[soccer7]

Well their competition is Jacksonville, Longwood, Howard, Presby, Detroit-Mercy, and High Point. They may not be nationally ranked, but in the new conference I think our team will be able to hold its own very well.

+1

I think witht he right coach that they could compete to not only win that conference but dominate that conference in the span of three to five years. If LU builds a soccer/lax specific facility I think that you will see LU compete with the best in the country within ten years.

[flamesbball84]

much better long term to lose game 8-2 vs. losing 25-8.

You got that right. Look at how Christopher Newport developed their men's lax team compared to how Hood College did it.

CNU hired someone in time for them to recruit for a year. They weren't good their first year, but they won a few games and didn't get their brains beat in for every loss. That was two school years ago, this year they were fairly competitive and finsihed with an above .500 record I believe. In 2007 they were 4-9 (and handled Hood, by the way) and had several blow out Ls but also had three other games that could have gone either way that they ended up losing. In 2008 and 2009 they were 8-7.

On the other hand, Hood didn't give the coach mcuh time to recruit, they got destroyed their first year and are still getting destoryed game in, game out and there is no sign that they will ever be any better than that. Their first four years they did not even win a single game. Did they improve some this year? Yes of course they did, but its hard not to when you are losing games 31-2, 30-6, etc.

There are numerous other examples like this, but the general trend is that if you give a coach the time to recruit, it will pay off in the log term, dont give them the time, then you better hope you made one heck of a hire to fix the mistakes the administration made.

[soccer7]

on the other hand- nothing like being on the ground floor of establishing a new DI program.

I'd much rather go D2 or D3 and actually be able to win games than go to a first-year D1 program that is most likely going to get handled game in and game out. With the nature of lacrosse, LU is going to find that lacrosse recruits are a lot more likely to go down to the lower levels because they will be able to go to some of the top tiered programs and be able to be on national championship contending teams year in, year out. Many lax kids have parents that are more than capable of being able to afford paying for their education, so the need to get their education paid for via athletic scholarship is not even close to as important as it is for sports like basketball, for example.

I see where you are comming from but there are kids that play lax in places other than Bethesda Md, Georgtown, or even the money parts of Richmond. I see country kids playing lax in the southern part of Virginia and I know that the sport is growing outside the elitist communities. I can see a good coach that may know the state of Virginia well comming in and getting some talented kids from these areas where the top schools dont look.

[vabills]

on the other hand- nothing like being on the ground floor of establishing a new DI program.

I'd much rather go D2 or D3 and actually be able to win games than go to a first-year D1 program that is most likely going to get handled game in and game out. With the nature of lacrosse, LU is going to find that lacrosse recruits are a lot more likely to go down to the lower levels because they will be able to go to some of the top tiered programs and be able to be on national championship contending teams year in, year out. Many lax kids have parents that are more than capable of being able to afford paying for their education, so the need to get their education paid for via athletic scholarship is not even close to as important as it is for sports like basketball, for example.

I see where you are comming from but there are kids that play lax in places other than Bethesda Md, Georgtown, or even the money parts of Richmond. I see country kids playing lax in the southern part of Virginia and I know that the sport is growing outside the elitist communities. I can see a good coach that may know the state of Virginia well comming in and getting some talented kids from these areas where the top schools dont look.

I grew up in a heavy lax area in NY State. Farm country, and lots of good lax players, who at the time weren't able to find scholarships, etc... because they didn't exist. I think there are some areas where a coach could explore beyond the power house, Bmore, Long Island, Rochesters of the world where lax players are just as well coached and just as good. However, you do have to recruit, and sway them to come to the university. The top kids will go to the Dukes, NCs, Syr, etc... I know one girl on my daughters team had intended on going to Liberty but then got recruioted by Duke, so instead of going to Liberty she is now going to go to Duke, with a full ride. Parents can afford the college, but if you can get the education and scholarship at a top program, why not.

[ATrain]

Atrain, other than Jville and High Point, which I don't know, those other schools have had D1 programs for a while. With Lax, especially girls, you could have the best goalie in the world, but if the defense can't keep the penalty and 1 on 1 situations to a minimum, the goalie is going to get beat 90% of the time. Hopefully, the new coach knows that and can convince the most atheletic girls to play defense first. much better long term to lose game 8-2 vs. losing 25-8.

Jax and HP are also new programs. I know Longwood has a decent program because I'm originally from Farmville, but how good are Howard and Detroit-Mercy? Howard, I am assuming, isn't very good based on how their overall athletic program is, and Detroit-Mercy I don't know about.

[soccer7]

much better long term to lose game 8-2 vs. losing 25-8.

You got that right. Look at how Christopher Newport developed their men's lax team compared to how Hood College did it.

CNU hired someone in time for them to recruit for a year. They weren't good their first year, but they won a few games and didn't get their brains beat in for every loss. That was two school years ago, this year they were fairly competitive and finsihed with an above .500 record I believe. In 2007 they were 4-9 (and handled Hood, by the way) and had several blow out Ls but also had three other games that could have gone either way that they ended up losing. In 2008 and 2009 they were 8-7.

On the other hand, Hood didn't give the coach mcuh time to recruit, they got destroyed their first year and are still getting destoryed game in, game out and there is no sign that they will ever be any better than that. Their first four years they did not even win a single game. Did they improve some this year? Yes of course they did, but its hard not to when you are losing games 31-2, 30-6, etc.

You are comparing apples to oranges here. I worked at Hood when they were starting the Men's athletic program and it was very difficult to get kids to even look at the school. There are a lot of things that get looked at when kids are considering where to go to school and play especially at the lower levels.

The differences that matter in your comparison:
1) Facilities - Hood has little to no athletic facilities
2) Tuition - Hood cost more than 2x that of CNU
3) Competition - Hood had no conference affiliation the first two years then moved into a tougher conference than CNU
4) Coaches - Hood offerd part time I believe $10,000 CNU offered full time pay
5) Student Body - Hood was an all girls school until 2004
6) Academics - Hood does have a great academic reputation however, what is offered at the school is very limited
7) Geography of your Recruiting Base - Hood is in one of the hot beds of Lax competing against John Hopkins along with several other well known established programs, with better of all of the above, for kids

I know what every one is trying to say but we have a lot of positives going for LU. If LU hires a good coach that knows were to find some good players then we will be fine. If LU ever builds a soccer/lax specific facility then we will be competing with the best of them in recruiting and on the field.

[flamesbball84]

Hood wont ever compete with John Hopskins for recruits. JHU is a top D1 lax program, hood isn't even D1. No D3 teams compete with JHU for recruits other than maybe Salisbury.

Also, LU better raise their academic and admissions standards if they hope to compete nationally at the D1 level. Take a look at the USILA Top 20 poll sometime. The top programs, for the most part, are tier one caliber schools. The schools that draw the most talent are perofrm the best year in, year out draw some of the best true student-athletes out of any sport you'll find. For the most part, these kids want to go to schools with outstanding academic reputations. Basically, the top lax kids want to go to institutions that make potential emplyers go "wow he graduated from penn/duke/syracuse/etc.?" Does LU fit in that tier one category? No. Washington & Lee doesn't even quite fit that category...

[soccer7]

So am I safe in assuming that we should just fold up are entire athletic program because no one thinks we are better than Dook in academics? For some reason I was getting excited because I thought are athletic programs were growing every year in the right direction. Silly me I should have know what to expect when I assumed something.

[soccer7]

Hood wont ever compete with John Hopskins for recruits. JHU is a top D1 lax program, hood isn't even D1. No D3 teams compete with JHU for recruits other than maybe Salisbury.

Also, LU better raise their academic and admissions standards if they hope to compete nationally at the D1 level. Take a look at the USILA Top 20 poll sometime. The top programs, for the most part, are tier one caliber schools. The schools that draw the most talent are perofrm the best year in, year out draw some of the best true student-athletes out of any sport you'll find. For the most part, these kids want to go to schools with outstanding academic reputations. Basically, the top lax kids want to go to institutions that make potential emplyers go "wow he graduated from penn/duke/syracuse/etc.?" Does LU fit in that tier one category? No. Washington & Lee doesn't even quite fit that category...

I agree with the academic part of your argument. I do feel that LU is growing every year in that aspect as well and that is another thread in and of itself. No if you will please correct me if I am wrong but the only schools that have a long standing tradition of Lax at their schools are those that are in the top 20. Lax is growing sport around the country and it is similar to that of the growth of soccer that took place about thirty to fourty years ago. More schools are adding it and an the numbers of youth playing the sport is growing every year.

[El Scorcho]

Also, LU better raise their academic and admissions standards if they hope to compete nationally at the D1 level.

I know you've only been on this board for three (or so) years now, but I think we've well established why LU's admissions standards are they way they are and why they're not going to change any time soon.

So, I guess we'll just have to be resigned to whatever success we can manage to find with our oh so poor academics and standards.

[Champion]

LCA practice football field maybe? Behind the ice rink.

Not nearly big enough for Lacrosse....it's about half a football field.

[flamesbball84]

LCA practice football field maybe? Behind the ice rink.

Not nearly big enough for Lacrosse....it's about half a football field.

Ddefinitely not enough then. A lacrosse field is only slightly smaller than a soccer field, and a soccer field is right at the same size as a football field.

[vabills]

I would assume that they would play/practice where the soccer/track field is now. In addition, isn't the new indoor facility full sized. It too would likely be used especially for practice.

[flames1971]

I would assume that they would play/practice where the soccer/track field is now. In addition, isn't the new indoor facility full sized. It too would likely be used especially for practice.

I know UNC uses their football field for lax, so I guess it could work.

[soccer7]

I would assume that they would play/practice where the soccer/track field is now. In addition, isn't the new indoor facility full sized. It too would likely be used especially for practice.

The indoor soccer facility is not full sized. I think it is close to 30 yard wide and around 60 yards long. It is a good place to practice and play some good indoor lax if they put the boards in were the soccer goals are.

[soccer7]

I would assume that they would play/practice where the soccer/track field is now. In addition, isn't the new indoor facility full sized. It too would likely be used especially for practice.

I know UNC uses their football field for lax, so I guess it could work.

That is were I can see them playing as well on the current soccer field. Again, I have said it once and I will say it again, I hope that they build a nice soccer/lax facility like Klockner at UVA.

[vabills]

Okay so who is the coach. My daughter just got home from high school practice and one of her teammates sister is on the club team at LU. Said the new coach was named. Said the coach was coming from another college, but didn't know where. Anyone down in Lynchburg hear?

[ATrain]

I would assume that they would play/practice where the soccer/track field is now. In addition, isn't the new indoor facility full sized. It too would likely be used especially for practice.

I know UNC uses their football field for lax, so I guess it could work.

That is were I can see them playing as well on the current soccer field. Again, I have said it once and I will say it again, I hope that they build a nice soccer/lax facility like Klockner at UVA.

I would prefer they build tennis courts first.

[soccer7]

I know UNC uses their football field for lax, so I guess it could work.

That is were I can see them playing as well on the current soccer field. Again, I have said it once and I will say it again, I hope that they build a nice soccer/lax facility like Klockner at UVA.

I would prefer they build tennis courts first.

I agree with you ATrain...first things first. I know they said they were going to build new tennis courts but I have not heard anything since. I do hope that they get that done soon. However, I do hope that they build something classy and they dont throw done some courts just to have them. I hate to use UVA as an example but something like they have would be very nice. Also, I hope they build a brick Jeffrsonian style building next to them that will house the tennis office, locker rooms, etc. I am a facilities nut and only dream and wish for the best for LU. If I was loaded I would be the first in line to donate to that project. I love football and basketball and I know that is what drives an athletic program but I love my olympic sports...go figure, I was a soccer player:)

[BJWilliams]

I know there is probably more to the story but I know jerry Jr mentioned in his address a couple weeks ago that there was some wrangling with the city because the proposed site was in a flood zone? I think he said the courts were back on track or something

[PAmedic]

Okay so who is the coach. My daughter just got home from high school practice and one of her teammates sister is on the club team at LU. Said the new coach was named. Said the coach was coming from another college, but didn't know where. Anyone down in Lynchburg hear?

nothing on the official site yet, though I'd expect to hear by or at the Flames Club luncheon.

LANG may know, too.

[bigsmooth]

as of about three weeks ago i know the dept was having a hard time finding a coach, but hopefully that has changed.

[matshark]

I know there is probably more to the story but I know jerry Jr mentioned in his address a couple weeks ago that there was some wrangling with the city because the proposed site was in a flood zone? I think he said the courts were back on track or something

There's ALWAYS wrangling with the city. Realistically, is it any of the city's business if it's in a floodzone? It's the University's property, they should be able to build where they want to build. It's called property owner rights. If they want to build a field in a flood zone, let them build in a flood zone. Thank God the city didn't try and put the kibosh on it when some guy decided he wanted to build a university on the side of a a mountain!

It's not the city's freaking problem if the field floods, it's Liberty's. So let Liberty deal with it and keep the city out of it. Then again, the city just decided to spend more money on its failing school system while making the police department take pay cuts. More sheer brilliance from some of Lynchburg's dumbest citizens. (Not including Jeff Helgeson of course because he was the one that wanted to stop funding a failing system and put the money into something useful, like - oh i don't know... - PUBLIC SAFETY!)

http://www.newsadvance.com/lna/news/loc ... ute/15894/

[BJWilliams]

Mission Control...we have a coach:

http://www.libertyflames.com/index.cfm? ... 43&TeamID=

[vabills]

Mission Control...we have a coach:

http://www.libertyflames.com/index.cfm? ... 43&TeamID=

Thanks I'll let my daughter and her coach know. Her team just won districts tonight and play in the regionals. Undefeated so far this year.