If you’ve been playing or coaching lacrosse at the recreational level for a few years, consider taking your game to the next level. While joining a travel team is a typical progression, it often comes with significant expenses and long-term commitments. An alternative is to assemble a group of above-average players from your current team and enter local lacrosse tournaments. These events offer competitive play without the extensive commitments associated with travel teams, and there are excellent options not only in our local area but also in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Southern Virginia.
Forming Your Team
Aim to gather a team of 12 to 16 players to get started. One of the more challenging positions to fill is goalie, so it’s important to prioritize securing a player early on. Once you’ve assembled your team, participating in local tournaments can provide a fantastic opportunity to continue developing skills and fostering a competitive spirit.
Managing Expectations
It’s important to note that most of these tournaments are attended by players and teams who participate in travel lacrosse, regardless of what the tournament websites may indicate. With this in mind, ensure that your team is prepared for a higher level of competition. A cohesive group that plays regularly can have fun and win games if they practice consistently and play as a unified team. We mention this to help manage expectations; the competition will be intense, but the experience can be enriching.
Example:
When our players first participated in the local Fall Brawl tournament, we fielded two teams from our 12U recreational division, inviting anyone from the program who wanted to play. We split the teams evenly, and unfortunately, both teams faced tough losses in all their games. We adjusted our approach by forming an upper and lower team the following year. The upper team performed well, but the lower team struggled again. Such repeated losses can impact player morale negatively, and that year we noticed a drop in participation in the subsequent season. Moving forward, we decided to field only one team composed of top players. Remember, these off-season tournaments are competitive and should be approached with that mindset.
Legal and Safety Considerations
Please remember that teams entering these tournaments do so independently and are not legally affiliated with Herndon Reston Youth Lacrosse (HRYL). Most tournaments provide their own insurance, so your primary concern should be ensuring the adult leading the team has passed background checks to help ensure the safety of the players. HRYL is happy to facilitate these background checks if needed. In some cases, we are also able to let you run your team under our legal entity, but you must seek permission well in advance; please reach out to one of our commissioners to learn how to start the process.
Get Involved
This guide aims to motivate parents and coaches to elevate their off-season lacrosse experience by building local teams and entering local tournaments. These events are a lot of fun and are reasonably priced. Below are a few local tournaments we recommend. If you’re interested in trying it, contact your house coach to see if they are fielding a team that would be a good fit for your child. If they aren’t or already have a full roster, please consider starting your own team.
Recommended Local Lacrosse Tournaments
The Great Pumpkin Shootout (October) – Girls Only
- Website: greatpumpkinshootout.com
The Great Pumpkin Shootout Girls Lacrosse Tournament offers girls in the Mid-Atlantic region access to a fun and safe environment to further develop their lacrosse skills and passion for the game. The tournament brings together teams from across the area for a great one-day lacrosse event. Age group competition levels are structured to create competitive games for teams ranging from developmental to elite.
Fall Brawl Lacrosse Tournament (November) – Boys & Girls
Welcome to one of the oldest lacrosse tournaments in the DC area. Their philosophy is simple—lacrosse is meant to be fun! They believe that the fall is the time to return to play with your spring-based team and prepare for the upcoming season. Each team is guaranteed five 25-minute games (four games for younger divisions), and each player receives a custom t-shirt as their jersey.
Turkey Shootout Lacrosse Tournament (December) – Boys & Girls
- Website: laxnova.com/turkey-shootout-dec
Now in its 23rd year, the Turkey Shootout stands as a cornerstone event in the Northern Virginia lacrosse community, bridging the gap between fall club play and the spring high school season. Our mission is to provide a premier full-field lacrosse experience for boys’ and girls’ varsity teams, offering a unique opportunity for school programs to reunite and recalibrate after the club season.
Winter Thaw Preseason Lacrosse Tournament (February)
- Website: laxnova.com/winter-thaw-feb
Every February, as winter begins to wane across the Mid-Atlantic region, lacrosse teams from Northern Virginia come together for the Winter Thaw Preseason Lacrosse Tournament. This early-season event provides a vital opportunity for teams to shake off the rust, get game reps, and start building chemistry after months of indoor practice.
We encourage you to use these opportunities to enhance your kids lacrosse experience. These tournaments provide a higher level of competition and foster team bonding and personal growth. If you have any questions or need assistance in forming a team, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
Let’s elevate our game together!
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