People that don’t want to talk about reality or shine light on the extent of this [lacrosse]-backward system like to conflate issues. What does college recruitment and even HS play have to do with how youth sports should be organized as far down the line as 3rd grade and even younger? The fact is - for “2022” boys (at least in the state of NY) a player who is turning 15 within a week will be just fine for HS sports unless things have changed. Most on age kids are 13 and the USLax age cut off has another 2 months to go before some 12 year olds even turn 13. So this July you WILL have a younger 2022 still 12 playing against an older “2022” who can already be 15 and the older boy is in no jeopardy as far as HS sports are concerned. I know I am taking extremes, but the extreme case is greater than 2 full years. The regular reality is that the difference is generally closer to 2 years than 1. So please with the its only 1 yr.
If things ever went age based, “uber elite” players could always play up and then they and they alone would have to deal with the consequences of their decisions not everyone else. Someone please make the argument that this system is better. You won't because you can't - so you'll resort to name calling, insulting me and/or my kid, blah blah blah... As if anyone cares about the insults from an anonymous blog. Save it - only one side of this argument has any merit the other is just a round about way of saying - "that's the way it is and for some of us it's currently advantageous so we like it".
Inflating numbers doesn't help your point. If one is a holdback, he is likely a summer birthday so up to 15 months different, and that is only for the very young 2022. Those are likely 0-5 on a team. The kid that is 2 years older (or greater like you said) just isn't out there. Sure you heard about 1 kid somewhere so I'll give you there might be 1 or 2 in an entire league or tournament, but probably zero. I'm not saying grade is better than age based or vice versa. But if you don't like the system petition the league, club, tournament directors, etc. to have it changed. Just don't make up excuses and say that other teams are all holdbacks 2 years older than another team or make assumptions about how old a kid is based on size. And don't call people cheaters that are playing by the rules of the league or tournament you are choosing to pay and have your kid participate in.
