Here are my 2 cents about club ball. I hope some can take a bit a way from what I write here and make their journey a bit easier
When the kids are young and they happen to be selected to a good team and that team stays together you are one of the lucky ones. A lot has to do with the coach of that particular the team not the program. Many programs have great teams at different age groups and not so good at others. We are luck to live on Long Island to have a large talent pool so different clubs can have good to great teams at the same age group. If a coach is strong and runs great practices makes it fun all while teaching the game the right way he will develop all the players on the team and the team will do well for a number of years. There will be those kids that decide lacrosse is not for them and spots will open up. As the players mature 8th-10th there will be the kids that were bigger and better at a young age all of the sudden not be the biggest or the best anymore and maybe there will be some room for new players that have gotten better than those kids. Coaches have it hard with these kids because they have been on the team now for 3 or 4 years and the team is a family. You spend a lot of time with the parents and players traveling all over and bonding. Some coaches keep it status quo others make changes. Things do get a bit difficult when the owners of clubs get involved. They can really stir up the pot and make some odd decisions about teams especially when a team is successful. This is the type of team that everyone wants to play for and has the reputation for winning tournaments. This happens a lot. If the coach is a strong one they wont let it happen.
There is the other end also. Your new to the game but have a good player but end up in a bad program. Bad coach bad owner. There are a lot of them. There are the fledgling programs that make promises that they cant keep. There are the programs that have been around for a while and are on their last leg or going through growing pains at certain age groups. There are also teams in good programs that are just run poorly. All of these factors can contribute to a great experience or a horrible one. It is a real crap shoot. For many that are new to the game its like a mine field and if you are lucky you land with a good coach and an ownership that allows that coach to develop his team and players. Sometimes you just get unlucky and have to navigate the waters before you find a home. Its different for everyone.
I wish everyone the best of luck on their journey with their children. Its a tough one that will have a lots of ups and downs. Hopefully more ups. For many of you the last game your child will play is their last high school game. Others will go on to college careers or club ball. In the end what everyone should remember is the time that they spent with their child. The road trips and staying in hotels the friends and experiences that you and your child had. Eating crabs in Maryland or Philly cheese steaks and trying to determine who has the better one Franks, Genos, or Tony Lukes, or lobster rolls in Maine. Its all a journey we should try and enjoy it. Its a tough one because people are spending a lot of money and there are those who are in it just for the money and dont take into consideration a childs feelings like you as a parent do. Its just a business to many and they dont really care about you or your kid but if your check clears. I hope most are lucky enough to find a coach or a program that just loves the game. Good luck to all. I am sad to say that my sons club lacrosse journey is almost over. I would not trade the time I have spent with him driving to and from tournaments watching him on the field or with his teammates just being kids and eventually young men.The memories I have are priceless. We will see what the next chapter may bring for him and I hope he has the opportunity to play the game he loves in college and beyond.
Great post. My kids are on the journey now, but are still young. The one piece of advise I have constantly received from parents of kids who have gone through it already is this: They all regret that they left club (fill in the blank). Looking back, they bounced around from one club to the next, only to realize later that they should have just stayed where they were. This does not mean that people don't find themselves in bad situations and need to leave - its just that if you are considering leaving one club for another, make sure that its really necessary. The people that have counseled me have all said that they left because of a small problem, only to find different, but newer problems at the next stop.
My two cents is that you should never leave your club if all of the following are true: a) your kid is happy and wants to keep playing and practicing; b) is getting better both in terms of individual skill and team concepts/IQ; c) the team plays good lacrosse for its age level; d) the players, coaches and parents are good, classy people who you want your kid to be around.
