Believe it or not the world of lacrosse doesn't revolve around Long Island. Each state has it's own rules & regs. at what age a child can & should begin school.. If these schools start at a later age so be it. If L I teams do not want to participate in out of state tourneys then please stay home.. The complaints about size & age have worn thin.
....and this is one of the major reasons why nearly every other sport groups kids based on birthdate and not grade at the youth level. Having watched my kids play many hockey games against teams from MD, PA, and MA, it is pleasure seeing our opponents be the same size (on the average across the roster) and appear to be the same age (both from an on ice prospective, and in the lobby at the rink). No one in hockey cares what grade a kid is, or what age brackets a state uses to group their children in school.
But when my kids play lacrosse against teams from MD, PA, and MA, all of a sudden the kids are bigger and look older. Why is that? Do they suddenly get younger when they play hockey, only to get older again when they pick up a lacrosse stick?
And yes, NY teams need not play against teams from other states. But why not have a uniform standard that everyone can adhere to? If you are in MD, PA, or MA, what is the downside to having the kids grouped by age and not grade?
