U
- Thread starter Nittany Ned2
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I'd concur. PSU came so close to defeating UNC, and advancing to the semis. I think either of them would have defeated Duke.
The other semi was more entertaining. MD is such a tough team, but Syracuse made a heck of a game of it.
The draws were, as you mentioned, not all that favorable for the B1G. I thought PSU should have been seeded. NW was seeded, though it was tough to argue that they were more worthy of a seeding than PSU. Ohio State had reason to complain. They upset Maryland in the B1G Tourney, and were unseeded and in Maryland's bracket. Plus they were matched up with Notre Dame in R1.
Maryland was a legitimate #1 seed. UNC was fine at #2. Duke seemed a little high at #3, but I'm not sure who would have replaced them. Syracuse was a good #4. After that, things got pretty shaky. BC was not a #5, IMHO. I also felt Stony Brook, at #6, was seeded too high. (Both lost their first games, in R2, after having R1 byes. BC lost to Loyola, and Stony Brook lost to Princeton -- both unseeded teams.) UVA at #7 and NW at #8 also were questionable. UVA lost to PSU in R2, and NW lost to Maryland in the quarters. You did state the night the seeds came out that you felt the ACC was given unusually favorable treatment.
My family was at PPL Stadium last night watching the two games. I really felt we could have taken Duke as well if we could just get past UNC. Too bad about the seeding for Penn State this year.
My daughter played lax in the conference that DivIII F&M plays in, so I guess we will be backing them for the rest of the tournament.
We have been going to the DivI women's lax tournaments for 7 years now, and I have to say our experience at PPL stadium was outstanding.
hey Ned, what did you think of the Maryland - UNC final?
IMHO, it was an awesome game. Great defense by both teams. MD changed their approach a bit in the 2nd half, and it worked. It helped that Cummings won several draws in the 2nd half. Great goaltending by both teams in the 1st half. UNC may regret that they stayed with their goalie rotation, as they didn't get the best goalie play in the 2nd half (before they switched back to the starter).
It was nice to see a game where the expected stars both shined for periods and showed why they are so dangerous, and were also taken out of their game for stretches by the opponents defense and/or tactics.
Diane, glad your family had a great experience at PPL Park on Friday. I had a free ticket to the games, and would have attended if PSU had been playing. Alas, I ended up giving up my ticket due to a scheduling conflict.
I'm not sure if PSU could have beaten MD or UNC tonight. That said, they gave each of them great games this season/during the NCAA playoffs. PSU is so close to playing and/or winning the national championship in WLAX. I believe the NCAA Championship is back at PPL Park next year, and I hope to see PSU playing there.
IMHO, it was an awesome game. Great defense by both teams. MD changed their approach a bit in the 2nd half, and it worked. It helped that Cummings won several draws in the 2nd half. Great goaltending by both teams in the 1st half. UNC may regret that they stayed with their goalie rotation, as they didn't get the best goalie play in the 2nd half (before they switched back to the starter).
It was nice to see a game where the expected stars both shined for periods and showed why they are so dangerous, and were also taken out of their game for stretches by the opponents defense and/or tactics.
Diane, glad your family had a great experience at PPL Park on Friday. I had a free ticket to the games, and would have attended if PSU had been playing. Alas, I ended up giving up my ticket due to a scheduling conflict.
I'm not sure if PSU could have beaten MD or UNC tonight. That said, they gave each of them great games this season/during the NCAA playoffs. PSU is so close to playing and/or winning the national championship in WLAX. I believe the NCAA Championship is back at PPL Park next year, and I hope to see PSU playing there.
great article, Ned. Maryland is quite a powerhouse in women's LAX, and this explains a good bit. I remember when Cummings was coming out of HS, and the buzz that surrounded her. I didn't realize that Stanford was the leader for her services for a bit.
Interesting. As best as I can tell, the NCAA does not have regulations addressing roster sizes. I think they have limits on the number that can be on the sidelines for NCAA tournament games, but that's about it. Some conferences have limits, though I couldn't find anything on whether the B1G had any type of roster limits. Seems as MD, being in one of the top regions of high school girl's LAX, has the opportunity to warehouse players as long as the administration provides them with sufficient funds, and enough players are willing to be a part of the team (despite their lacking of much/any playing time).
We spoke off-board about this a few years ago. I greatly dislike the recruiting trends in LAX (boy's and girl's). Early recruiting forces kids and their families to be far too serious about one sport before the time when I think they should be, IMHO.
College coaches that go down this path are also forced to work around the NCAA rules. For D1, correspondence from a college coach to a prospect can't begin until Sep. 1 of the prospect's junior year, and off-campus contact between a coach and a prospect (or their parents) can't take place until June 15th after a prospect's junior year. So the informal offers, which you mentioned, are made before the NCAA dates, and the prospects are verballing before the NCAA dates.
Agreed. I fault the NCAA on this. The coaches don't like what is happening, but they are forced to play the game to keep up with their competitors. The NCAA doesn't care for what is happening, but has done little to address the situation, and they do have the power and resources to do so.
Sounds like a plan, as I'd enjoy hearing your perspective. Just post something on the board to let me know that you want to communicate.
...an interesting tidbit...
...Maryland may have a gazillion players on their roster but I find it interesting that...
...;their outstanding goalie was actually a 5th year grad student who spent four years at Lehigh...had a year of eligibility left and was recruited and became Maryland's all-star qoalie...
...hmmm...
...Maryland may have a gazillion players on their roster but I find it interesting that...
...;their outstanding goalie was actually a 5th year grad student who spent four years at Lehigh...had a year of eligibility left and was recruited and became Maryland's all-star qoalie...
...hmmm...
Saw some comments about lax recruiting. My daughter's lax team mate from grammar school through high school was surprisingly given a D1 offer from UNC. Already planning to play DIII soccer at Amherst, she was told by UNC that she had one week to decide. Talk about pressure for a young teenager.
Courtney accepted the UNC offer without ever having the time to step foot on their campus. Happily, it worked out for her ...four final four team appearances, starter three years, one national championship, made first team all American, and member of U.S. Lacrosse team.
Courtney accepted the UNC offer without ever having the time to step foot on their campus. Happily, it worked out for her ...four final four team appearances, starter three years, one national championship, made first team all American, and member of U.S. Lacrosse team.
Playing in a tourney in NJ tomorrow. I must leave the house at 5:30 to get to the first game. I must admit that my kid is very excited, she will get to play 1 game in goal against a u-15 team. She has played defense with the older kids, but not in the net.
I will give an update after the games tomorrow.
I will give an update after the games tomorrow.
My kid did not get to play in goal. We brought in a goalie from Wyoming Sem for our U15 team.
Anyway the games were in Mount Olive NJ. There were 4 u15 teams and our u13 team.
Rock-Den was the winner, they are amazing. They beat our u13 team 7-0. It is a totally different game there. They allow a lot more contact than we are used to seeing, and it made the game more enjoyable to watch.
Our u15 team came in 2nd, they were beat by Rock-Den 7-2.
Mount Olive was 3rd finishing 2-2
and our u13 team tied E. Brunswick for 4th with records of 0-3-1
Overall, I must say that I was so proud of our young girls. we had 4 9 year olds going against 15 yr/olds. My kid played all day on defense and played more aggressive each game, She had 1 shot and 2 assists.
Anyway the games were in Mount Olive NJ. There were 4 u15 teams and our u13 team.
Rock-Den was the winner, they are amazing. They beat our u13 team 7-0. It is a totally different game there. They allow a lot more contact than we are used to seeing, and it made the game more enjoyable to watch.
Our u15 team came in 2nd, they were beat by Rock-Den 7-2.
Mount Olive was 3rd finishing 2-2
and our u13 team tied E. Brunswick for 4th with records of 0-3-1
Overall, I must say that I was so proud of our young girls. we had 4 9 year olds going against 15 yr/olds. My kid played all day on defense and played more aggressive each game, She had 1 shot and 2 assists.
Interesting stuff. The rules on contact are the same regardless of location. That said, no 2 refs call things identical, so each game has variations to some degree. The endless whistles in girl's LAX do get somewhat tiresome. However, safety is the primary focus of the rules, so unless the girl's game switches to helmets and padding, it will always have more fouls than are found in the boy's game.
Good defenders are tough to find in girl's LAX. Colleges have a really tough time finding good defenders, as all the elite kids seem to be on attack, mid, or goalie. PSU has been trying for several years to find legitimate defenders. They have a few, but Ally Heavens (a middie) often is moved to defense during their games and ends up manning the other team's top scorer. It's somewhat harder to be found by recruiters if you are a high school defender, but the elite ones have no shortage of schools recruiting them. Defense is such a tough position to play in girl's LAX, as you need to be really aggressive to do well, but there is such a fine line between being aggressive enough to stop the offensive thrusts and yet not being called for a foul. More than anything else, defense is about footwork. If a girl keeps moving her feet, and has her hips square to the attacker, she's in good position. If her hips get turned at all, or her feet stop moving when an attacker is making a move, then most good attackers will go around the defender with ease.
LOL, she seems to have a goalie fixation. Not a lot of people want to play that position (in any sport), so if she wants to, good for her. It's not uncommon for goalies in girl's LAX to also play goalie in FH, especially at the youth or high school level.
Ned,
I guess it is a rec league, but our team also travels to 5 tournaments in the spring.
We have 5 teams in the league and play each team twice. We have 2 practices a week.
This costs $60. that includes the tourneys which cost $500/team. The team also loaned my kid all of the needed goalie equipment.
I guess it is a rec league, but our team also travels to 5 tournaments in the spring.
We have 5 teams in the league and play each team twice. We have 2 practices a week.
This costs $60. that includes the tourneys which cost $500/team. The team also loaned my kid all of the needed goalie equipment.
Ned,
That is amazing!!! Congratulations to your daughter, I am so happy for you both. I have been told how amazing the competition is in your area from people in Rochester and Syracuse areas. That is quite the accomplishment.
My kid and I do play catch most days, some days she wants me to shoot at her in goal. I ask her if she is having fun after every game. I love to travel for the tourneys, I grew up as a wrestler. I am learning to coach the team as an assistant, holy wow, I learn something new every game it seems. The head coach will be away for tomorrows game, so I will be the coach. These girls are so cool(well 2 are difficult) that it should be easy.
Good luck to you and your daughter in the future. please let us know if/where she ends up playing at the next level.
That is amazing!!! Congratulations to your daughter, I am so happy for you both. I have been told how amazing the competition is in your area from people in Rochester and Syracuse areas. That is quite the accomplishment.
My kid and I do play catch most days, some days she wants me to shoot at her in goal. I ask her if she is having fun after every game. I love to travel for the tourneys, I grew up as a wrestler. I am learning to coach the team as an assistant, holy wow, I learn something new every game it seems. The head coach will be away for tomorrows game, so I will be the coach. These girls are so cool(well 2 are difficult) that it should be easy.
Good luck to you and your daughter in the future. please let us know if/where she ends up playing at the next level.
histone, allow me to also respond. there is no right or wrong answer to your question. I would turn it back on you -- is it worth it to your daughter, and is it worth it to you? Does she have fun playing LAX? Is she pretty good? Is she getting better? Do you enjoy going to tournaments? I believe you previously indicated that you are a coach. Do you enjoy that?
Some reflections that I would also offer. By virtue of her school grade, I'm guessing your daughter is 9 or 10. It may seem like she has years to go before she's grown up, but 8 years from now you will be attending her high school graduation, and a month/2/3 later you'll be driving her to college. If you look at this on a daily basis it will take a good bit of time, but in 8 years you'll be wondering how it went by so quickly. I should also add that as those 8 years progress, you're likely to get less and less of her time, as she'll start carving out her personal life, and that won't be something that you'll be a part of.
LAX seems to be something that the 2 of you can do together. It's a lot of fun. You'll get to spend time with your daughter, with her teammates, etc., and to see them having fun at practices, between games at tourneys, growing up, etc.
If you're looking at this from a straight financial perspective, it's tough to make an argument that it's worth it. LAX is the fastest growing youth sport in the country. While there are a lot of scholarship opportunities, it is stunningly competitive for the LAX scholarships. In addition, only the best of the best (national team players, or players of that caliber) are getting serious money from scholarships, as LAX coaches can split up their scholarships any way that they want. Some players don't get much beyond the equivalent of what text books cost each year. Others get a few thousand dollars, but only a select few get a substantial amount of money. If I recall correctly, you're from NE PA. Anything is possible, but NE PA is not a hotbed of girl's LAX, so the odds are strongly against your daughter being someone that gets a big scholarship.
Also keep in mind that even highly skilled girls that play LAX have been known to decide to not play LAX in college. The life of a D1 LAX player is unlike that of most other students. They practice all fall, and then practice and play all spring. They have to work out like crazy in the summer just to be able to keep up with their teammates. They attend mandatory study halls, are constantly juggling taking tests and/or turning in assignments with their practice and game schedules. They have social lives, but they aren't going to socials on Thursday, frat parties on Friday or Saturday night, all-days on Sat/Sun, etc.
I've given you some of the pros and cons in my reflections. Only your daughter and you can decide if it's worth it. If your daughter is having fun, and you're having fun, I encourage you to stick with it. Tournaments get more expensive as the girls get older, and also get to be very rewarding, especially if she's on a good team.
I hope the above helps. Best of luck.
Some reflections that I would also offer. By virtue of her school grade, I'm guessing your daughter is 9 or 10. It may seem like she has years to go before she's grown up, but 8 years from now you will be attending her high school graduation, and a month/2/3 later you'll be driving her to college. If you look at this on a daily basis it will take a good bit of time, but in 8 years you'll be wondering how it went by so quickly. I should also add that as those 8 years progress, you're likely to get less and less of her time, as she'll start carving out her personal life, and that won't be something that you'll be a part of.
LAX seems to be something that the 2 of you can do together. It's a lot of fun. You'll get to spend time with your daughter, with her teammates, etc., and to see them having fun at practices, between games at tourneys, growing up, etc.
If you're looking at this from a straight financial perspective, it's tough to make an argument that it's worth it. LAX is the fastest growing youth sport in the country. While there are a lot of scholarship opportunities, it is stunningly competitive for the LAX scholarships. In addition, only the best of the best (national team players, or players of that caliber) are getting serious money from scholarships, as LAX coaches can split up their scholarships any way that they want. Some players don't get much beyond the equivalent of what text books cost each year. Others get a few thousand dollars, but only a select few get a substantial amount of money. If I recall correctly, you're from NE PA. Anything is possible, but NE PA is not a hotbed of girl's LAX, so the odds are strongly against your daughter being someone that gets a big scholarship.
Also keep in mind that even highly skilled girls that play LAX have been known to decide to not play LAX in college. The life of a D1 LAX player is unlike that of most other students. They practice all fall, and then practice and play all spring. They have to work out like crazy in the summer just to be able to keep up with their teammates. They attend mandatory study halls, are constantly juggling taking tests and/or turning in assignments with their practice and game schedules. They have social lives, but they aren't going to socials on Thursday, frat parties on Friday or Saturday night, all-days on Sat/Sun, etc.
I've given you some of the pros and cons in my reflections. Only your daughter and you can decide if it's worth it. If your daughter is having fun, and you're having fun, I encourage you to stick with it. Tournaments get more expensive as the girls get older, and also get to be very rewarding, especially if she's on a good team.
I hope the above helps. Best of luck.
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