US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) Boys 2029-7th Grade Fall 2023/Summer 2024

The issue at this age is that some kids have gone through puberty and some haven’t. It can make for stark differences. High school is fair game for reclasses.

HS and youth sports are vastly different; if you don’t recognize that, you are either naive or obtuse (probably both).
My son is a superstar…small too, but he’s taught to overcome it w dawg.
Good luck w your holdback son still not cracking varsity until Senior year - extra year for nothing, lol

Your small son has no future in this sport. He will be put at the back of the line by coaches looking for bigger kids. Happens every day, enjoy it now, it’s about to end.

I’m holding my kid back to gain an advantage on your kid. When you complain I will call your kid soft and say eventually he will have to play against older kids in a few years anyway so why complain now?

In a few years from now my kid will never have to play against older kids in H.S. though.

As a freshman on JV he will be the age of a sophomore. As a sophomore on JV he will be the age of a Junior. As a junior on Varsity he will be the age of a Senior. As a senior on Varsity he will be the age of a freshman in College. All the while I will tell you how your kid needs to toughen up and play up like a real man!

I recognize that youth sports is a pretty broad term and Club Lacrosse is only a small part of that.. But you should recognize this is a niche sport - age has nothing to do with it. When they start HS lacrosse, they are part of a pool of players - all difft sizes and ages. They need to be able to play, period. Stop complaining about things you cant control and get your kid better - tutoring, training, whatever they need. Your attitude is terrible - trying to make excuses and blame others to make your small, young son’s path easier. We cant help it your son was born in the Fall of 2011. Reality is they will always be younger than their classmates.

Lack of talent? Your son must enjoy talking to you after a game.

You realize schools have freshman/JV and Varsity teams to account for the age/size difference right?
Hold your kid back again.

When you hold your son back, you are telling him he isn’t good enough; you are telling the world as well.

Again, not entirely accurate - keep reaching. HS rosters are set by HS staffs and 11th graders do play on JV - nothing to do with age or size, just skill. You're gonna be real fun in the Varsity stands with your little man issues.

You really have no idea what you’re talking about. It’s so obvious and quite frankly, I am embarrassed for you.

Do you realize that when a middle school player is good enough to play up at the jv or varsity level, they have to take a physical strength and maturity test? This test is because they are playing with older kids who are at a very different stage of puberty. This test is not optional, it is mandated, and it is designed to protect kids who are not ready to play up. Well of course you wouldn’t know that. Blatantly obvious.

Well I hope you’re following me and can keep up. Read slow and try. So, if the test to play up exists, why are kids allowed to play down. The reality is, a player who plays down and was reclassed or held back, is going to be of high school age and playing against middle school age kids at some point on their travel team. So in your naive mind that is ok. Quick question for ya. Do they let 9th and 10th grade players play down on the middle school team? I know you’re smart enough to know that answer, right?

Please do yourself a favor and just let it go.

To all the holdbacks out there, THIS ^^^ succinctly blows away any other argument about reclass. But to beat a dead horse about reclassification

-is it illegal? no
-is it a competitive advantage? Yes
-did most kids who went on to the top lax colleges benefit from reclasisng? Yes but…
-do most kids who reclass benefit? No
-is there a difference between an age discrepancy in middle school lax and high school lax? Absolutely yes so to all the people saying you play older kids in high school, it’s just not the same for grade schoolers
-do high schools have freshman and JV teams? Yes
-is it worth the money? No

It’s not wrong or illegal to reclass. But let’s call a spade a spade: they just couldn’t excel at their own age group.

Kids reclass for any number of reasons It doesn’t mean they aren’t good enough at their own age It more than likely means they are playing their grad year but not their own age When they reclass they are now playing on age If you take 2029 - 91 express igloo as an example, most of the better players were born in 2010 So if a 2028 reclasses and is a 2010 birth date then they are actually playing on age.

Based on these responses, it's clear you think you have a little 8th grader that will be asked to play up with the big boys at the HS. You've spent some time pouring over the requirements, how's he doing with his mile time? Good luck with that. Pulling an 8th grader to Varsity is done for many reasons. Mostly for development though, both the player's and the program's. Top HS programs do not usually have 9th graders on Varsity, let alone 8th.

You are getting yourself into a froth by confusing public health & safety requirements for middle school athletes playing in High School with private club lacrosse tournament participation requirements. That is apples to oranges. Public school rules are designed to protect the weaker players, like your son, and the private leagues are designed to showcase the best talent around for a certain Grad year. Completely different animals.

I don't know what you mean by "playing on age". Using NLF/HoCo League age guidelines, players born between 6/1/2009 and 5/31/2010 must play as a 2028. Players born between 6/1/2011 and 5/31/2010 must play as a 2029. So if a 2028 players born 4/1/2010 reclasses and tries to play as a 2029 they are cheating.

If your to the point when your reclssing your kid it’s time to put down the stick and buy him a dirt bike!

Your reading comprehension is poor at best. I clearly stated jv OR varsity, meaning the high school level in general. More kids play jv as 8th graders than you apparently realize. Also, the days of pulling kids up to the varsity level are not over. Only a select few have and will do it, but it is done. I know of at least 4 kids that played as 7th graders on their jv teams and I know of at least two 8th graders that played varsity minutes last year for respectable schools.

Also, I’m not about to get into it with you on a public forum about where my son plays, his size, or his ability. It’s about as classless as you making assumptions. And they are very big assumptions.

No assumptions needed. It’s probably a small school in Suffolk with very high travel lax participation rates but a crappy HS team. Take your pick, there’s so many. Respectable schools do not have 8th graders playing meaningful minutes. You are delusional, or your definition of respectable needs work. The Sr at Duke, maybe one of the best players in the world, did it for Bay Shore in 8th. Noone on LI has been at that level since.

This is an ignorant and non factual statement regarding the better players of these clubs and this age group.

Most of these players are born in 2011.

What a great read, sounds like a lot of upset 2029 parents. Once the 28s reclass there goes your playing time. Enjoy the last year of watching your kid

this is false for express.

On that note I basically give up. Again, you lack the ability to take meaning from the written word. Thus you have poor reading comprehension.
I never said meaningful minutes.
I never said I was strictly talking about varsity.
I was talking about the idea that if a kid in middle school were to play up at the high school level they would need to pass the tests I mentioned. The test is in place because there is a disparity between a 9/10th grader and a 7/8th grader.
When you reclass or holdback you are in reality taking kids old enough to be in high school and playing them against middle school students. Your inability to grasp that concept is mind boggling.

detest to break it to you, but the facts lax on your little fantasy here. Look at every top roster at the best schools, all holdback prep schoolers, and here’s a tidbit of info, they’ll all do just great. This is a proven fact. Get over your under talented kid.

Love holdback Dads saying other people’s kids aren’t good. Your kid is only good BECAUSE he held back. Many top teams have their AA team scrimmage their B team a year older. These tend to be competitive games. Many of your B team kids would be AA level if they held back. Your AA player would be a superstar if they held back. You held back for a reason and everyone knows why. Don’t expect us to ignore facts. The ends don’t justify the means. Your kid will be forever labeled as a cheater, great parenting.

Its true for Express it just doesnt sit well because Express stinks at 29

Thank you for giving up. You make no points at all. Plus you are all over this and the 2028 board railing against holdbacks. So sorry you live in a town with a weak lacrosse program that pulls kids up from Middle School to field their JV and Varsity teams. If we look at your orig rant, you are upset that your little guy plays against older kids in travel, but you are OK with him playing on your lame JV team because he took a test and ran a mile under 7 minutes. So, is your solution to have private club teams pass physicals before they step on the field this Spring and Summer? That is truly groundbreaking. Why not let the parents decide what is best for their kid? If you’re afraid of getting him hurt, maybe drop him down to the B division. AA is for the elite and clearly not for kids with foolish, ignorant parents who can’t grasp this concept.

You throw around insults about failing to comprehend these ridiculous rants but I’ll summarize: Older kids are bigger and stronger. If your kid is born late in the year, they are at a disadvantage to those born earlier. You can complain about it and try to make people feel guilty for their personal decisions, but, in the long run, Coaches want the best players. Faster and Bigger will always find a spot over the younger guy with the 5’8” Dad who started on JV in 7th grade.

There is no original rant. Follow along. You were called out for making a ridiculous comment about calling the AD complaining about age discrepancies in high school. Saying that a 15 year old red hot, west coast stars, 3D, hawk, etc player on a 7th or 8th grade team is the same as a 10th grader playing varsity against a 12th grader. It’s not. Multiple people have tried to explain this to you.
Read the room. You’re in the minority.

This guy has to have his kid play lacrosse because in any other sport you can’t holdback.

Your holdback son is weak; he’ll be weak all through life because you taught him to take shortcuts; you taught him sports’ success is everything, even if it means doing a grade twice. What’s sadder? Your son,
In all likelihood, won’t succeed in lax regardless. And that will crush him. Because he knows what you want out of him. He’ll be the typical divorced FLID sitting in a bar talking about how many township ‘chips he won
But at least you were able to brag to your buddies while he was in 7th grade!

I doubt there are 15 year olds from any if those teams playing 7th Grade lacrosse. You exaggerate to make your little man point.

Comprehension hard for you huh? It is actually spelled out in the post that all the top college kids have benefited from reclassing. It also spells out that the majority of those kids who do reclass do not end up at those colleges and don’t benefit.

Still don’t get it? If 10% of reclasses go on to do amazing things at those top d1 colleges that means 90% of reclasses don’t. So of course all those rosters are stocked with reclasses. What’s not shown are all the reclasses , which is the majority, don’t go on to top d1 schools.

I’m guessing your kid needed to reclass because he couldn’t keep up with his group. If he went on to one of those top schools then good for him. Chances are he didn’t and is stuck on the bench for some mid-low grade d1 roster

Not the most common but it definitely happens. I remember when my 8th grade kid went to try out for the Under Armour combined 8th/9th team (back when it was in that format) there were 3 kids who who drove themselves there.

And all their Dads probably bragged for years on BOTC like this dolt.

You’re wrong and once again proved you do not know what you’re talking about. There are many 15 year olds playing against 8th grade teams this year and there were plenty of them last spring/summer when the 28s were in 7th grade. Tell your son to pull up his Instagram account. He will point them out for you.

And truth be told, I’m glad I came back on here. The other posters absolutely ripping you and your inability to grasp things put a little smile on my face. Like I said, you’re very much in the minority.

Are these grade-based or age-based tournaments? If you are so upset about your kid’s safety, he should be playing in a grade-based B level tournament. You need to be realistic about your little guy’s abilities. If he struggles with the AA teams, drop him down where he’ll be safe and you won’t be so upset.

You confuse your limited observations as facts. Why do you care so much about the 2028s? This is a 2029 board. There are no 15 year olds playing on 7 grade teams - keep making stuff up to fit your alarmist narrative. Minority? I don’t think so. Lacrosse is very much dominated by the Private Schools and this will never change, no matter how much you rant and rave.

My son is at a private school, starts and isn’t a holdback. The other gentleman’s argument is clear: reclassing is for boys that cannot handle on-age competition.
Fact

If your kid is a dominant player on age you wouldn’t hold them back. Very easy for everyone to understand but impossible for Holdback Lax Bro Dads to admit.

How do classify dominant? How many kids dominate any sport on age? Maybe 1-2 per team or maybe less? This is a notIntelligent argument. If you want to holdback you are welcome to, any parent who doesnt see the value for their child is a m@ron. Seems like a lot of jealous 2029 parents. I would be upset as well, 2029 is an awful class on the island, very little talent.

So explain how all these holdbacks are dominating college lacrosse? That’s a fact! Sorry to hurt your feelings

The world doesn’t care about lacrosse. As a matter of fact no one really cares about lacrosse. It’s a niche sport that the majority of the US could care less about. The scholarship money is paltry and the kids who play just aren’t good enough at football or basketball to get a real scholarship. Facts sting.