Recruiting

[Laxfan212]

If I could do over again I probably would’ve had at least another 6k in my pocket from the last three years. You learn. I guess.

On a side not got two more emails from the UA director. Appreciate her and I’m trying to tell her I’m not upset, but I guess it’s getting lost in translation. My daughter was thrilled to not have to play a third game today and quite frankly so was I. Wish tomorrow was cancelled as well.

Funny. All these showcases for “recruiting purposes.” I wonder how many kids actually get recruited from showcase. Million dollar industry making people rich. If you think UA and Juniors are bad you should register for the MarylandShowcase. They still haven’t released what colleges will be there. However, the event is just about sold out. Insane. How do you go to a showcase not knowing who will be there. I heard Juniors didn’t tell anyone either.

Maryland Showcase will be a lot of D2 and D3 only. And they say they’re sold out but they’ll just keep adding teams if needed. Any D1 coach spotted will be an assistant to an assistant who will swing by for 15 min on their way to something else. My daughter was coached by the coach of Lincoln Memorial wlax - no hate to her or her school whatsoever but that’s the gist of the schools that will be there.

[LaxDadMax]

If I could do over again I probably would’ve had at least another 6k in my pocket from the last three years. You learn. I guess.

On a side not got two more emails from the UA director. Appreciate her and I’m trying to tell her I’m not upset, but I guess it’s getting lost in translation. My daughter was thrilled to not have to play a third game today and quite frankly so was I. Wish tomorrow was cancelled as well.

Love to hear your perspective on what was the most/least valuable. I feel like the post Covid landscape has changed with all this.

Even post-Covid, I don't think there is a one size fits all solution.

A few thoughts from someone who is going through the process now and has gone through it before, during and after Covid.

1) A top player from Long Island or Maryland should likely have a very different recruiting strategy than a top player from Denver, Chicago or LA. Girls from M&D, Capital or Yellow Jackets 'A' teams or really any top 30 team will be seen multiple times by pretty much every D1 and NESCAC school. For them, it's finding who has initial interest and doing well at their prospect days. Kids on lower ranked teams or from non-East coast regions need more initial exposure and will benefit more from paid showcases.

2) Goalies will always have their own strategy where prospect days and multi-school camps trump showcases and even play on their club team.

3) Showcases are probably most valuable for a) freak athletes who may be a bit behind in stick skills allowing them to cast a very wide net and b) top defenders (especially those who play in zone defenses or those who the other team will gameplay around during games). Due to all of the "me ball" in showcase, a great 1v1 defender always stands out. Also, since 2-ways middies are pretty much a thing of the past, coaches are recruiting more pure defenders than every before.

4) If you don't have elite size (taller than 5-8) or elite speed (flying 10 under 1.2 or 100m dash under 13 seconds), playing for a top 50 D1 team will be tough. Similar to college football recruiting, size and speed often trump stick skills and game IQ). There are tons of quality players who are really good players but average size and good but not great speed who get looked over.

5) The most important part of recruiting is to get honest feedback about what your level of play is. The girls I've seen who don't get recruited tend to have one of a few things be true

- Targeting schools at too high of a lacrosse level of them
- Not having the right grades for schools they are targeting
- Personality or parent 'red flags'
- Not having the right measurables (see #4)
- Completely bomb phone interview by knowing nothing about the school or the team.

6) Probably my most controversial take -- American Select and UA All-American games are pretty much a waste of time from a recruiting perspective unless you are someone completely under the radar. Last year at American Select, I ran into a perennial top 10 coach who I knew fairly well before games. Her comment "The play here just sucks. 80% kids are just tired and hurting themselves more than helping themselves"

Most girls would be better off just taking a beach trip to Delaware that week, forgetting their sticks, recovering from the summer season and getting recharged for "last chance" camps in late August.

[Dull Thud]

Interesting perspective, LaxDadMad: very insightful. Thanks for your input.

[Laxfan76]

If I could do over again I probably would’ve had at least another 6k in my pocket from the last three years. You learn. I guess.

On a side not got two more emails from the UA director. Appreciate her and I’m trying to tell her I’m not upset, but I guess it’s getting lost in translation. My daughter was thrilled to not have to play a third game today and quite frankly so was I. Wish tomorrow was cancelled as well.

Love to hear your perspective on what was the most/least valuable. I feel like the post Covid landscape has changed with all this.

Even post-Covid, I don't think there is a one size fits all solution.

A few thoughts from someone who is going through the process now and has gone through it before, during and after Covid.

1) A top player from Long Island or Maryland should likely have a very different recruiting strategy than a top player from Denver, Chicago or LA. Girls from M&D, Capital or Yellow Jackets 'A' teams or really any top 30 team will be seen multiple times by pretty much every D1 and NESCAC school. For them, it's finding who has initial interest and doing well at their prospect days. Kids on lower ranked teams or from non-East coast regions need more initial exposure and will benefit more from paid showcases.

2) Goalies will always have their own strategy where prospect days and multi-school camps trump showcases and even play on their club team.

3) Showcases are probably most valuable for a) freak athletes who may be a bit behind in stick skills allowing them to cast a very wide net and b) top defenders (especially those who play in zone defenses or those who the other team will gameplay around during games). Due to all of the "me ball" in showcase, a great 1v1 defender always stands out. Also, since 2-ways middies are pretty much a thing of the past, coaches are recruiting more pure defenders than every before.

4) If you don't have elite size (taller than 5-8) or elite speed (flying 10 under 1.2 or 100m dash under 13 seconds), playing for a top 50 D1 team will be tough. Similar to college football recruiting, size and speed often trump stick skills and game IQ). There are tons of quality players who are really good players but average size and good but not great speed who get looked over.

5) The most important part of recruiting is to get honest feedback about what your level of play is. The girls I've seen who don't get recruited tend to have one of a few things be true

- Targeting schools at too high of a lacrosse level of them
- Not having the right grades for schools they are targeting
- Personality or parent 'red flags'
- Not having the right measurables (see #4)
- Completely bomb phone interview by knowing nothing about the school or the team.

6) Probably my most controversial take -- American Select and UA All-American games are pretty much a waste of time from a recruiting perspective unless you are someone completely under the radar. Last year at American Select, I ran into a perennial top 10 coach who I knew fairly well before games. Her comment "The play here just sucks. 80% kids are just tired and hurting themselves more than helping themselves"

Most girls would be better off just taking a beach trip to Delaware that week, forgetting their sticks, recovering from the summer season and getting recharged for "last chance" camps in late August.

Pretty much dead on. School prospect days are best opportunity to a) demonstrate interest (your interest must be sincere if you've paid for flight and hotel room on campus to only be with that school and those coaches, presumably passing up other events), b) connect with the coaches (hard to not interact with them on personal level) and c) showcase your skills in front of those coaches. I know plenty of the top programs will not even focus on girls who did not attend their prospect day, right or wrong.

I don't think #6 is your most controversial take, I've heard same feedback. But girls will still want to sign up to get the social media hype and gear, even if it is more meaningful to grandma than to the college coaches. AS and AA probably fine the year before your recruiting year (b/n frosh and soph year) if only to get some experience playing in front of coaches and if it seems like fun for your daughter. Recruiting year, AS / AA is late in the game at the end of July, typically after the school prospect camps (although before the last chance camps). I know some will push back on late July being late in the game (as club coaches will say the process only is getting started at that point), but for the top programs, it seemed to me that a lot of the dust had already settled at that point.

[Deacon022]

If I could do over again I probably would’ve had at least another 6k in my pocket from the last three years. You learn. I guess.

On a side not got two more emails from the UA director. Appreciate her and I’m trying to tell her I’m not upset, but I guess it’s getting lost in translation. My daughter was thrilled to not have to play a third game today and quite frankly so was I. Wish tomorrow was cancelled as well.

Love to hear your perspective on what was the most/least valuable. I feel like the post Covid landscape has changed with all this.

Even post-Covid, I don't think there is a one size fits all solution.

A few thoughts from someone who is going through the process now and has gone through it before, during and after Covid.

1) A top player from Long Island or Maryland should likely have a very different recruiting strategy than a top player from Denver, Chicago or LA. Girls from M&D, Capital or Yellow Jackets 'A' teams or really any top 30 team will be seen multiple times by pretty much every D1 and NESCAC school. For them, it's finding who has initial interest and doing well at their prospect days. Kids on lower ranked teams or from non-East coast regions need more initial exposure and will benefit more from paid showcases.

2) Goalies will always have their own strategy where prospect days and multi-school camps trump showcases and even play on their club team.

3) Showcases are probably most valuable for a) freak athletes who may be a bit behind in stick skills allowing them to cast a very wide net and b) top defenders (especially those who play in zone defenses or those who the other team will gameplay around during games). Due to all of the "me ball" in showcase, a great 1v1 defender always stands out. Also, since 2-ways middies are pretty much a thing of the past, coaches are recruiting more pure defenders than every before.

4) If you don't have elite size (taller than 5-8) or elite speed (flying 10 under 1.2 or 100m dash under 13 seconds), playing for a top 50 D1 team will be tough. Similar to college football recruiting, size and speed often trump stick skills and game IQ). There are tons of quality players who are really good players but average size and good but not great speed who get looked over.

5) The most important part of recruiting is to get honest feedback about what your level of play is. The girls I've seen who don't get recruited tend to have one of a few things be true

- Targeting schools at too high of a lacrosse level of them
- Not having the right grades for schools they are targeting
- Personality or parent 'red flags'
- Not having the right measurables (see #4)
- Completely bomb phone interview by knowing nothing about the school or the team.

6) Probably my most controversial take -- American Select and UA All-American games are pretty much a waste of time from a recruiting perspective unless you are someone completely under the radar. Last year at American Select, I ran into a perennial top 10 coach who I knew fairly well before games. Her comment "The play here just sucks. 80% kids are just tired and hurting themselves more than helping themselves"

Most girls would be better off just taking a beach trip to Delaware that week, forgetting their sticks, recovering from the summer season and getting recharged for "last chance" camps in late August.

Awesome take. Don’t totally agree with 4 but I appreciate your pov. My issue was we got poor advice and said we have to start rising freshman year. Went to four colleges multiple showcases. All a waste of money because there is no recruiting value. She did gain a ton of experience though and by the time sophomore year came around she could care less who she played in front of.
Problem with showcases are what the gentleman eloquently said. My daughter is on a top 10 team that has 20-35 coaches watching at every tournament. I just paid 650, plus 300 for a hotel and other incidentals to have three coaches watch my daughter play with a lot of players who may not get that exposure at tourneys. They had skill for the most part, but the lax wasn’t. Every middie they’re trying to get noticed because as the gentleman said, you can see the stick skills aren’t there. Most played with dominant hand. I agree. Goalies and d shine at these things.
My daughter has done
Maryland, terrible. Total scam.
AS. Better for her because her team is there and they play the same way. Some kids I know hated it. Don’t think colleges are watching as much as they are catching up with each other.
UA150 2x. Last year she loved it because she wasn’t getting recruited. This year. Wow. Not sure what happened with the coaches but many people were upset. Don’t wanna say it was disingenuous like Maryland Showcase, but it seems that way.
Blue Chip. Waste of time.
The best thing my daughter did and we fell into it by accident was Charleston Phinest last fall. I would never have guessed but it really was good. The level of instruction was fantastic. Got to be coached by 20 top coaches. Was less about the scrimmages as it was about the drills they were being coached on. Got way more touches there than at any showcase.

I could go on and on especially since I started drinking at the hotel but I’ll save you guys.

[LaxDadMax]

If I could do over again I probably would’ve had at least another 6k in my pocket from the last three years. You learn. I guess.

On a side not got two more emails from the UA director. Appreciate her and I’m trying to tell her I’m not upset, but I guess it’s getting lost in translation. My daughter was thrilled to not have to play a third game today and quite frankly so was I. Wish tomorrow was cancelled as well.

Love to hear your perspective on what was the most/least valuable. I feel like the post Covid landscape has changed with all this.

Even post-Covid, I don't think there is a one size fits all solution.

A few thoughts from someone who is going through the process now and has gone through it before, during and after Covid.

1) A top player from Long Island or Maryland should likely have a very different recruiting strategy than a top player from Denver, Chicago or LA. Girls from M&D, Capital or Yellow Jackets 'A' teams or really any top 30 team will be seen multiple times by pretty much every D1 and NESCAC school. For them, it's finding who has initial interest and doing well at their prospect days. Kids on lower ranked teams or from non-East coast regions need more initial exposure and will benefit more from paid showcases.

2) Goalies will always have their own strategy where prospect days and multi-school camps trump showcases and even play on their club team.

3) Showcases are probably most valuable for a) freak athletes who may be a bit behind in stick skills allowing them to cast a very wide net and b) top defenders (especially those who play in zone defenses or those who the other team will gameplay around during games). Due to all of the "me ball" in showcase, a great 1v1 defender always stands out. Also, since 2-ways middies are pretty much a thing of the past, coaches are recruiting more pure defenders than every before.

4) If you don't have elite size (taller than 5-8) or elite speed (flying 10 under 1.2 or 100m dash under 13 seconds), playing for a top 50 D1 team will be tough. Similar to college football recruiting, size and speed often trump stick skills and game IQ). There are tons of quality players who are really good players but average size and good but not great speed who get looked over.

5) The most important part of recruiting is to get honest feedback about what your level of play is. The girls I've seen who don't get recruited tend to have one of a few things be true

- Targeting schools at too high of a lacrosse level of them
- Not having the right grades for schools they are targeting
- Personality or parent 'red flags'
- Not having the right measurables (see #4)
- Completely bomb phone interview by knowing nothing about the school or the team.

6) Probably my most controversial take -- American Select and UA All-American games are pretty much a waste of time from a recruiting perspective unless you are someone completely under the radar. Last year at American Select, I ran into a perennial top 10 coach who I knew fairly well before games. Her comment "The play here just sucks. 80% kids are just tired and hurting themselves more than helping themselves"

Most girls would be better off just taking a beach trip to Delaware that week, forgetting their sticks, recovering from the summer season and getting recharged for "last chance" camps in late August.

Awesome take. Don’t totally agree with 4 but I appreciate your pov. My issue was we got poor advice and said we have to start rising freshman year. Went to four colleges multiple showcases. All a waste of money because there is no recruiting value. She did gain a ton of experience though and by the time sophomore year came around she could care less who she played in front of.
Problem with showcases are what the gentleman eloquently said. My daughter is on a top 10 team that has 20-35 coaches watching at every tournament. I just paid 650, plus 300 for a hotel and other incidentals to have three coaches watch my daughter play with a lot of players who may not get that exposure at tourneys. They had skill for the most part, but the lax wasn’t. Every middie they’re trying to get noticed because as the gentleman said, you can see the stick skills aren’t there. Most played with dominant hand. I agree. Goalies and d shine at these things.
My daughter has done
Maryland, terrible. Total scam.
AS. Better for her because her team is there and they play the same way. Some kids I know hated it. Don’t think colleges are watching as much as they are catching up with each other.
UA150 2x. Last year she loved it because she wasn’t getting recruited. This year. Wow. Not sure what happened with the coaches but many people were upset. Don’t wanna say it was disingenuous like Maryland Showcase, but it seems that way.
Blue Chip. Waste of time.
The best thing my daughter did and we fell into it by accident was Charleston Phinest last fall. I would never have guessed but it really was good. The level of instruction was fantastic. Got to be coached by 20 top coaches. Was less about the scrimmages as it was about the drills they were being coached on. Got way more touches there than at any showcase.

I could go on and on especially since I started drinking at the hotel but I’ll save you guys.

I think for 8th and 9th graders showcases and all star games are wastes, but prospect days tend to be great value. Usually much cheaper, you get more 1v1 instruction and get a real look at the talent in other clubs in regions, especially since you are normally playing up an age group

[Womenslaxxfan]

Laxdadmad makes a great point that I think too many club coaches don’t necessarily highlight (bc it’s not in their financial interest) and too many parents don’t heed (because they are chasing the dream) which is his point about how hard it is to compete and succeed at top 50 d1 programs without elite athleticism/size and/or elite lax IQ/skill.

It’s not enough to be a great high school player in your league….because 80 percent of the girls in your league won’t play division 1 lacrosse and it’s a completely different kettle of fish to play against college athletes than it is to play against high school athletes…

Whenever a parent asks me what it takes to be a division one lacrosse prospect, I answer “if your daughter isn’t one of the best athletes in her league, or isn’t a wizard with her stick/vision with above average athleticism, then division one lacrosse will be a tough go for your daughter.”

That’s not 100 percent accurate of course, but it’s at least 75 percent accurate in my opinion….

If parents and coaches are more honest about the answer to that question, their summers would be more enjoyable…and they would have more money in their pockets!!!!

[GratefulRed]

Great discussion—agreeing with virtually all of this outstanding advice/perspective. I would add that most of the kids competing for these limited spots are also elite in the classroom and community. Parents/players who are not devoting time and resources to improving grades/test scores and pursuing leadership opportunities will be left on the outside looking in.

[WLaxdad]

I saw a comment on this thread about "parents chasing the dream" and I've seen this even in U10, many parents are paying for 1 on 1 instruction over the summer, in addition to camps, clubs etc... Of course I do live near a hot spot for lax but still.

I've become a big fan of women's lax so I totally get wanting to get better and play at a high level but I'm not understanding the college dream part of it. My daughter is still young so maybe some others could help me understand?

As far as I know women's lax scholarships are insignificant, I mean if your Charlotte North maybe you get a nice scholarship but it's so rare. Looking at the alumni at the various clubs that my daughters teammates are joining it's a long list of schools I've never heard of, in places I've never heard of. No offense to those schools it's just that you can go to any of them without lax, you just show up with money and your in. Maybe the dream is just to play longer and get the college athlete experience which I agree is awesome but there's no scholarship money in it (as far as I understand).

[Wheels,Wheels!]

This recent content is Fantastic. Having done the process with three girls you learn more and more every time. As has been stated here getting a truthful and honest assessment of a players talent/level is paramount. This might not come from your club coaches, recruiting coordinators etc. They always paint too rosy a picture especially before Sept 1st. You need a clear picture and then attend prospect days at the proper level programs, get on the radar sophomore summer.
In our experience you can usually get an unbiased evaluation from a rival high school coach or another local club team that are familiar with the player.

Another thought, don’t do to much (camps, days, tryouts) that they can’t perform at their best in with their club team at tournaments.

[Deacon022]

This recent content is Fantastic. Having done the process with three girls you learn more and more every time. As has been stated here getting a truthful and honest assessment of a players talent/level is paramount. This might not come from your club coaches, recruiting coordinators etc. They always paint too rosy a picture especially before Sept 1st. You need a clear picture and then attend prospect days at the proper level programs, get on the radar sophomore summer.
In our experience you can usually get an unbiased evaluation from a rival high school coach or another local club team that are familiar with the player.

Another thought, don’t do to much (camps, days, tryouts) that they can’t perform at their best in with their club team at tournaments.

Wheels last sentence is the number one thing that I have done wrong. I have allowed my daughter to put too much on her schedule when there was already 30 colleges coming to watch her every tournament. She’s tired from the grind and July isn’t even here yet.

[lax410]

I saw a comment on this thread about "parents chasing the dream" and I've seen this even in U10, many parents are paying for 1 on 1 instruction over the summer, in addition to camps, clubs etc... Of course I do live near a hot spot for lax but still.

I've become a big fan of women's lax so I totally get wanting to get better and play at a high level but I'm not understanding the college dream part of it. My daughter is still young so maybe some others could help me understand?

As far as I know women's lax scholarships are insignificant, I mean if your Charlotte North maybe you get a nice scholarship but it's so rare. Looking at the alumni at the various clubs that my daughters teammates are joining it's a long list of schools I've never heard of, in places I've never heard of. No offense to those schools it's just that you can go to any of them without lax, you just show up with money and your in. Maybe the dream is just to play longer and get the college athlete experience which I agree is awesome but there's no scholarship money in it (as far as I understand).

From my perspective, kids figure out pretty quick that an only small number will receive any athletic scholarship of substance. But many love the game and have spent their whole lives playing competitively at a high level. Makes sense that they’re interested in continuing to play.

And lax families I see aren’t desperate for college $$ help either. It’s hardly a hunt for the scholarship mentality.

[Deacon022]

I saw a comment on this thread about "parents chasing the dream" and I've seen this even in U10, many parents are paying for 1 on 1 instruction over the summer, in addition to camps, clubs etc... Of course I do live near a hot spot for lax but still.

I've become a big fan of women's lax so I totally get wanting to get better and play at a high level but I'm not understanding the college dream part of it. My daughter is still young so maybe some others could help me understand?

As far as I know women's lax scholarships are insignificant, I mean if your Charlotte North maybe you get a nice scholarship but it's so rare. Looking at the alumni at the various clubs that my daughters teammates are joining it's a long list of schools I've never heard of, in places I've never heard of. No offense to those schools it's just that you can go to any of them without lax, you just show up with money and your in. Maybe the dream is just to play longer and get the college athlete experience which I agree is awesome but there's no scholarship money in it (as far as I understand).

From my perspective, kids figure out pretty quick that an only small number will receive any athletic scholarship of substance. But many love the game and have spent their whole lives playing competitively at a high level. Makes sense that they’re interested in continuing to play.

And lax families I see aren’t desperate for college $$ help either. It’s hardly a hunt for the scholarship mentality.

I agree with this. I’m the poorest family on my daughters last two club teams. Some of the kids didn’t have just one beach house they had multiple. That being said, if the parents who wanted to get their kids scholarships put the money they spent from travel lacrosse into a Roth IRA or 529, they could’ve probably paid off two years worth of college.

[TNLAX]

I saw a comment on this thread about "parents chasing the dream" and I've seen this even in U10, many parents are paying for 1 on 1 instruction over the summer, in addition to camps, clubs etc... Of course I do live near a hot spot for lax but still.

I've become a big fan of women's lax so I totally get wanting to get better and play at a high level but I'm not understanding the college dream part of it. My daughter is still young so maybe some others could help me understand?

As far as I know women's lax scholarships are insignificant, I mean if your Charlotte North maybe you get a nice scholarship but it's so rare. Looking at the alumni at the various clubs that my daughters teammates are joining it's a long list of schools I've never heard of, in places I've never heard of. No offense to those schools it's just that you can go to any of them without lax, you just show up with money and your in. Maybe the dream is just to play longer and get the college athlete experience which I agree is awesome but there's no scholarship money in it (as far as I understand).

From my perspective, kids figure out pretty quick that an only small number will receive any athletic scholarship of substance. But many love the game and have spent their whole lives playing competitively at a high level. Makes sense that they’re interested in continuing to play.

And lax families I see aren’t desperate for college $$ help either. It’s hardly a hunt for the scholarship mentality.

I agree with this. I’m the poorest family on my daughters last two club teams. Some of the kids didn’t have just one beach house they had multiple. That being said, if the parents who wanted to get their kids scholarships put the money they spent from travel lacrosse into a Roth IRA or 529, they could’ve probably paid off two years worth of college.

Makes way to much sense . Plus it is much more fun at a cocktail party to say little Suzy got a lacrosse scholarship than to talk about the success of your Roth IRA

[GratefulRed]

More fun drinking at the hotel!

[cltlax]

I saw a comment on this thread about "parents chasing the dream" and I've seen this even in U10, many parents are paying for 1 on 1 instruction over the summer, in addition to camps, clubs etc... Of course I do live near a hot spot for lax but still.

I've become a big fan of women's lax so I totally get wanting to get better and play at a high level but I'm not understanding the college dream part of it. My daughter is still young so maybe some others could help me understand?

As far as I know women's lax scholarships are insignificant, I mean if your Charlotte North maybe you get a nice scholarship but it's so rare. Looking at the alumni at the various clubs that my daughters teammates are joining it's a long list of schools I've never heard of, in places I've never heard of. No offense to those schools it's just that you can go to any of them without lax, you just show up with money and your in. Maybe the dream is just to play longer and get the college athlete experience which I agree is awesome but there's no scholarship money in it (as far as I understand).

From my perspective, kids figure out pretty quick that an only small number will receive any athletic scholarship of substance. But many love the game and have spent their whole lives playing competitively at a high level. Makes sense that they’re interested in continuing to play.

And lax families I see aren’t desperate for college $$ help either. It’s hardly a hunt for the scholarship mentality.

My '24 is looking exclusively at D3 programs, so we've approached it through the lens of using lacrosse to help get into a better academic school. No athletic $$ in D3.

[LaxDadMax]

This recent content is Fantastic. Having done the process with three girls you learn more and more every time. As has been stated here getting a truthful and honest assessment of a players talent/level is paramount. This might not come from your club coaches, recruiting coordinators etc. They always paint too rosy a picture especially before Sept 1st. You need a clear picture and then attend prospect days at the proper level programs, get on the radar sophomore summer.
In our experience you can usually get an unbiased evaluation from a rival high school coach or another local club team that are familiar with the player.

Another thought, don’t do to much (camps, days, tryouts) that they can’t perform at their best in with their club team at tournaments.

[Womenslaxxfan]

I saw a comment on this thread about "parents chasing the dream" and I've seen this even in U10, many parents are paying for 1 on 1 instruction over the summer, in addition to camps, clubs etc... Of course I do live near a hot spot for lax but still.

I've become a big fan of women's lax so I totally get wanting to get better and play at a high level but I'm not understanding the college dream part of it. My daughter is still young so maybe some others could help me understand?

As far as I know women's lax scholarships are insignificant, I mean if your Charlotte North maybe you get a nice scholarship but it's so rare. Looking at the alumni at the various clubs that my daughters teammates are joining it's a long list of schools I've never heard of, in places I've never heard of. No offense to those schools it's just that you can go to any of them without lax, you just show up with money and your in. Maybe the dream is just to play longer and get the college athlete experience which I agree is awesome but there's no scholarship money in it (as far as I understand).
[/quote

When I say chasing the dream it’s the dream of getting committed to a division one program, not scholarship dollars. On a team with 12 full scholarships and 34 roster spots, the typical player gets a 1/3 of a ride. That’s real money….but I don’t believe it’s the heart of the “chase”. It’s the prestige/dream of playing for a top program. There are tons of opportunities to continue to play lacrosse after high school: Division 2,3 and club all offer great experiences. But the clubs and showcases are for the most part selling the dream of high level division one lacrosse.
And that’s a shame, because that represents a small minority of the college lacrosse experience. D1 has about 125 college lacrosse programs. D2 has 106. D3 has 293. There are 225 WCLA club teams. So less than 17 percent of college lacrosse players will play division one lacrosse. Maybe 5 percent of high school players.
If parents, coaches and players would be more realistic about where they likely fit, there would be a lot less angst and bitterness about the recruiting experience…

[Deacon022]

More fun drinking at the hotel!

As the kids say, “Facts.”

[GratefulRed]

My '24 is looking exclusively at D3 programs, so we've approached it through the lens of using lacrosse to help get into a better academic school. No athletic $$ in D3.

Excellent approach. D3 ended up being the right fit for my older daughter. Lacrosse provided so many benefits in the college selection/admissions process: the confidence that a good school wanted her to attend, an ‘inside track’ to getting academic and financial aid information, one early-decision college application, instant social network on campus, the list goes on… She/we had a blast, made lifelong friends and all the experiences are helping her succeed at the next stage of life.

This great game can provide opportunities at all levels. Keeping the path fun, positive and in-perspective is easier said than done sometimes.