for TG.

Friend, why not attend the next Lacrosse-By-3 clinic on January 11th - it is only $100.00 for the full session. If you are dissatisfied, you can personally take that issue up with us and we will air your concerns.

No bias so nothing to hide. When a program offers solid training at a value price point, BOTC not only wants the program on our web site, but we want to be sure that the community can avail themselves of the opportunity. We have done similar pieces for several other specific programs.

If you are really looking to add some value and not just give your opinions to support your advertisers, why dont you be a little creative. For example, if you want feedback on a clinic, provide the people running the clinic with a code that only people that pay and attend can have and then run a survey about a clinic or program and only those with the code can respond without providing their name. Then BOTC can provide the results to the people running the program and online as well. That is far more valuable then you sitting there supporting a poor product when YOU have no knowledge of what went on at a given event. People would appreciate that far more than what you are saying now. Then you may actually have facts to support your biased views.

So you will air this persons concerns as long as they give TG the $100? What a brilliant moderator you are.

BOTC already has a feedback process in place with our advertisers. Sorry that you are not "in the know" on how the process works. If you go through many of our threads on the boards, you will see the changes in tournaments, camps, and clinics based on that feedback process.

Thats great that you have an organized and methodical process, can you point me to the feedback on this clinic as I am interested to see what others have said - Thanks for your help.

You need to be a registered user in order to get any additional information. In the meantime, you can read through any of the material here on the board.

BOTC gretaly questions this honest feedback. The poster reporting on the daughter's friend decided against Top Guns this season and posted the following on December 4th:Now, while one wants to question a lack of values, BOTC questions why a parent who passed on the Top Guns wants to file a report about a Youth Camp attended by the "daughter's friend". Serious, growth a pair of lacrosse balls and come out from behind your shadows. You want bad-mouth the Top Guns program, fine - but have the guts to sign your name.

Just as a point of order, did it ever dawn on you that the negative posts were not coming from the Top Guns parents? Trust us, we have done the footwork on this one. Think about it.

My daughter is on a 2017 team (not black) she is a very good player but I am very confused about what type of school would best fit her personality, lax skills and academics. I want to send her to some camps to help her feel it out. Do you have any suggestions where a freshman player should be seen over the next year to get the maximum exposure? Any comments or postive suggestions are welcome. Thank you!

Have your daughters write to as many coaches as possible, as early as they can. With the current climate of recruiting I would say start in no later than 8TH grade. Do not get stuck only looking at the "big Schools" some of the smaller schools are much better . Know and guide your daughter to what is best for her, not all kids will do well at UVA or Maryland (schools with 25,000 + students) some schools have less the 5000 and your daughter would benefit from a smaller community and class size. Some kids will thrive at the bigger schools, but know your kid.

I know its hard to get a 12 year old to think about what they will do with the rest of there life, but you kind of have to get some sort of idea, your about to get into any ware between $150,000 to $500,000 dollars worth of financial obligation, do you really want to spend that much money on lacrosse alone. if your taking the time to read this it means your kid has 10 yeas or less of lacrosse left in her life, what will she do with the other 60+ years should be your true line of thought.

I have seen many of these schools and can tell you the biggest factor for my kid is coming down to do they have her field of study, the coaches attitude and style, and does she feel comfortable at that institution. With few exceptions most schools were beautiful. Take this small piece of advice, you can send your kid to the best school, but if they don't study, and have no direction, you will get nothing but a huge debt. If your kid has an idea of what they want to do, and apply themselves to achieving that goal, no matter what school they choose they will be successful.

Wow, 8th grade. Would this recommendation be just for girls who have some sort of resume already? I would think that when you contact a college coach you will need to give them something that will peak their curiosity, and make is worth their time to take a look.

Wow, 8th grade. Would this recommendation be just for girls who have some sort of resume already? I would think that when you contact a college coach you will need to give them something that will peak their curiosity, and make is worth their time to take a look.

Coaches don't know about any resume outside of what club they play for and what tier team she plays on in the 8th grade. most coaches will start looking when your daughter hits 9th grade, my daughter learned the hard way they will only look at you if they know your name, and think that you have an interest in that school. Send out an e-mail saying who your daughter is, what club she plays for, what her number is, and an interest in the school. Make a video, post it on youtube, and send the link in every e-mail. try to send her to her top 5 schools summer camps. I know thats hard for some , but sending her to only one will kind of hurt her later. All the colleges have clinics in the late fall or winter, send her to those they're pretty cheap and only one day. you can see how the coaches are and if she likes the players and staff. As she gets older and developed a clearer idea of what she likes you can then send her to the summer camps of her favorite school

Coaches don't know about any resume outside of what club they play for and what tier team she plays on in the 8th grade. most coaches will start looking when your daughter hits 9th grade, my daughter learned the hard way they will only look at you if they know your name, and think that you have an interest in that school. Send out an e-mail saying who your daughter is, what club she plays for, what her number is, and an interest in the school. Make a video, post it on youtube, and send the link in every e-mail. try to send her to her top 5 schools summer camps. I know thats hard for some , but sending her to only one will kind of hurt her later. All the colleges have clinics in the late fall or winter, send her to those they're pretty cheap and only one day. you can see how the coaches are and if she likes the players and staff. As she gets older and developed a clearer idea of what she likes you can then send her to the summer camps of her favorite school

Coaches don't know about any resume outside of what club they play for and what tier team she plays on in the 8th grade. most coaches will start looking when your daughter hits 9th grade, my daughter learned the hard way they will only look at you if they know your name, and think that you have an interest in that school. Send out an e-mail saying who your daughter is, what club she plays for, what her number is, and an interest in the school. Make a video, post it on youtube, and send the link in every e-mail. try to send her to her top 5 schools summer camps. I know thats hard for some , but sending her to only one will kind of hurt her later. All the colleges have clinics in the late fall or winter, send her to those they're pretty cheap and only one day. you can see how the coaches are and if she likes the players and staff. As she gets older and developed a clearer idea of what she likes you can then send her to the summer camps of her favorite school

Have your daughters write to as many coaches as possible, as early as they can. With the current climate of recruiting I would say start in no later than 8TH grade. Do not get stuck only looking at the "big Schools" some of the smaller schools are much better . Know and guide your daughter to what is best for her, not all kids will do well at UVA or Maryland (schools with 25,000 + students) some schools have less the 5000 and your daughter would benefit from a smaller community and class size. Some kids will thrive at the bigger schools, but know your kid.

I know its hard to get a 12 year old to think about what they will do with the rest of there life, but you kind of have to get some sort of idea, your about to get into any ware between $150,000 to $500,000 dollars worth of financial obligation, do you really want to spend that much money on lacrosse alone. if your taking the time to read this it means your kid has 10 yeas or less of lacrosse left in her life, what will she do with the other 60+ years should be your true line of thought.

I have seen many of these schools and can tell you the biggest factor for my kid is coming down to do they have her field of study, the coaches attitude and style, and does she feel comfortable at that institution. With few exceptions most schools were beautiful. Take this small piece of advice, you can send your kid to the best school, but if they don't study, and have no direction, you will get nothing but a huge debt. If your kid has an idea of what they want to do, and apply themselves to achieving that goal, no matter what school they choose they will be successful.

I am just curious, and have asked this question before with no response, what were the "several" interesting events that Hofstra and the LI Top Guns actually produced? Outside of a clinic and the tournament they ran last year, I am curious what they had talked about that never seemed to materialize - at least as far as lighting up the girls lax scene on Long Island. Or was this just BOTC trying to support their program?

Remember that this quote is being taken from the fourth quarter of 2013 - some of the events included the Winter Camp for Younger Players, the High School Girls Clinic, the Coach's Clinic (February), the Summer Individual Player Camp, the Summer Team Camp, and the revised dates for the Lacrosse Classic.

The Lacrosse Classic will dovetail this year with the K&J Athletics Showcase event. This is incredibly important for Long Island girls as they will be able to take part in the individualized showcase event by K&J Athletics on Thursday (practice) and Friday (showcase) followed by the team-oriented Lacrosse Classic on the Saturday and Sunday. College coaches will get a full three days to evaluate talent both on an individual and team basis. From a Long Island perspective, there is nothing that compares to the pairing of these two events.

Remember that this quote is being taken from the fourth quarter of 2013 - some of the events included the Winter Camp for Younger Players, the High School Girls Clinic, the Coach's Clinic (February), the Summer Individual Player Camp, the Summer Team Camp, and the revised dates for the Lacrosse Classic.

The Lacrosse Classic will dovetail this year with the K&J Athletics Showcase event. This is incredibly important for Long Island girls as they will be able to take part in the individualized showcase event by K&J Athletics on Thursday (practice) and Friday (showcase) followed by the team-oriented Lacrosse Classic on the Saturday and Sunday. College coaches will get a full three days to evaluate talent both on an individual and team basis. From a Long Island perspective, there is nothing that compares to the pairing of these two events.

Your TG homer is showing again, why not actually let the event take place prior to stating that there is nothing that compares.

Camp$, clinic$, camp$, clinic$...... Not really earth shattering events here and nothing at all unique.

I think Top Gun parents were expecting more...

... based on the "exciting" news you heard and I know others were looking for more especially when you hear things that other local travel clubs are doing.

I know my daughters friend plays for a club that is running a bus tour on the east coast...

... to multiple colleges where they are spending time with active players and coaches but maybe that would be a conflict of interest for Top Guns to run something of that nature?

I know my daughters friend plays for a club that is running a bus tour on the east coast...