East Vs. West

[calizzlelax]

I'm out here in California, and I think everyone out here is aware that lax is much bigger on the east coast. I was just wondering what people from the east coast think of west coast teams, considering the top cali club teams. Also, what are the differences between East and West coast style of play?

[mcdonoghLAX02]

i havent herd of any western college teams except Denver... but i think once the mll expansions are in effect more colleges will open up to lacrosse

[laxbabe42]

I dont have much experiance playing western teams besides colorado. Colorado is BEAST (at least the girls), they're very good. They're atleast a challenge to us club teams, but teams from places in CA like LA, S. Diego, etc. aren't very developed. But like someone else said...when MLL expands west, it'll bring more intrest.

Oh yeah, just wondering..who do ya'll think is more "developed" skill wise in lacrosse out west? the girls or guys?

[ljlax]

depends. like there are some teams that are incredibly good and can easily take any of the top east coast teams. but there jsut arent as many top schools. and the players that are good in california are good because they go WAY out of their way to practice on their own. we dont have club teams and not many opportunities to go to tournies. so i think that jsut shows something abuot the dedication it takes to be really good coming from california or other west coast states.
i think we can hang in but most people cant really compete with the top east coasters. but can with average/lower teams.

college--easy to say that the D1 teams in california have a long way to go before they can be compared to the east coast (and northwestern) power houses. but we are getting better! :)

style wise..im not so sure since i live in san diego. but playing on the east coast or against girls fromt here. they are more physical (damn the refs in cali) and theyre stick skills are much prettier. like theres something abuot the way they run. and play that is mroe natural. like i have friends that are really good lacrosse players but look like they are palying soccer when they are palying lacrosse. if that makes sense. just the way tehy run etc isnt as fluid, probably b/c we havent been palying as long

[Gobbler]

STANFORD is DI. Probably the best mix of athletics and academics in the country.....IF you can get in.

[ljlax]

so is berkeley. but that doesnt mean that either of them could hang with virginia or md or northwestern

im not bashing stanford or berkeley because i would LOVE to go to stanford even if i coulndnt paly lacrosse. and my sisters playing at berkeley next year.

oh yeah and st marys is D1 (the one in cali) but they arent very good

oregon and denver are the only other D1 schools on the west coast..well denver isnt really the west coast. but its close to the west coast.

[sumSum]

I've seen some Cali girls play. You've got some good players, for sure, but I think the boys game has grown a little faster out there. We played the Pacific team at the National Tournament. I think two (maybe three) girls got yellow cards off of checking me in the head. I know some girls on the Pacific club team that went to the IFWLA Cup of Nations (one is All-American) however, and they seem nice.

In terms of the fluidity of the play, I think it's simply because a lot of us have played since we were little. It's like second nature. And we're easily able to see high levels of play to learn from.

[ljlax]

oh i should have been on that pacific team at nationals! i could have played u! if i would have tried out. cuz supposively some girls werent that good. and like i know everyone on that team. and i bet i can guess who got the yellow cards... a tall skinny blond girl with long hair that was a lefty and had a black shaft... ahah she does the worst checks... shes nice tho really aggressive and shuld stop checking..the list goes on i bet they were all from the same highschool tho. the one that won CIF for san diego (our playoffs..we dont have state) . i think the best cali girls could hang with an average girl from ur area tho. but for nationals everyone cant always go. and like no one went to cup of nations that i know. and not to sound weird. but i know all of the good girls in cali or have heard of them. atleast san diego and most of so cal.
yeah the guys teams have grown faster i think.

and abuot the fluid-ness that exactly what i meant summer. like no matter how much time i spend on the wall its not the same as growing up palying.

[Gobbler]

my point being...give it time. Strongly supported athletics coupled with stellar academics will pull the number of east coast players needed to even out the roster and make the run for nationals.
Miami is another school in a "NON_ HOTBED" that could do amazing things on the national scene.

[calizzlelax]

Out in maryland or wherever, how young do you usually start playing?

[Gobbler]

There are leagues for the very young, but, middle school is where many players start to find serious competition.
Anne Arundel County, Baltimore County, Baltimore city, and Howard County are the hotspots within the hotbed of Maryland lacrosse.
Contrary to popular opinion not everyone in Maryland plays lacrosse or walks around twirling a stick. If you have a "lacrosse family" however, you may be playing in the cradle.

[calizzlelax]

haha. yeah that's kind of what i imagined. thanks for that up. soccer is like that out here. most of my friends started playing on a team before kindergarden. soccer is our lacrosse out west. are soccer and basketball popular back east?

[laxstar003]

soccer is our lacrosse out west. are soccer and basketball popular back east?

lacrosse isn't that popular here...basketball & soccer are both more popular.

[calizzlelax]

o ok thanks. yeah we have some good and growing programs like, cal, stanford, uc davis and cal poly. im sure they will all be good prospects in the next few years, especially cal and stanford.

[ljlax]

^^ agree esp because of the academics at some of those schools. there are only like a couple girls from california on the Cal team or anywhere even near the west coast and stanford's roster is even more obviously full of east coasters. soo good things are happening here which is really exciting i think.

[sumSum]

I started when I was six. Most girls I know from the hot bed areas of MD started around that age too. I don't live in a traditional lax part of MD so I can also attest not everyone here plays lacrosse. Soccer is still more popular, field hockey too. Basketball not as much though (for girls at least).

[ljlax]

no specific sport is most popular around ehre. its just like certain schools are better at certain sports. but like only a certain number of people play even for the best teams. my school is really unspirited so no sport is really most popular. but i was pretty hard core soccer my whole life. like tons of tounrys and like travel teams etc.

summer lol even tho u arent in the hottest hot bed area. the entire east coast is way mopre a hot bed like in general. but i guess i can see what ur saying. like to us west coasters sometimes it feels like EVERYONE anywhere near the east coast plays lax from inside their mommies uterus. which obviously everyoine doesnt. haha

[finalizer28]

EAST WILL OWN WEST!!! EAST IS GOD!!

[ljlax]

REALLY????
lax has been around WAY longer on the east coast
thanks for pointing out the obvious

[laxfolife24]

^^yeah, thank you captain obvious.

[ljlax]

wait are u insulting me or finalizer??

[laxfolife24]

i was being sarcastic haha, but i was talking to the one above you finalizer

[ljlax]

same (i was also talking to finalizer)
ok good.that u werent talking about meee lol

[laxbabe42]

Out in maryland or wherever, how young do you usually start playing?

Well i know where I live, they have rec leagues at very young ages, i believed i played my first game at age 4. but my rents got me one of those little 'fiddle sticks' at about 2 and i'd walk aruond banging things with it. ha.

If you have a "lacrosse family" however, you may be playing in the cradle.

yeah. the only reason i started so young is b/c my dad was head of the rec teams and what not and my entire family played. But the rest of my friends that are actually serious about lacrosse, majority of them started in 4th-5th grade.