Team Smithtown vs. Smithtown Youth PAL Lacrosse
What is the difference between Team Smithtown and Smithtown Youth PAL Lacrosse?
We get asked this question frequently - especially when players age beyond the Kindergarten / 1st Grade Spring PAL teams. In an effort to get the information to you all please take a moment to read the following information.
Team Smithtown Lacrosse is a program run by Smithtown Youth Lacrosse for the player looking for more. This is considered a travel team but all events are local to Long Island. This program is available to all players from 2nd grade up to 8th grade. The teams are created from tryouts that typically take place in August. The program offers a more advanced brand of lacrosse from the PAL team. As such, Team Smithtown will often have representatives from both High School varsity programs attending various practices to meet and get familiar with their future players throughout the year. Once teams are formed, the teams will practice and play year round. Outdoor practices in the fall starting in September, indoor practices and clinics in the winter at Sports Arena, then back outdoors in March. The teams will participate in the 8 week PAL season just like the above PAL teams; however, the teams will also participate in town team only tournaments in the Spring / Early Summer.
Smithtown Youth PAL Lacrosse is a program run by Smithtown Youth Lacrosse. This consists of an 8 game PAL season. The season begins in March and ends in May. This is for both beginners and advanced players. Practices are once to twice per week with games on Sundays. However, any lacrosse player looking for more training, competition, and overall play can find that with a Team Smithtown team.
We are excited to announce that starting in the 2023-2024 season there will be much more cooperation between the Youth and High School programs. This is an important step in continuing to establish well rounded athletes with the utmost lacrosse IQ, who are able to easily transition into the next level with their school programs/teams. We will have clinics run by the High School staff as well as universal terminology and drills that will be used at every level from 2nd grade to 12th grade. There are not many towns left doing what we do here in Smithtown. Keeping Team Smithtown together is an important role for the success of the High School Lacrosse Programs. Keeping a stick in your hands all year round is important but even more so is continuing to play with the kids you will be playing with from Elementary to High School. That is what makes Smithtown Lacrosse so special. The youth program is the feeder program to the High Schools. We take pride in that role we play and are working with the High School coaching staff to stay aligned with the philosophy and training goals they put forth at the varsity level.