Club or Low D-I?

[bigbri13]

Hey I'm getting recruited to a low level D-I school. They are expensive and are far from home. My question is would it be better to go to University of Maryland and play club w/ no commitment or go play D-I somewhere far away? A better question would be what which one would be more worth while?

[ChiefsLacrosse1]

whichever one has the better education. remember, lacrosse will be just 4 year while at school. your degree will last you your life, and lead you into your career.

[mdlaxman]

just a sidenote, but umd cp is awesome. and my buddy plays on the club team there and loves it. they have socials and stuff and travel for games.

[bigbri13]

Well the school I'm probably transferring to is a nationally ranked liberal arts private school and has very good academics. I really feel the need for a more committed-to-lacrosse rather than party first lacrosse second kinda thing like a club team has.

[GatorsLax]

club lacrosse is all about what YOU make of it. if you're not serious about the sport, it can be very similar to joining a frat. if you want to put your time into balling, find a club that's competitive in their conference and go for it.

[mdlaxman]

club is good because it is competitive but it is also fun. varsity lacrosse is your life and a lot of guys say it takes the fun out of it.

[bigbri13]

I'm pretty sure thats what I want though because I'm very competitive and love the sport and being part of a team. I'm probably going to go play because I never wanna wonder what if.

[Rosie411]

do you mind me asking what the lower level D-1 school is? also depending on the club team they can be just as serious as a ncaa team. Most teams in the MCLA have a goal of becoming a ncaa team and are trying to prove they can.... Boston College actually was a D-1 team and the program was scratched to club, however they still have full support of the school, and it is very competitive, so it really all depends on the school.

[The Doors]

do you mind me asking what the lower level D-1 school is? also depending on the club team they can be just as serious as a ncaa team. Most teams in the MCLA have a goal of becoming a ncaa team and are trying to prove they can.... Boston College actually was a D-1 team and the program was scratched to club, however they still have full support of the school, and it is very competitive, so it really all depends on the school.

This is a very inaccurate statement. Most MCLA schools have little to no aspirations of becoming an NCAA sanctioned program

[mdlaxman]

mcla is for schools that don't have an ncaa varsity team so for them it is just as serious as for ncaa teams. i think a lot of the clubs do want to become varsity teams so they do try very hard.

[malax31]

i already forget who said it...but club lacrosse is what you make of it. I take it seriously on the field and during practice, and off the field yeah we do party a lot together. on the field its all business and we take lacrosse seriously. most of all we all love the game, and that's why we play. if you want lacrosse to be your life, play d-I. if not play club and have a blast.

[Rosie411]

This is a very inaccurate statement. Most MCLA schools have little to no aspirations of becoming an NCAA sanctioned program

the mcla plays under ncaa rules, and has the full support of the school, referred to as "virtual varsity". In most cases the only thing holding them back is title X (i think thats what it is) which i belive requires a girls team to be founded along with a boys team which for most schools is too expensive. I think its naive to say that a coach of a mcla team doesnt have an aspiration to see their program go into ncaa play expecially teams like BYU, michigan, and oregon. (or the school's atheltic director for that matter) but your right most schools are happy at the mcla level, that doesnt mean they dont have hopes for ncaa play though.

[bigbri13]

I'm probably gonna be playin at Presbyterian College next semester and I just wanted to know what people thought of that decision over club at UMD

[6x6]

the mcla plays under ncaa rules, and has the full support of the school, referred to as "virtual varsity".

I think its naive to say that a coach of a mcla team doesnt have an aspiration to see their program go into ncaa play expecially teams like BYU, michigan, and oregon. (or the school's atheltic director for that matter)

To me "full support of the school" means totally funded and recognized by the school. I can only speak for a number of MCLA teams which I am familiar with, mainly in Texas. A&M and UT, both top 25 teams last time I checked, play on itramural fields they share with all the other student clubs, they have part-time coaches, the school does not recognize them as a varsity sport but rather a club sport like ultimate frisbee, flag football etc. The guys pay for their own unis/gear, and travel expenses. Those two schools put on/run a high school tourny before their season in order to supplement their teams' funding. Not something that a team with "full support of the school" would have to do.

Also, if the school AD has aspirations for their lax team to go into the NCAA then I'm sure he or she would have found a way to make it happen as they control where their funds go/scholarships etc.

Maybe there are others but I know of only one MCLA school where the situation you describe exists. SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) is an MCLA DII team playing in the SELC. They have a full time coach paid by the school, receive equal billing/media coverage as other school sports (the other sports compete in the NAIA), share the same facilities as the other varsity sports etc. They also have scholarship money for lax players.

[egrlax10]

Yeah, that's absolutely correct 6x6. Another school like that is Lindenwood, and I also think that Michigan is considered a virtual varsity.

[bigbri13]

Yea those club teams are serious, but club at UMD is really not. I just want to be on a real team ya know, I love the sport and want to get an education while playing lacrosse not play lacrosse while getting an education, I know this is bad but I want my team and the sport to come before school.

[6x6]

Yeah, that's absolutely correct 6x6. Another school like that is Lindenwood, and I also think that Michigan is considered a virtual varsity.

egrlax10 you are correct about Michigan "virtual varsity", they do receive support from the school to a greater extent than many others. However, according to their lax website, each player has to pay [B]$3,500 in dues for the honor!

[Agent Orange]

the mcla plays under ncaa rules, and has the full support of the school, referred to as "virtual varsity". In most cases the only thing holding them back is title X (i think thats what it is) which i belive requires a girls team to be founded along with a boys team which for most schools is too expensive. I think its naive to say that a coach of a mcla team doesnt have an aspiration to see their program go into ncaa play expecially teams like BYU, michigan, and oregon. (or the school's atheltic director for that matter) but your right most schools are happy at the mcla level, that doesnt mean they dont have hopes for ncaa play though.

"MCLA plays under NCAA rules" isn't quite entirely accurate. For example, MCLA fall non-traditional seasons can be as long as their spring seasons -if they choose; A number of MCLA schools start fall practices in mid September and play well into late November, with anywhere from 6-12 scheduled dates of competition. In contrast, NCAA schools are quite limited by the number of allowable weeks of practice per year. Most varsity fall seasons are about 2 weeks in length, and usually schedule at max 1 scrimmage date and 1 alumni game. Furthermore, NCAA teams are allowed (at least in DIII) a maximum of only 17 schedule contests per year; thus, if a school schedules 2 in the fall, they only have 15 remaining for the spring -and that includes scrimmages.

All that said, having a long fall season isn't a bad thing if you want to play more, especially since fall weather is generally nicer than spring. But, IMHO, comparisons between MCLA vs varsity is like comparing oranges and bowling balls: both are round and can roll, but each offers a totally different experience. So, if a high school player wants something a little more casual, not as restrictive, etc., go club and expect club. Otherwise, go varsity and expect varsity.

[loganlax]

One thing which I know has been discussed- what does the DEGREE get you. Presby is located in the middle of nowhere. Limited reach with that degree and like it or not, playing for the bottom of DI will not get you a job. UMD offers many more opportunities and I am pretty sure most companies of heard of Maryland.

I hate to use this example- but they old blown knee. Are you in a place you want to be if lacrosse was taken away from you?

Ask questions that will effect the next 40 years of your life, not the next 4.

[bigbri13]

What I plan to do after college is work for a parks and recreation or gym, something sports themed, I'm sure where I come from, a degree from any college will get me a job. Also Presby is a nationally ranked liberal arts college and is private. It has decent academics and I'm not the school kinda person. I'm just going to college because I'm supposed to and I want to get an experience while I'm in school, playing on a team and traveling everywhere with a team is the experience I want. I know club is a team but it isn't the commitment I'm looking for, everyone seems to want to party rather than play. Idk, I just never want to wonder what if. . .

[Norcallax52]

I played for a club team my first semeseter and now im playing d3. If partying is part of your life and you cant live without it play club if you can live without partying and have most of your free time spent on training laxing it up or school then play ncaa lax. I honestly wanted more then what I was getting when I played club lax. It just wasnt serious enough for me. So ask yourself If you want to play hard and party hard or play hard and train harder.

[The Doors]

Listen to this very carefully, you and everyone else who has an opinion based on things other than experience.

As a former club player and current NCAA assistant; I can tell you that your collegiate lacrosse experience is what you make it. While the skill level is probably better in the NCAA as a whole, that does not mean you should discount any club program.
The dedication, competition, and desire to win most perceive to be NCAA exclusive is in the club scene too, if not stronger; since the players are the ones paying for their own experience. I for one, played in 10 games one fall and then another 15 games the following spring. It was a year round committment, and was not taken lightly by myself or my teammates.

So like I have said earlier and many times before... collegiate lax is what you make of it. You shouldn't have any preconceived ideas before going into any program