BYU and the mission

[the lax]

If less lacrosse players went on the mission, which I have heard is the students responsibility to pay for, would BYU be the best team in the country every year?

[MinesGoallie45]

If less players went on mission none of BYU's teams would be as good...BYU's football team is good because you have 24 year olds playing against 21 years olds, the size and age makes a difference, and that transfers over to lacrosse too. I think in some ways its a unfair advantage that BYU has in many sports, but there is nothing illegal about it.

[the lax]

BYU is awful to average at every sport except for lacrosse. But they would have a chance to keep the good players playing every year with other good players rather than a hodge podge.

[bbandlax]

If less players went on mission none of BYU's teams would be as good...BYU's football team is good because you have 24 year olds playing against 21 years olds, the size and age makes a difference, and that transfers over to lacrosse too. I think in some ways its a unfair advantage that BYU has in many sports, but there is nothing illegal about it.

This has been a hotly debated issue for a long time. You would think that being older would be an advantage but it has not seemed to make a difference for most of BYU's varsity teams. Their best varsity teams in the last 5-6 years have been the Women's cross country team and in recent years the Men's Volleyball team (both winning national championships). The rest of the athletic department is pretty much average. I really don't see where the advantage has been. Its not like the football or basketball teams are dominating the country, or the Mountain West for that matter. BYU athletes have been going on missions for over 100 years, I dont think anyone would label us a top 10 athletic school over that same period.

As far as the lacrosse team goes I think serving a mission has been a hindrance to the teams success. I dont say that because the freshman leave for two years and rarely if ever touch a lacrosse stick. I think ones talent comes back after a year of playing. The real crusher is that over the last 5 or 6 years many of BYUs best players have quit the team prior to their Senior year. Being two years older means you are also that much closer to real life. Getting married and starting a family changes ones perspective. That is the main reason BYU's team are always heavy with freshman and sophomores and sparse in the upper classman department. Coach Lamb is very sensitive to this and in recent years has tried hard change this trend, but it has been an uphill battle. I think the loss of upperclassman out weighs the maturity factor. As far as being the best team in the country, I think CSU and UCSB would have something to say about that.

[byualum]

BYU is awful to average at every sport except for lacrosse. But they would have a chance to keep the good players playing every year with other good players rather than a hodge podge.

Easy tiger...3 NC's in Men's Volleyball and 4 in Women's CC, not exactly awful. Granted these aren't the mainstream sports, but there are certain successes in the athletic department. The club rugby team is also very,very good.

[DG]

If less players went on mission none of BYU's teams would be as good...BYU's football team is good because you have 24 year olds playing against 21 years olds, the size and age makes a difference, and that transfers over to lacrosse too. I think in some ways its a unfair advantage that BYU has in many sports, but there is nothing illegal about it.

Chris,

The mission hurts every single one of BYU's teams. That is a fact. This happens in 3 main areas:

1) Speed and quickness. Sure the guys are 2 years older, but they haven't hardly exercised in 2 years either. Despite instructions to the contrary, most all missionaries eat low-quality food. Maybe if a guy is really disciplined, he'll get to run 3 days a week. Missionaries don't join gyms, etc. because they are always being transferred around. Case in point is Shawn Bradley. When he came back from his mission, the dude couldn't even run 1/4 mile without almost dying. Imagine going 2 years without really doing any physical exercise, and then trying to step right back in an play any sport. It is an uphill battle...one that only gets more difficult over time. The only place in any sport where I think the mission helps is on the offensive and defensive lines in football. In those positions, the weight and strength gains may outweigh the loss of speed and quickness.

2) Continuity and Chemistry. If BYU is lucky, their best players will have 2 years together. As an example, Davis an Hier will play 2 years together. Last year, and in 2007. The best way to build chemistry with the guy playing next to you is to PLAY. BYU's best football teams were ones that were made up mostly of non-LDS guys, or LDS guys that didn't go on missions. 50%+ turnover on the roster is a killer.

3) Desire. BB hit it on the head, and BYU is unique in this aspect. The % of married players on the roster (and not on the roster) is way above any other team in the country. When you come back from the mission, some things take on a different level of importance. I had firsthand experience watching this happen, both with lacrosse and football. Great players decided that playing at a high level just wasn't that important to them anymore. Maybe school became more important...maybe it was looking for a wife...maybe they lost some of their competitive fire...This is less likely to happen in an environment where you start playing lax your freshman year, and play 4 straight years.

Anyway, as Catlax would say, this is a "hot button" for me. Anyone who categorically says that BYU has an advantage because of the missions just isn't close enough to the situation.

Given the above obstacles, I applaud Coach Lamb for being able to put a competitive team together year after year. This is not to say that other teams don't have their challenges. It is just that the mission aspect of things creates some unique issues...

Another $0.02 in the jar.

DG

[Coach Dave]

I would have to say the mission service does not really help the team. Here at Southern Virginia we are in the same boat as BYU. Of course not as talented. But I lost nearly the entire team from last year to mission service. Also, not all students going on a mission will return to the school they started at. Players add weight, some a lot, while on missions.
Also when players return from missions they have changed priorities and may give up playing lacrosse all together. Missionary service is not a blessing to athletic teams.

[ramerica]

I have to agree with DG on this one. What a sage he is. . .

Two years preaching religion does a fair amount of damage to your skills and conditioning.

There is a pretty good chance that I played my best lacrosse my freshman year before two years in Chile.

[WyoPoke]

The mission being an advantage for BYU athletics is one of the biggest myths in America. If anything it only helps in the maturity department. I know that I'm not going to be out doing dumb stuff and getting into trouble if I've got a wife and a kid at home. Of course, that's why BYU loses a lot of upperclassmen too.

I don't know about it is about RMs, but they want to immediately settle down once they get back. One of my fraternity brothers just got back from a spanish speaking mission in Arcadia, Calif., and he proposed to his girlfriend and they're getting married March 5. Less than a month after he got back! Can one of you RMs please explain this phenomenon to me?

[byualum]

I'm in the minority...I was home from the Ukraine 3 1/2 years before I got married.

[ramerica]

I was married 12 years after. I can shed no light on this one Wyo.

[DG]

I don't know about it is about RMs, but they want to immediately settle down once they get back. One of my fraternity brothers just got back from a spanish speaking mission in Arcadia, Calif., and he proposed to his girlfriend and they're getting married March 5. Less than a month after he got back! Can one of you RMs please explain this phenomenon to me?

Some RMs are in quite a hurry to get married. I've heard of girls "waiting" for her missionary, but a month after being home? That's a little extreme. If you ever get a chance to see the movie "The best two years." you will get a glimpse of missionary life that includes a guy that is writing to 3 girls at once. Missionaries don't have much of a social life...

I have to agree with DG on this one. What a sage he is. . .

Two years preaching religion does a fair amount of damage to your skills and conditioning.

There is a pretty good chance that I played my best lacrosse my freshman year before two years in Chile.

Welcome back to the boards, Ram.

Most of the US population doesn't appreciate a pitcher's duel, and most girls that you were trying to impress post-mission didn't understand the value of solid D. So you got tired of trying to explain why you never scored any goals and tried your hand at attack. That's where things went terribly wrong...

Oh...pay the $10 for your premuim membership already. I know you have at least $38 in your paypal account!

DG

[JRA]

Family is central to the roll of an LDS life, it is something that is talked about all growing up. So when a missionary gets home it is just the next step in life's progression.

One thing that DG forgot to mention about dating before a mission. By the time a missionary gets home his HS girlfriend of 2 1/2 years who dumped him for swicting to attack, ends up marrying his older borthers best friend who happened to be the team MVP 4 years previous. So allot of it might be a sub on the fly, just to get some fresh legs in the game so he doesn't feel lonely anymore.

For the record I don't have an older brother and I didn't get married until I was 25.

[JRA]

The Lax-

A mission is something the missionary or his parents pay for.

I coach HS and have at least 14 players out on missions right now and 5 more that will leave this year. They are all over the world.

While it affects the continuity of BYU Lacrosse, for 19 year old guys to make a 2 year sacrifice like that, it is quite a selfless special thing.