CAROLINA LACROSSE ASSOCIATION
PARENT BRIEFING
START · PLAY · TRAVEL · TRAIN
We develop
players..
CLA is the complete lacrosse pathway in the Carolinas. Every age. Every stage. Every season.
For Boys
For Girls
Most kids quit before they fall in love.
According to Project Play research, youth sports has a retention crisis:
LESS THAN
3
years — the average length of time a child spends playing a sport before quitting by age 11.
PROJECT PLAY
2.2
years — the average lacrosse participation between ages 3–16.
PROJECT PLAY
★ THE TAKEAWAY
Kids quit before the game ever has a chance to shape them.
02
OUR RESPONSE · OUR MISSION
That's why we exist.
CLA was built to solve that problem — to keep kids in love with the game long enough to develop into something special.
★ OUR MISSION
Deliver the BEST lacrosse experience in the Carolinas.
For Boys & Girls
For Players
For Parents
For Coaches
★ WHO IS COACHING YOUR KID
Mentors who walked the same path.
Our staff is made up of people who've lived this game. They played it recreationally, at the college level, some professionally — and many are current and former high school and college coaches. They know the journey because they took it. That's who's building up your player.
Former Players
College Athletes
Pros
HS & College Coaches
Positive Mentors
Leadership Structure
DEDICATED OVERSIGHT
★ Leading the entire association
GM
General Manager
Oversees entire CLA
★ Day-to-day operations
OPS
Operations Manager
CLA-wide operations
★ Program directors
S
Director · START
First-time players · boys & girls
P
Director · PLAY (Boys)
Boys town rec leagues
P
Director · PLAY (Girls)
Girls town rec leagues
T
Director · TRAVEL (Boys)
Town Select & Team Carolina
T
Director · TRAVEL (Girls)
Town Select & Style Lacrosse
03
OUR BELIEFS · CONNECT BEYOND WINNING
What we stand for.
Our core values — for every player and coach in the CLA community. The standard we hold ourselves to before we ever step on the field.
C
Compete Daily
Show up. Every day.
O
Outwork Yesterday
Effort louder than words
N
Non-Negotiables
Be > average. On time. Right attitude.
N
No Jerks
Respect everyone in the building
C
Courage
Courage to do what is right
★ THIS IS THE STANDARD
The core values for every player and coach at CLA.
04
OUR TRACK RECORD · IT'S WORKING
It's working.
Mission and beliefs are talk. Here's the proof on the field.
2,500+
★ ATHLETES SERVED
Across all our programs
Boys and girls served since last summer alone — across every pathway: Start, Play, Travel, and Train.
500+
★ COLLEGE COMMITMENTS
Boys & girls to the next level
Since 2001 — with nearly 150 over the last four years alone. Real, measurable, statewide pipeline.
From first stick to college commit.
Three pathways.
One elevator.
A clear progression for every player — boys and girls, first-time touches to college recruiting. Each pathway has a job.
START
For newer players · boys & girls
Build confidence, learn fundamentals, have fun.
→
PLAY
Local rec · boys & girls
Where players fall in love with the game.
→
TRAVEL
Competitive · boys & girls
Where players compete at a higher level.
+ TRAIN
The elevator. Year-round small-group skill training that elevates every other pathway. Players choose how often — drop-in, weekly, or twice a week. The more they train, the faster they grow.
YEAR-ROUND
Different seasons.
Different programs.
Players can't do PLAY and TRAVEL at the same time — but across the year, they should do both. Our seasons are intentionally staggered so families never have to choose.
★ THE SCHEDULING RHYTHM
The full annual flow
Start & Play run together (4–5 weeks). Then a strategic 1–2 week break. Then Travel begins — more practices and tournaments. Repeat. Spring is the exception — extended and intensified because it's the main lacrosse season.
Spring
Start & Play — main seasonMore practices, more games, full league play
Extended
Break
Strategic reset between blocks
1–2 weeks
Travel
Town Select & EliteMore practices & tournaments — regional and statewide competition
Season block
Break
Strategic reset between blocks
1–2 weeks
Start/Play
Local rec leagues returnCreativity, fun, more reps — close to home
4–5 weeks
Break
Strategic reset between blocks
1–2 weeks
Travel
Town Select and/or EliteTournaments scale up — higher-level coaching, statewide play
Season block
TRAIN runs year-round — through every block, every break, every season.
Where kids fall
in love.
PLAY is where kids get to be creative, have fun, and fall in love with the game at its purest form.
- Weekly practice + games · 4–5 week seasons
- Local town teams across three CLA regions
- Offered every season (spring is the extended main season)
★ THIS IS WHERE KIDS
Get touches · Play freely · Fall in love with the game
REC GIVES THEM
FREEDOM
- Creativity & fun
- More reps
- Less pressure
TRAVEL GIVES THEM
STRUCTURE
- Structure
- Competition
- Higher-level coaching
Across the year, players need both.
- South CharlotteCardinals
- + more towns in the works
- Lake NormanMiners
- DenverOtters
- + more in the works
- Fort MillLakers
- CloverCoyotes
- + more in the works
✓
★ NO TRYOUTS REQUIRED
Just sign up for your town.
Town Rec is open to every player — boys and girls. No tryouts. No cuts. Find your town, register, show up, play.
08
TRAVEL · COMPETITIVE TEAMS
Where players
compete.
After each Start or Play block, players have the opportunity to move into Travel — more practices, more tournaments, higher level of play. Town Select runs for boys and girls. Elite splits into Team Carolina (boys) and Style Lacrosse (girls).
TIER ONE · BOYS & GIRLS
Town Select
- Fall and/or Summer
- Local practices + regional tournaments
- One Select team per CLA region
- Offered for boys and girls
TIER TWO · ELITE
Elite
- Year-round
- Highest level of competition
- Recruiting support
- Pulls statewide + surrounding areas
Lake Norman & HuntersvilleCLA North Region
CLA Charlotte
Cardinals Select
South CharlotteCLA Charlotte Region
CLA South
Grizzlies Select
York CountyCLA South Region
★ COMMON QUESTION
Why isn't there a Select team for every rec town?
Because it would dilute the talent. Select teams are the travel team for an entire region — they pull the best kids from every rec town together into one strong roster. That's what makes Select competitive and worth the step up.
Elite · The Top Tier
STATEWIDE
★ ELITE BOYS
Team Carolina
The Elite team for boys travel.
★ ELITE GIRLS
Style Lacrosse
The Elite team for girls travel.
PULLS FROM NC + SC & SURROUNDING AREAS
How Travel Tryouts Work
FREE · UNIVERSAL
Both Town Select and Elite require attending our free, universal CLA tryouts. One tryout. Every interested player gets evaluated. Then we place each player on the program that best fits their development.
★ WHEN
Late June & Early July
★ WHEN
Late Nov. & Early Dec.
★ THE PROCESS
1
Show UpAttend the free universal tryout — boys in summer, girls in winter.
2
Get EvaluatedOur staff evaluates every interested player on skill and development readiness.
3
Get PlacedWe place each player on the program best suited for their development — based on skill, pathway, and location.
★ THREE POSSIBLE OUTCOMES
After tryouts, every player is placed.
OUTCOME 01
Invited to Elite
Team Carolina (boys) or Style Lacrosse (girls) — top tier, statewide.
OUTCOME 02
Invited to Town Select
Miners, Cardinals, or Grizzlies — based on region and fit.
OUTCOME 03
Custom Development Package
For players not yet ready for travel — a tailored plan to get there.
No player is turned away — every kid has a path.
09
TRAIN · THE DIFFERENCE MAKER
What elevates
everything.
★ YEAR-ROUND
TRAIN
Flexible training built around your schedule — consistent, high-quality reps outside of games, year-round.
CHOOSE YOUR DOSE
STRUCTURE
- 60-minute sessions
- Small groups (6–10)
- Grouped by age, adjusted for ability
- Always competitive and productive
WHAT TO EXPECT
- Gain confidence
- Improve skills faster
- Perform better in games
- Stand out on the field
★ CLASSES OFFERED
D
Dodge & Shoot
Offensive skills
S
Speed & Agility
Athletic foundation
★
Defense Academy
Lockdown fundamentals
F
Foundations
Core lacrosse IQ
X
Face-Off / Draw Control
Specialist work
Play
Apply skills in games
Travel
Compete at a higher level
Train
Improve faster in both
The more consistently a player trains, the faster they improve.
A typical CLA
player.
★ ACROSS THE YEAR
How it actually works
1
In their Start/Play block, PLAYS on their local rec team
2
When the season shifts, COMPETES on a Travel team
3
All year long, TRAINS 1–2× per week
How it actually works — PLAY and TRAVEL run in different blocks, never at the same time. TRAIN is the constant — running through every season and every break.
Rec is where players fall in love with the game. Travel is where they compete. Training helps them improve faster in both.
— THE SIMPLE WAY TO EXPLAIN IT
★ THE BOTTOM LINE
We develop players —
through multiple ways across the year.
↑
Stays in the
game longer
↑
Develops faster
& further
