Moving Day for WCLA

[Badger star]

I just heard through the grapevine that our team and our league might be leaving US Lacrosse. I don't know if that's true, but what will happen? I have a sister who plays division I and she watched our games and complains all the time about us using high school rules. Maybe if we leave we could adopt the NCAA rule book....who knows?

[Pomeroy]

Hey Badger Star...I have nothing to do with the WCLA now, but I haven't heard of any structured move. The talk has been there for many years, yes, but the cons still out weigh the pros when it comes to leaving USL at this point.

What USL offers the WCLA is hard to match. With the first being a structured insurance policy that can cost astronomical numbers if this goes through a private company outside of USL. There are a lot of reasons also, about the great National Tournament that they put on along with the awards banquet, structured meetings during the summer for the National Committees to discuss the future and so on.

My issue with using purely the NCAA rulebook is that in more vast areas like Kansas, Nebraska, and so on they don't have enough, if any, NCAA rated officials...so they have to use USL officials so we have to use USL rules. Yes, this might improve the game in more lacrosse friendly areas like Maryland/New York/Virginia but in the big picture I don't think the girls game is there yet as much as the guys game has sky rocketed.

But just my opinion!! What do you think??

[Badger star]

Dear Pomeroy......By your own admission, you don't have anything to do with the WCLA, but you know there's no talk about leaving USL? You certainly make a number of valid points and I don't know all of the inside political crap, but I do know that for the last two years no matter where we go, all of our coaches, my teammates, even the girls we play against, everybody complains about the rules, the cost of playing club lacrosse and I have a couple of friends at Minnesota, who had to join US Lacrosse to participate in the national championships last year. I get the idea of paying US Lacrosse for insurance, but I think its just a big scam and money maker.....? Again, I don't know the inside stuff, but I know from listening to a lot of conversations this past year that thinking about leaving US Lacrosse is a bigger discussion that you might think. And I know that because we're talking about here. I am sure no one is organizing anything, but they are discussing their unhappiness with those who run our national organization. And believe me when I tell you, I don't play for a Top 10 team.

[holmes435]

Pomeroy was involved with the WCLA for a long time administratively, and he ran / helped run a couple of conferences, so I would say he still probably knows what's going on with the league better than most and probably still has a finger on the pulse as to what is being considered policy-wise.

US Lacrosse does a lot of great things - but they do have a lot of things to take care of, and the WCLA is probably not near the top of their list. Youth management, expansion of the game, Team USA / FIL stuff will always take precedence, for better or worse.

I'm not familiar with how much time or money USL puts in to help run the league and National Championship Tournament, but if they are putting any in, they need to raise funds somehow, which comes from USL dues that players are paying.

The MCLA broke away from USL as a league about a decade ago for a number of reasons, such as as they wanted more control over administrative areas and the national tournament, so there is precedence behind it, with pros and cons to both staying and leaving.

[Pomeroy]

Thank you Holmes!

Badger Star, I've been involved with WCLA for the past 7 years, including being a league commissioner for 3 leagues and last years WCLA Vice Chair. So I do know a little bit about some stuff.

Every single year, the discussion of how the men's league left USL comes up...and every year the discussion does not last too long. We have had committees to research it and it continually falls through, because a plan is not there. Just ideas about playing rules, insurance, and so on and never has there been a laid out game plan on how, when, and all other information needed to make such a huge move.

The growth of the WCLA supports such a move, as Holmes said prior, USL is extremely busy with other organizations and such which is no problem but they still do a good job with the WCLA, and until someone brings up a way to make this organization even better then I can't see the WCLA moving away.

Again 100% my opinion and just explaining what has happened in the past and by no means suggests what could happen in the future.

[Bulldogattack]

For those following this thread, I find it interesting that no one has claimed that the WCLA is even a bit important to US Lacrosse. I don't think anyone is picking on Pomeroy and I am sure with his background that's listed, he has a lot of inside information about the WCLA workings and probably a lot about US Lacrosse, but even he made the point that the WCLA is not a priority for US Lacrosse. I know there's no way every group within US Lacrosse can be at the top of the list of importance, but I know from listening to our part of the country that the WCLA is an after thought. I joined this year and I thought I was supposed to get a rule book.....not. Badgerstar makes note of the officiating being horrible all around the country and certainly inconsistent, yet no one in the WCLA or US Lacrosse wants to at least look at considering the NCAA rule book. We're college athletes, and I know we're club, but we're still bigger, stronger and faster than those playing at the lower levels. I could make an argument that the lower WCLA teams are probably not as skilled, but if you look at the majority of successful Division I teams, we play at a fairly high level. Pomerory makes the statement that adopting the NCAA rules book would help in hot beds like Maryland and New York, but hurt in the heartland because of a lack of knowledge, then I would say if these officials are making money to officiate, let them learn. It certainly can't be any worse than it is right now. We played a number of games this year with players down because of all the yellow cards. It's nuts and that's just not here in the southeast. I talk to our counterparts here who belong to the MCLA and they have nothing but good things to say about their national organization. I am not sure what the answer is and I know this is an annual conversation that leads no where, usually, but at some point US Lacrosse and those running the WCLA have to look ahead and get it right for us because I believe we do matter.

[identitycrisis]

I think that we are definitely at a crossroads with regards to the WCLA and USL. Though I'm not directly involved in the administration of either entity, it is clear that frustrations are definitely abound. The biggest question we all need to remember is can it be done better by someone other than USL? But then it's not just a matter of everyone agreeing to break off, but who is going to be in charge of running all of this? Many people who do a lot for the WCLA have other full time jobs and just volunteer their time to the WCLA - so how will we manage all of this without hiring someone to take over USL's role?

Obviously USL is not performing up to standards that we would all like, but the grass isn't always greener on the other side. But I don't think the answer is clear at all.
Food for thought...