I watched a kid get his collar bone broken last weekend trying to defend a kid 30+ pounds heavier and way more physically mature. Not against the rules so it's all good...right?
Why do people use steroids? Because they work.
Why do people hold back their kids? Because it works.
You have to adapt to your community. LI has some good schools and Myles Jones PGed. To keep up with the Jones (LOL)
I have four kids, all hold backs. Only one plays sports at a high level. All four are judged based upon their peer group. Being older gives them more opportunities. They win. No cheating just using the arbitrary nature of the system established to treat kids based on their DOB. It is a joke.
Get on board people... we have cookies
And their peers all talk behind their backs. He won because he's a hold back or he should have won because he's a holdback. It's a lose lose. Just as they say "gaming" the system.
Fault of the parents. You all saw a dangerous situation, yet left the smaller kids on the field. Want to fix the holdback problem, pull your team when there is an older kid. If that happens enough, the playing field will become level. But if YOU keep showing up and paying and playing you get what you deserve.
So the correct age kids should not be allowed to play? WOW
Missing the point. You are saying "correct age", but are talking about a grade based league. In this case, there is no "correct age", there is only "correct grade". You are making up what you want it to be, then complaining! There are age based leagues that you can enter. If you sign up for grade based league, pay money, and step on the field, I suppose we are compelled to believe you were ok with the rules. Don't pay and complain. Just don't pay. There is a rec league for you, just around the corner somewhere.
There is a reasonable expectation of a limitation of age even within a grade-based system that has been turned on its head by private schools and/or athletics - that is the point that many are missing (or wish to obfuscate!). That age variance per grade level today versus 10 or 20 years ago is much greater, and for many not extensively involved in the private school realm (most people) and/or club lacrosse, their expectation today are not any different than twenty years ago. When I have had conversations with friends and family - people that all are readily involved in communities and sports on Long Island - that are not involved or knowledgeable about club lacrosse, they are flabbergasted about the scope of the whole pre-first/reclass thing. They all know some families who have started kids a year later here or there, but their perception is that MOST kids still start K at 5'ish and proceed along to graduate at ~17. Most people are unaware of the difference in state grade threshold cutoffs differing from NY - other than in lacrosse, where else would that even come up? Every other major youth sport is pure age-based, so this topic wouldn't arise. With lax growing as it has, the number of boys playing their first years of club lacrosse at many youth grade/age levels is also growing, and you are dealing with a large number of people who are just becoming aware of the the issue that grade-based play brings to the table. Stop assuming that everyone goes into this with all aspects of this clearly presented to them up front - the clubs, tournaments, etc do not go out of their way to make it known. The reality is that regardless of their feelings on the topic, one way or the other, as a business they don't want to present anything that might shrink their universe of potential customers, so intentionally never bringing this up is probably in their best interests for new customers.
