Stenersen's View Blog - The Youth Tournament Circuit

The Youth Tournament Circuit

Jul 23

Written by: Steve Stenersen
7/23/2011 3:53 AM

I’ve been seeing a lot of youth lacrosse lately…perhaps too much…not in my role at US Lacrosse, but as a father. Both my son (a rising seventh grader) and daughter (a rising ninth grader) play on local club teams with which we chose to affiliate because of the philosophies and perspectives they represent – both are nonprofit organizations, both encourage participation in other sports, both embrace club lacrosse as a companion to recreation or school-based programs, and both have coaches who believe that becoming a better player requires not only sound instruction, but also moderation and fun.

My wife and I have spent six summer weekends at multiple girls’ and boys’ tournaments – the divide and conquer method of youth sports parenting – and I’ve meandered around for hours in between games getting a better feel for the motivation of parents (like me) who embrace the tournament circuit as part of the new definition of family time. While I’ve been to many youth lacrosse events throughout the country in my role at US Lacrosse, but it’s certainly a different experience as a parent who feels both pride and internal angst when watching my flesh and blood run up and down the field.

It’s clearly an emotional challenge with which many parents are not able to cope.

Kids, coaches and officials are destined to make mistakes on the lacrosse field and, despite this certainty, we parents still feel the knot in our stomachs when they happen. Some parents feel the need to passionately vocalize their feelings during games…sometimes through supportive comments and other times in ways that make me feel sad for their children. Witnessing such behavior week after week is like riding a roller coaster that makes you throw up, but getting right back in line for another ride as soon as it’s over.

This is America, the free market rules and tournament owners are providing a service that the consumer (in this case the club teams that we chose for our kids), can take or leave. But tournaments rely on the participation of club teams to make money and, in my opinion, club teams need to exercise their power as consumers to improve the tournament experience for our kids. Here are two quick suggestions:

1) Require tournament owners to hire only US Lacrosse-certified officials. The integrity of the rules and safety of players should not be compromised by officials who have not been properly trained, yet too many officials in tournaments in which my children played did not consistently understand and enforce the rules…or practice the correct rule mechanics. The cost for officials is often the biggest expense for tournament directors, but cost should never trump quality…especially when it comes to the safety of our kids.

2) Require tournament owners to limit registrations in each age division such that no team is required to play more than three games a day…and none back-to-back. Because many tournament owners are focused on maximizing profits, they shoe-horn as many teams as possible into an age division and ignore the resulting impact on player safety. For example, my 11-year-old recently played in a tournament that required the teams advancing to the championship to play five games in eight hours in 95 degree heat...the final two of which were back-to-back. Who in their right mind believes this is a decision made in the best interest of children, why do participating club coaches accept it, and why do we, as parents, allow it?

A post script suggestion to tournament officials…always wear the standard striped uniform and look the part whether you are officiating a college game or a youth tournament. Wearing neon green or black t-shirts, cutoff sleeves, or anything other than the appropriate uniform only hurts your credibility as a capable official in the eyes of coaches and parents….and, believe it or not, has an impact on coach and parent behavior.

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109 comment(s) so far...

Re: The Youth Tournament Circuit

I agree with all the proposed suggestions and have one to add: the presence of certified athletic trainers. As an ATC (certified athletic trainer) that works closely with women's lacrosse, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the sport is evolving rapidly. The game is still in great part "finesse based" but the game is getting faster and rougher year after year. Concussions are on the rise forcing the helmet debate to discussed and presented at the local, state and national levels. With all this occurring, I would be curious to know how many of the tournaments that were put on this summer actually had certified athletic trainers present for their entirety. And if ATC's were present, what the ratio of participants to athletic trainers was. Having qualified health care practicioners at youth tournaments is just as important as having qualified officials to protect the health and safety of the participants.

Just the thoughts of a lacrosse athletic trainer.

By DC MacLea on 7/28/2011 5:34 PM

Re: The Youth Tournament Circuit

I too am a parent of a youth tournament lacrosse player. My son (now a rising junior) has played in these venues during the summers for the last 5 years. I have seen some things that were not so great for the sport as well as the kids but I have seen far more beneficial things for the kids and this great game until recently. What I am now seeing as my son gets older, is a competiveness that is not good for the game, the kids and now even the Highschools where these young athletes spend the majority of their time.

Essentially what is happening in my opinion, is that as the athletes become older the focus on the tournaments becomes a recruiting venue. More and more athletes are participating with the hope of being recruited to play at a Division 1 school. This in turn promotes more individualism rather than team work. The College Scouts feed into this and promote this over and above camaraderie and teamwork. The athlete becomes selfish and is only trying to perform to make themselves look good for the scouts. This also now carries over onto the athletes School team. Rather than play as a team the athlete is only in it for themselves. Teams suffer because of this type of attitude.

The reality of it is that very few youth players will make it to the Division 1 college level to play lacrosse. And many that now do, will bring with them this same selfish attitude that essentially got them there. We should look at last years NCAA D 1 tournament winner Virginia and take that team as our role model. The athletes on that team put the team before certain individuals. At first many thought that was a major mistake. I guess they were wrong.

I am not suggesting at all, that these summer Lacrosse teams are bad for our kids. Rather I think that all parents should take a better look as their kids get older, at why we want our kids to go to college. And at the same time I think US Lacrosse should take a look at where all of this is going in terms of the college recruitment process and summer lacrose.

By lax5dad on 8/6/2011 8:57 AM

Re: The Youth Tournament Circuit

I too agree with the proposed suggestions. I especially like the fact that you have found a not for profit program for your children to participate in. Many of the traditional lacrosse powerhouse locations have had for profit programs for many years and these programs have provided a quality experience for numerous players. I urge parents to take a long look at the services that are being rendered for some of the most costly summer programs. Living/capitalizing on parents dreams is not new in America, but it has no place in Youth athletics. "Caveat emptor” for all of you hoping to realize your dreams of a college scholarship. If you can afford these "pricey" programs, you can afford tuition too!

By Bearleew on 8/6/2011 8:57 AM

Re: The Youth Tournament Circuit

By your summer season observations, have you also noticed a pattern that the team who comparitively has loud and over-critical parents or an out-of-control coach tends to get more calls against them? I am starting to wonder if it isn't simple human nature that a referee will scrutinize one team more if they are a source of over-the-top criticism towards the officials.

By crum on 8/6/2011 8:58 AM

Re: The Youth Tournament Circuit

While my family did not spend all summer at tournaments, the lacrosse organization in our area usually ends the season with participation in at least two of three fairly local tournaments. I look forward to the tournaments mainly because our teams play other organizations that we do not meet during regular season play.

This past spring both my son and daughter played on "B" level teams at the 4th/5th gr age group. It was completely appropriate for their skill levels and personal commitments to the game. Expectations were high and they rose to the challenges of their coaches. Both their spring seasons had ups and downs but both progressed as players and team members. I was a proud parent watching them and their teams on the field.

Now, back to the tournaments. I guess my issue with these is that year after year, I feel that there are always teams that misrepresent their talent. Or maybe it's just too hard to equalize teams. Each organization makes the best team it can from the pool of players available. What is a "B" team in one area may look completely different from a "B" team in another. I love the tense close scoring game. The blowouts are no fun for anyone. However, I don't seem to see as much disparity in talent during the regular season as I do at tournaments. I wish there was a way to guarantee that the teams you face are as equally talented, or untalented :), as your own team. Each tournament we participate in has a clause in their registration that says something similar to "Teams that misrepresent their skill level will be disqualified, etc etc" However, this never seems to matter as one team runs the bracket and rolls over everyone. Is there a solution to this??

Well, thanks for your thoughtful and informative articles. I do enjoy reading them.

By laxmom on 8/6/2011 9:00 AM

Re: The Youth Tournament Circuit

I would like to add to the previous comment. Athletic trainers would be a great step. I would also add sufficient ice and water for participants. 2 of the events we have attended this year actually ran out of cold water and ice.

Another comment I would add is my concern over the U13, U15 and U17 brackets. In several tournaments, no player can participate in the U15 bracket if they have attended high school. For our team, that meant that 6 of our 14 year old kids were forced to play in the U17 bracket. This is a recipe for injury. We lost 3 of these boys mid tournament season due to injury.

In setting tournament participation rules, common sense MUST prevail.

By Andy on 8/6/2011 9:01 AM

Re: The Youth Tournament Circuit

@ Steve Stenersen Great article. I agree with everything you have listed. Thanks for taking the time to address what most parents talk about on the sidelines during these tournaments.

@ laxmom Thanks for bringing this up. Someone please tell me where the glory is by having your superiorly talented "A" division team win the "B" division championship? I understand that teams new to tournaments may feel that entering a lower division is the right thing to do but to have a team do the same thing tournament after tournament accomplishes nothing.

To add to this, there absolutely needs to be a standard of age verification within the sport in general but more specifically at the tournaments. All summer long I was made aware of teams playing with players who were not age eligible for the tournaments that they were participating. Of course everyone wants to see their kids win but win or lose, I think that more importantly there should be a level playing field for all. Far too many times this summer there were teams who were playing down an age bracket to enhance their programs chances of capturing the championship. I say shame on you to those of you who knowingly broke the rules. To those of you who followed the age grouping perameters, I commend you. The easy thing to do would have been to move players down from your older teams but you did the right thing and continued to have the kids play where they belonged.

By Coach Ruppy on 8/6/2011 4:13 PM

Re: The Youth Tournament Circuit

As both an experienced official and a parent of two children who have played extensively on the summer tournament circuit, I agree with the tone of your article, and the specific suggestions.

Both from the field and the sideline, I have witnessed way too much bad behavior from parents. I know its an emotional experience, but I have learned to say nothing except encouraging comments as a spectator, and it makes for a much better experience for everyone around you. Constant and loud complaining gets you nothing, and I can tell you from being on the field, the kids mostly either tune it out or just shake their heads.

As for the stripes, I agree, but that certainly is in the hands of the tournament directors.

By NJ Ref on 8/6/2011 4:14 PM

Re: The Youth Tournament Circuit

Completely agree Steve. My son's 2015 team also, for the last two consecutive weeks of this summer's travel season, made it to the championship game on the second day of two-day tournaments. It was hot at both events, but it was several degrees above 100 at the last one. The directors were good with water breaks at 10-15 minute intervals, but the format was unsafe and unfair. In both instances our kids were playing their championship game as their fifth game of the day, in both cases in back-to-back games, and in both cases against a team who had had a bye in the tournament. Byes work in regular season playoff scenarios, but create an unfair advantage in tournaments, where one team may be playing two or three games, and the other five. No sour grapes - our coaches are fantastic about playing the right way and playing hard no matter what, not worrying about what's fair, but moreso appreciating the honor and grace of the game, sportsmanship and lifelong friendships. It's very refreshing, to say the least. But it's still an uneven and punitive system.
As for the refs, I agree as well. There are some wonderful officials, and they unfortunately stand out at these events, while their less worthy counterparts stand at midfield, flags in pocket, waiting to get paid at the end of the day. Retaliation from players due to neglect on the part of officials is tough to watch. US Lacrosse-approved officials may also be more inclined to remove the moronic parents who scream all weekend long, and others who sit on coolers full of cold beer getting loaded on the sidelines.
And lastly, how the officials call the game is more important than what they wear - though I agree with being in traditional uniform. While it may be up to the tournament directors to determine what the officials wear, under no circumstances should any sponosor be allowed to have their slogan "we have balls" emblazened across every official's shirt, regardless of the sponsorship fee. Your suggestion that their apparel may have an impact on coach and parent behavior is right on. In this case it's also completely inappropriate, and offensive to many families in attendance.

By lynlax on 8/8/2011 4:30 PM

Re: The Youth Tournament Circuit

Great article! What I would love to see in the future for Lacrosse tournaments is true age limitations like soccer does. Soccer players are required to have an id card that shows their date of birth and limits the brackets that the players can enter. My son's rising freshman/sophmore team was put into a JV bracket in all the tournaments they entered this summer. We played teams from all over that put their rising juniors/seniors into these same brackets! Why would any team want to play down (I'm sure it's because the coaches feel that they have to bring home a win for the parents or they won't "buck up" next year) and the bigger question is why do tournament officials allow this to happen.

Get up with the times lacrosse and have the kids certify their ages in order to play with id cards with players pictures on them. It will also help in the case where a club has multiple teams playing in a tournament and when their "sister" team makes it to the playoffs, they switch up the kids and the team you played earlier in the day has suddenly grown by 10 players! It's so unsportsmanlike and makes for a bad experience.

By melissa on 8/8/2011 4:31 PM

Re: The Youth Tournament Circuit

US Lacrosse needs to make a strong position on this-I've been to enough youth lacrosse tournaments in the past 8 years to realize that it is becoming a real challenge to keep straight which kids from your team can actually play in which tournament. Is it grade based?- age based?- graduation year?- was the player born before Aug 31 or after Jan 1? It's getting crazy & before long we are going to need to staff a Tournament Analyst for our team to ensure that we are choosing the right tournaments.

It is really simple folks- Youth Lacrosse should follow the Hockey or Soccer model for tournaments- Birth-year. End of discussion-

Nobody can dispute the year the player was born in. It is black & white - there is no grey area and it doesn't leave any room for interpretation- if you were born in 1996 then you can play- if you were born in 1995 then you can't. If you want to play up you can but you can't play down.