Reclassifying is not breaking a single rule. Some families do it because their son isn't doing well academically. Some do it for maturity/emotional reasons. Some do it purely for an athletic benefit.
Get over it. If you had your way, there would be a freshman, sophomore, junior and senior lacrosse team. Nobody cares about this except Bizaaro Strong Island Internet tough guys.
Before I address the banality of this overused, broad sweeping catch all excuse of yours; I should qualify that I am the father of an age/class appropriate D1commited player. He has a 96.6 average in the 10th grade and is in all honors classes. Yes; he is rather disciplined and successful and he is from Stong Island. He works his [lacrosse] off on and off of the field.
Now then; on to the dissection of your extremely compelling suggestion that reclassifying is not breaking any rules and to then...get over it.
Let us first analyze the claim that some do it if their child is not doing well academically. What type of parent would even choose to do so and then continue to allow the child to play a sport that is clearly taking valuable study time away from said challenged student? Is it better to say "we held him back and he still plays lax" or would it be better to just eliminate all extracurricular activities that may be a distraction and keep the child in their proper class and do a better job in parenting and supervising this child academically?
Decisions to do the former are purely ego driven choices of the parents and is an example of poor parenting at best.
To reclassify for emotional and or maturity reasons is replete with myriad reasons to not even be playing lax, and focusing more the child's inherent developmental needs. Clearly group activities and sports, as well as other group activities, may have a role in this type of child's growth, but is beyond this forum to expand upon fully; and the absurd idea that a parent might still yet have the ego driven decision to hold ones kid back and pressure him with the physical and emotional demands of competitive sports such as lax is purely irresponsible on multiple levels.
the hold back for purely athletic reasons is, by definitions stated in this thread earlier, as being consistent with the "cheating" word that so frightens your type that you would rather glady hide behind the labeling of the child as emotionally unprepared or having academic deficiencies before admitting to the fact that your child needs to cheat in order to compete. That label so frightens you all.
I'll repeat: cheat in order to compete.
This has become the path for so many of your ilk that it is approaching viral expansion proportions and you have all become numb and comfortable with the notion that it's ok to do if others are as well. Great character flaws on display for all to see, and we all do see it.
Here on Strong Island, at least, it has yet to become so prevalent that we would all look the other way.
Our kids have been and will always be successful against the cheaters for years and years. Their skill sets have yet to be surpassed by those of the cheating nations down south which always makes it fun for us to watch our players run circles around the loafing oversized hold back cheaters.
Their successes gained while playing true to age and respecting the principles that hard work and practice pays off carries over into their post school professions and it is these qualities that we strive to instill in our kids which ensure that these values are upheld for future generations to come.
Stong Island ethics trumps DMV area cheating every time.
Thus, as you have so eloquently stated; "get over it" Our boys don't need to cheat to compete.
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