What is SP Lax Club?
SP Lax was formed as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to sponsoring and encouraging participation by middle and high school girls, primarily from Anne Arundel County, in national and international amateur lacrosse tournaments. SP Lax teams participate in these tournaments during the summer and fall.

Who are the principals of SP Lax?
The Board of Directors of SP Lax consists of individuals from Anne Arundel County who share the SP Lax Club philosophy regarding club lacrosse.  Our board members have a broad range of experience in lacrosse and business. 

What are the goals of SP Lax?
Ultimately, the goal is to provide an avenue for girls who may want to play lacrosse in college. Because of the high quality of play in the mid-Atlantic region, college lacrosse coaches often recruit at tournaments in our area. By playing against top competition in these tournaments, they have the opportunity to be seen by and recruited by college lacrosse coaches.

SP Lax Club feels that this goal is best met by having lacrosse be one part of a player's high school experience, and not the sole focus. Competing in other high school sports, meeting the demands of high school course loads, and having free time to spend with family and friends is often more important in shaping a player's character than just playing lacrosse year round. SP Lax Club emphasizes the ability of a player to lead a balanced life because experience tells us that colleges appreciate the well-rounded student-athlete. Therefore, we strive to strike that balance with our level of tournament and practice participation as described below.

How does SPLax support its players through the recruiting process?

As SPLax is dedicated to being a vehicle for our players to play at the next level, we are committed to walking our players through this process and supporting them in every means possible. Kate Hickman, our club's Director, is also the Recruit Coordinator, and with her experience as a collegiate athlete, high school coach, and club coach, she has a multitude of connections to coaches at the next level. Every fall, Kate gives a free Recruiting Seminar during our tryouts, allowing high school parents and players to get an idea of the recruiting process, along with the personal services she offers. Kate is our contact for coaches, and our liaison between college coaches and players, and is always available via email for help with questions that may arise during the process, free of charge.

Should you desire a more personal consultation through the recruiting process, Kate offers private recruiting services (detailed on our "Services" page) starting your sophomore year during which she is committed to helping you with through EVERY twist and turn until the day you commit. Her services include everything from emailing coaches on your behalf, to proofreading your emails to coaches, guiding you through the do's and don'ts of pursuing schools, setting up campus visits and phone calls to coaches when coaches are not allowed to directly contact players, and helping you through the thought-process that is necessary when making such a huge decision. Kate took on this responsibility when she coached our 2010 team, matching players with top twenty programs, and is now focusing much of her effort solely towards the recruiting mission for each and every club member. Furthermore, Kate is continually updating her approach towards recruiting by researching and talking directly to college coaches to learn their preferences in this process.

She wants to provide the best direction possible and knows that the recruiting process is rapidly changing, therefore she must keep up with its transformation! Though a majority of the responsibility of getting recruited is on the player that is the "product" in what truly is a business transaction, Kate is there to make sure every appropriate step is taken, that no stone goes unturned, and that you do what you need to do to get on the coaches' radars at the perfect time. For more information on recruiting, check out our "Services" and "Recruiting" pages, or email Kate Hickman.

 

How is the money collected from the players used?
SP Lax is a not-for-profit organization. In a typical season we will charge 1) a try-out fee, 2) a membership fee (paid over two installments), and 3) a uniform fee (if applicable). The membership fee pays for insurance, coaches, tournament entry fees for both the summer and fall tournaments, as well as other miscellaneous operating expenses. Our directors are volunteers, who are not compensated for their service.  Our coaches are current and former college players, who are compensated for their work with the club.

Are players required to play in all of the tournaments?
We have developed our tournament schedule to maximize quality exposure to college coaches and minimize the logistical and expense issues that can come with tournament lacrosse. Our tournament schedule runs from the first week of June through the middle of July. Overnight travel is typically limited to one or 2 weekend tournaments. The high schoolers will usually play in six tournaments, while the middle schoolers usually play in five. Practices will be held one to two times a week during the summer season beginning in mid-May. There will be also be practice in October in preparation for the one or two fall tournaments.

We also limit the size of our teams to 19-23 girls to provide more playing time per player.

Therefore, with our compact schedule, minimal travel time, and reasonable roster sizes, the expectation is that each player commits to participating in every tournament on her team’s schedule.

How successful has this program been?
Success is measured in many ways - in the win-loss records of our teams, in the club alumni that play for or have committed to play for desirable Division I, II & III programs, and in the congenial, supportive atmosphere enjoyed by our players and their parents. As a young club, we are trying to achieve that ideal balance of enjoyment, competitiveness, affordability and skill development for our members.

We encourage you to talk to current and former SP Lax players and parents to see how we are doing.

In what tournaments does the club participate?
The Following link takes you to our schedule for the upcoming Summer season.

Is anyone eligible to try-out?
All girls currently in grades 6 through 11 are eligible to try-out. Your geographic residence, school, past club affiliations, or years of experience, do not preclude you from try-outs. For the 2010 season, SP Lax rosters included players from 10 different high schools and 6 different middle schools. You must, however, attend try-outs on the scheduled dates to be evaluated.

Also, for insurance purposes, the sponsors of many of the tournaments in which we play require that each player be a member of US Lacrosse.  We therefore require all SP Lax players to join US Lacrosse. US Lacrosse membership information is available at www.uslacrosse.org

How are try-outs conducted?
Try-outs are held in September over two Sundays to allow for everyone's busy schedules. However, we encourage players to attend both Sundays to allow us the most complete and fair evaluation of their abilities.

The coaches and officers of the club make selections.  To ensure that evaluations are as objective as possible: 1) we will seek the assistance of select knowledgeable third parties; and 2) if an officer/coach is a parent of a player on a team, that coach will not participate in the evaluation of the players on that team.  Among the factors on which players are evaluated is speed, athletic ability, strength, stick skills and scrimmage play. All girls who attend will be notified of the results shortly after tryouts are complete.

Placement decisions are final.

How do I register to try-out?
The dates, times, and location of try-outs are outlined in the Registration section of this website. We will send a confirmation of your registration by email. Any changes due to weather or unforeseen events will also be sent via email. There is a $35 fee for trying-out.