PRIDE is a relatively new high school program. How will girls get recruited?
College coaches recruit players. They don't recruit clubs. Every program in our area; Capital, Cardinal, Metro, and Crash have gotten players committed. For years, PRIDE has sent girls to every high school program in the DMV, and they have been recruited; most before the new recruiting by-laws, which significantly slowed the process for players. This means they were recruited and verbally committed when they were 9th and 10th graders, not rising 11th graders. PRIDE players have been recruited to Georgetown, UVA, Virginia Tech, Denver, American, High Point, U Chicago, Yale, Louisville, and MORE.
Our players currently play in the top recruiting tournaments in the country, and college coaches will see them. Players will also be advised on what camps/clinics she should attend to give her great visibility for the investment they make in that camp/clinic.
What sets PRIDE apart in the recruiting process is the firm foundation we give our players at the youth level. In the past three years, we have injected an immense amount of passion and enthusiasm into our program, which has dramatically increased the level of competitiveness against the best teams in the country.
1. We have expanded our 4Square training to include a separate stick portion solely focused on stick work. We have standardized our teachings across age groups and are focusing on the strategy of the game; i.e., man up/down situations, two man-play, zone defense, motion offense, etc. We train you to become the best player you can be.
2. READY TO ROAR (R2R) is a program that offers FREE seminars and age-appropriate workshops that focus on leadership, communication, confidence, and more! Coaches are looking to recruit good players AND outstanding teammates. We support you to become the best person and teammate you can be. This program begins in 4th grade and continues all the way through and into HS.
Does PRIDE have connections to get their players recruited?
For the past year, we've begun to strengthen our relationships with college coaches. We've always had them but have only needed to leverage them when discussing our current high school players or when we were at other HS clubs (i.e., Visitation, Yorktown, Bishop Ireton, etc.). The college coaches we have spoken with recently are very excited for a new, high-level club to be entering the mix in the DMV. Especially given our track record at the youth level and the new programs we have launched.
Our high school players have been recruited to Virginia Tech, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Yale, Notre Dame, Catholic, Brown, Harvard, UNC, Loyola, Fairfield, George Mason, Florida, Radford, to name a few. We are excited to continue to keep rolling!
How will PRIDE support their players in the recruiting process?
PRIDE has raised the bar in its Recruiting Operations to be best in class. Here's how:
1. We've hired a single point of contact for our recruiting process. Lindsay Teeters is a former college player and coach and former Team USA player (Does it get any better?!). Lindsay played at Boston University and coached at James Madison, George Washington, and Virginia Tech. Players meet individually with Lindsay Teeters and Katie McMahon to kick off the process, and then continue to meet and discuss as their time at PRIDE continues.
2. We've partnered with ConnectLax as our recruiting platform that allows players to have and build a recruiting platform to connect with college coaches. ConnectLax is a catch-all system for our players. Previously work was done in Excel, and it felt staggered and unexciting. Fast forward to our new platform. It provides some of the following:
PRIDE is absorbing a large portion of the cost. Our families will pay $45 a year for the platform.
How does PRIDE develop its players?
PRIDE hosts practices throughout the year — specifically, Sept - Nov, and June - July. We also host 4Square Trainings that are mandatory for all our players. 4Square stands for Stick, Strength, Speed, and Strategy. We run two sessions; Sept - Oct (8 weeks) and Jan - Feb (6 weeks) at the St. James. These trainings are comprised of 30 minutes straight focused stick work, 45 minutes of the strategy of the game through a concentrated practice, and 45 minutes of strength/speed work. Katie McMahon and others will coach the lacrosse portion of the trainings. The strength/speed portion will be coached by the fantastic staff at the St. James.
Will players play a set position?
Players will receive an offer for a specific position. However, if a player is continuing to work on other areas of their game, we will support the development of that player to get her more playing time in that position. For example, a player is a great defender but has also played the midfield position. We will continue to develop that player on the attacking end to support her goals of becoming a midfielder.
*This must be discussed with the Head Coach and Executive Director before accepting so that proper expectations can be set. The scope of playing multiple positions will be dependent on the level of the team and the mix of current players.
How many players per roster?
We take 20 - 21 players total depending on skill level. This typically includes 2 goalies.
What level of player commitment is required?
Show up. We understand that conflicts arise, but we do expect you to make every effort to attend practice. We provide a shell schedule a year in advance and respectfully ask that you do your best to schedule around it. If players miss practice for unacceptable reasons, it will be reflected in game time. Talk to your Head Coach for more specifics.
Will players be cut once they make the team? Will they be moved down?
Will players be moved up?
Players will not be cut once they make the team. We understand that players rarely move clubs once on a team in their 9th grade year. Therefore, cutting a player would be very disruptive. However, if a player is hindering a team’s performance in any way, a conversation will be had with that player to determine playing time moving forward and a development plan to get that player back on track.
Players will not be moved down from the BLACK (A) team to the WHITE (B) team. This can significantly impact a player’s recruiting process. However, if a player is hindering a team’s performance in any way, a conversation will be had with that player to determine playing time moving forward and a development plan to get that player back on track. If playing time will be severely limited as determined by the Head Coach and Executive Director, the player may be offered additional playing time on the WHITE team.
Yes! Players will be moved up if they continue to develop and perform better than another player in their current position on the BLACK team. You go girl!
How is play time handled?
Playing time is earned by every player, therefore we cannot guarantee it will be equal. When setting teams, we select players based on ability and level. Therefore, we do our best to ensure equal playing time for all players. However, attendance, attitude, and effort are all considered. Players are expected to rise to the level of competition, and we will do our best to prepare these players for college.
Where are practices held?
Practices will be held in Falls Church, McLean, Arlington, and Washington DC (on the outskirts. No, you shouldn't expect to drive deep into the Capitol).
Do coaches stay with teams for the duration of their HS season at PRIDE?
Yes! Coaches will stay with their teams for their duration of their HS career at PRIDE. This allows coaches to build deep and strong relationships with their players.
How are teams selected?
Under our new process, a selection of current rising 9th grade PRIDE players will have already been given offers for a specific team. These players have trained with us for years, and we consider them to be the best in their age group at their level.
Teams will be selected during the designated tryout period. For current PRIDE players, their entire body of work while at the club will be taken into consideration. For new players, their tryout will determine team selection. While at the tryout, all opinions of evaluators are taken into consideration. Final selection decisions will be made by the Executive Director, Katie McMahon-Gates.
Team selection is based on performance only including skill, attitude, effort, hustle, heart, and teamwork. We do not care what high school you go to. We do not care where you live. We do not care how long you have been playing lacrosse. We’re too competitive for that. We are looking to build the strongest team possible. This means taking a variety of players that complement one another. Decisions are a result of what happens on the field and field only.
We consider ourselves to be a great destination for HS players. Players selected to any of our HS teams must attend tryouts or be seen prior to the date of the official tryout to be considered.
College coaches recruit players. They don't recruit clubs. Every program in our area; Capital, Cardinal, Metro, and Crash have gotten players committed. For years, PRIDE has sent girls to every high school program in the DMV, and they have been recruited; most before the new recruiting by-laws, which significantly slowed the process for players. This means they were recruited and verbally committed when they were 9th and 10th graders, not rising 11th graders. PRIDE players have been recruited to Georgetown, UVA, Virginia Tech, Denver, American, High Point, U Chicago, Yale, Louisville, and MORE.
Our players currently play in the top recruiting tournaments in the country, and college coaches will see them. Players will also be advised on what camps/clinics she should attend to give her great visibility for the investment they make in that camp/clinic.
What sets PRIDE apart in the recruiting process is the firm foundation we give our players at the youth level. In the past three years, we have injected an immense amount of passion and enthusiasm into our program, which has dramatically increased the level of competitiveness against the best teams in the country.
1. We have expanded our 4Square training to include a separate stick portion solely focused on stick work. We have standardized our teachings across age groups and are focusing on the strategy of the game; i.e., man up/down situations, two man-play, zone defense, motion offense, etc. We train you to become the best player you can be.
2. READY TO ROAR (R2R) is a program that offers FREE seminars and age-appropriate workshops that focus on leadership, communication, confidence, and more! Coaches are looking to recruit good players AND outstanding teammates. We support you to become the best person and teammate you can be. This program begins in 4th grade and continues all the way through and into HS.
Does PRIDE have connections to get their players recruited?
For the past year, we've begun to strengthen our relationships with college coaches. We've always had them but have only needed to leverage them when discussing our current high school players or when we were at other HS clubs (i.e., Visitation, Yorktown, Bishop Ireton, etc.). The college coaches we have spoken with recently are very excited for a new, high-level club to be entering the mix in the DMV. Especially given our track record at the youth level and the new programs we have launched.
Our high school players have been recruited to Virginia Tech, Cornell, Dartmouth, Duke, Yale, Notre Dame, Catholic, Brown, Harvard, UNC, Loyola, Fairfield, George Mason, Florida, Radford, to name a few. We are excited to continue to keep rolling!
How will PRIDE support their players in the recruiting process?
PRIDE has raised the bar in its Recruiting Operations to be best in class. Here's how:
1. We've hired a single point of contact for our recruiting process. Lindsay Teeters is a former college player and coach and former Team USA player (Does it get any better?!). Lindsay played at Boston University and coached at James Madison, George Washington, and Virginia Tech. Players meet individually with Lindsay Teeters and Katie McMahon to kick off the process, and then continue to meet and discuss as their time at PRIDE continues.
2. We've partnered with ConnectLax as our recruiting platform that allows players to have and build a recruiting platform to connect with college coaches. ConnectLax is a catch-all system for our players. Previously work was done in Excel, and it felt staggered and unexciting. Fast forward to our new platform. It provides some of the following:
- Track Profile Activity with coaches in real time
- Access every college coach with built-in messaging
- Unlimited video uploads. EVERY PLAYER WILL BE ABLE TO HAVE A VIDEO. This is provided by the platform and at NO additional cost.
- Personalized match % with college recommendations based on YOUR criteria.
- Info on the college, including popular majors, graduation rates, jobs coming out of college and more.
PRIDE is absorbing a large portion of the cost. Our families will pay $45 a year for the platform.
How does PRIDE develop its players?
PRIDE hosts practices throughout the year — specifically, Sept - Nov, and June - July. We also host 4Square Trainings that are mandatory for all our players. 4Square stands for Stick, Strength, Speed, and Strategy. We run two sessions; Sept - Oct (8 weeks) and Jan - Feb (6 weeks) at the St. James. These trainings are comprised of 30 minutes straight focused stick work, 45 minutes of the strategy of the game through a concentrated practice, and 45 minutes of strength/speed work. Katie McMahon and others will coach the lacrosse portion of the trainings. The strength/speed portion will be coached by the fantastic staff at the St. James.
Will players play a set position?
Players will receive an offer for a specific position. However, if a player is continuing to work on other areas of their game, we will support the development of that player to get her more playing time in that position. For example, a player is a great defender but has also played the midfield position. We will continue to develop that player on the attacking end to support her goals of becoming a midfielder.
*This must be discussed with the Head Coach and Executive Director before accepting so that proper expectations can be set. The scope of playing multiple positions will be dependent on the level of the team and the mix of current players.
How many players per roster?
We take 20 - 21 players total depending on skill level. This typically includes 2 goalies.
What level of player commitment is required?
Show up. We understand that conflicts arise, but we do expect you to make every effort to attend practice. We provide a shell schedule a year in advance and respectfully ask that you do your best to schedule around it. If players miss practice for unacceptable reasons, it will be reflected in game time. Talk to your Head Coach for more specifics.
Will players be cut once they make the team? Will they be moved down?
Will players be moved up?
Players will not be cut once they make the team. We understand that players rarely move clubs once on a team in their 9th grade year. Therefore, cutting a player would be very disruptive. However, if a player is hindering a team’s performance in any way, a conversation will be had with that player to determine playing time moving forward and a development plan to get that player back on track.
Players will not be moved down from the BLACK (A) team to the WHITE (B) team. This can significantly impact a player’s recruiting process. However, if a player is hindering a team’s performance in any way, a conversation will be had with that player to determine playing time moving forward and a development plan to get that player back on track. If playing time will be severely limited as determined by the Head Coach and Executive Director, the player may be offered additional playing time on the WHITE team.
Yes! Players will be moved up if they continue to develop and perform better than another player in their current position on the BLACK team. You go girl!
How is play time handled?
Playing time is earned by every player, therefore we cannot guarantee it will be equal. When setting teams, we select players based on ability and level. Therefore, we do our best to ensure equal playing time for all players. However, attendance, attitude, and effort are all considered. Players are expected to rise to the level of competition, and we will do our best to prepare these players for college.
Where are practices held?
Practices will be held in Falls Church, McLean, Arlington, and Washington DC (on the outskirts. No, you shouldn't expect to drive deep into the Capitol).
Do coaches stay with teams for the duration of their HS season at PRIDE?
Yes! Coaches will stay with their teams for their duration of their HS career at PRIDE. This allows coaches to build deep and strong relationships with their players.
How are teams selected?
Under our new process, a selection of current rising 9th grade PRIDE players will have already been given offers for a specific team. These players have trained with us for years, and we consider them to be the best in their age group at their level.
Teams will be selected during the designated tryout period. For current PRIDE players, their entire body of work while at the club will be taken into consideration. For new players, their tryout will determine team selection. While at the tryout, all opinions of evaluators are taken into consideration. Final selection decisions will be made by the Executive Director, Katie McMahon-Gates.
Team selection is based on performance only including skill, attitude, effort, hustle, heart, and teamwork. We do not care what high school you go to. We do not care where you live. We do not care how long you have been playing lacrosse. We’re too competitive for that. We are looking to build the strongest team possible. This means taking a variety of players that complement one another. Decisions are a result of what happens on the field and field only.
We consider ourselves to be a great destination for HS players. Players selected to any of our HS teams must attend tryouts or be seen prior to the date of the official tryout to be considered.