Skill Levels Increasing in HRLax?
While watching quite a few games yesterday at the Lake Taylor Lacrosse Complex (fka, soccer complex), it was pretty clear to me that the overall skill level of the players in the area is going up as the sport continues to grow.
Notably, some teams who were really doing well had a high number of players on summer and fall travel teams and players who have been playing in an indoor league either at Chilled Ponds in Chesapeake or the brand new Beach Fieldhouse in Virginia Beach. I'm less familiar with the resources on the Peninsula, so it's hard to comment on that side of things.
It seems pretty clear that the kids who keep a stick in their hand during the fall and winter and who play more are really shining with quite a few starting to break out to a different level of play. This is not specific to any one travel team - just a logical outcome of playing more often...
Where this is really striking is at the U11 level. Just three years ago, HRLax did not have an A division for U11 at all. Now, two or three of the U11A teams are playing like All Star or Select travel teams during the recreational league season. The future sure looks bright for these players as they age up! Of course, they are going to need an outlet to keep them challenged as the bar is raised further and the skill level disparity from the beginners to the more advanced gets greater and greater.