Lilly’s team didn’t win the tournament but won the dance contestFinding the right club team
In our search for clubs that might work for our family, we got lucky. There happens to be a girls lacrosse club based out of our town that was a little more laid back than most and also slightly cheaper. It was actually that club, and not club in general, that appealed to Lilly because that was the team her friends were on. She was still on the fence when she tried out in the fall, but she made the team and decided to give it a try.
Adam on the other hand, had his eyes on a number of clubs in the not so general area of our house — one practiced half way around the Baltimore Beltway and another more than a half hour from our house. Both charged hefty fees to even try out. Luckily, a new club sprouted up right in our backyard with a skill based philosophy and price tag that seemed right for us. Adam tried out and made the team.
Needless to say, no matter how low key the clubs are, it has made for a hectic spring and summer. Adam played in three tournaments and Lilly in four. This was on top of summer swimming for all four kids and extra U.S.A. long-course swimming for my oldest.
A couple of Saturdays ago, I left the house at 7:15 a.m. for a swim meet and went straight from there to a lacrosse tournament where there were three games over the course of five hours. I didn’t get home until 8 p.m. Another weekend Lilly had lacrosse games both mornings an hour away, the other three had a swim meet Saturday morning, Adam had a lacrosse tournament Saturday evening and Sunday morning and Maggie had a marathon long course swim meet on Sunday afternoon. It was totally exhausting, and I didn’t set foot on a field or swim a single lap.
We learned this summer that the problem with laid-back clubs is that they have to play not-so-laid-back clubs in the tournaments. So while the teams were able to hold their own in some games, they also received their fair share of beatings. This can be tough for even the happiest of club teams. And in the end, it makes you reevaluate why you are playing club, and that particular club, in the first place.
My kids are pretty decent lacrosse players but they aren’t standouts. We didn’t join the club so that college recruiters would see them play. My hope was that they would have fun, hone their skills and maybe have a better chance of making the team in high school if that’s what they want.
The first season of club officially ended this weekend. My daughter is a much more confidant player and her skills have defiantly improved. She had fun and made a lot of friends in the process. Surprisingly, my begging son’s experience wasn’t as positive. He waivered from liking it to hating in throughout the season, but he came away from the last tournament upbeat and feeling good about his club and his skills. That’s pretty good considering he also came away with a concussion and couldn’t even play in the last two games.
For my husband and I, club meant that there were no more the relaxing summer evenings at home. There was no thought of a vegetable garden or a well tended yard. We spent that time driving to practices and sitting on lacrosse fields in every corer of the state waiting for the kids to play. But when they did, it was so much fun to watch and in the process, we made new friends too.
FranklyStein is a blog by Chesapeake Family Magazine editor Betsy Stein who lives in Catonsville with her husband, Chris, and four children, Maggie, 14, Lilly, 12, Adam, 12, and Jonah, 8.
