BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums NORTHEAST LACROSSE BOTC MAIN FORUM (LI, CT, WC) Age and Reclassification. The good the bad the ugly!

Well that's really the question isn't it? Who cares? Do college coaches care? do they care now and do they factor chronological age in? So in the example above this boy can play high school JV as a freshman (against freshmen and sophomores)and then play for a club team in the summer as a u14 against mostly 8th graders. As he moves on and plays in recruiting tournaments, will this get factored in? I can see a scenario where he is a little behind the curve as a HS player then a standout on the travel team. Will this affect how kids are evaluated and recruited?

Have heard that most clubs dont care about this. I spoke to the director of our club, and "we have all talked about it with other clubs, but dont expect anything to change. Its just not that big of a deal, and kids want to play in their actual grades."

Will be interesting how this shakes out - or if its just a non issue

I maintain that the best way for a college coach to access youth players is to watch them play against kids their own age. Watching a 16 year old dominate 14 year olds tells me very little about how that 16 year old will play when he is 20. Offering him would make me very nervous since those 14 year olds will catch up physically when they get to age 18 or so.

Why is everyone surprised? Anyone that follows the sport knew the clubs were going to do what was best for them and not US lacrosse. Clubs run the sport and US is a gutless useless powerless organization (except for insurance). What a shame that this isn't going to stick. Just like there will never be player cards. Can we please stop talking about all of US Lax' initiatives that are never going to happen.

What, if anything, is known about a service called "Athletic Passport"?

I have been asked by the organizers of a tournament to sign up for the service to verify my son's eligibility regarding age/grade.

US Lacrosse needs to step up & have more age based tournaments!!

Agreed. And if the clubs were smart they would get on board. Just like all businesses, I am sure they want to grow. Regarding kids that are talented enough to play in college, there is no growth left. Its a small, limited pool of kids that are already playing. There is room to grow with the more mediocre athlete who just loves to play, but needs to compete against same age kids. The families of these kids are much more easily turned off by age discrepancies in competition.

I have a bridge to sell you, a very expensive one that we drive over every weekend on our way to MD to make these tournament promoters and club directors MILLIONAIRS! US Lax is a an absolute JOKE!

If you want your child to play in age-based tournaments, with card checks, then seek out those tournaments. If none exist and there is so much angst against grade based, then starting one should be no problem. If your club won't do it, then start a new club with all the parents who want age based. Why do you complain and then wait for someone else to solve your problems??? Get out of your SUV and get involved. Otherwise, ... let the kids play.

It is a way to get you to pay 10 dollars for age verification and the tournament operator gets 3 dollars from every registrant. If the tournament operator wants to have a proof of age service, then they should pay for it. Not us.

Its a mess, as always. Why does hockey/soccer work so well? Is it because there is little high school recruiting? I was at our practice tonight (2022) and the coach said that there is nothing changing. At all. It was talked about as a organization.

because soccer isn't recruiting kids in kindergarten

Get your facts straight, girls soccer recruits 7th and 8th graders. Look into it.

PS the tournament teams that win will collect the older kids. So the discrepancy at the top will be even smaller.

bbbbbbbbingo. Nothing going to change. To 95% of players, it just doesnt matter...

That is the truth. Kids want to play with their grade. Enough already. Next.

Fairness is just one of the issues. Safety is another and more important issue. Lacrosse is a contact sport and having an 18 year old pummel a 16 year old who has yet to fill out is just plain dangerous. High level hockey recognizes this and teams are all by birth year. Lacrosse should change the rules.

All sports should be done by birth year not grad year
Period

even ping pong?

Firstly, "lacrosse" is not an entity or person. Secondly shut up. Lastly, let's just humor you for a minute - So on average, we'll have senior class varsity teams with 14 kids, junior class varsity teams with 12 kids, sophomore class varsity teams of 9 kids, freshman varsity team with 3 kids. Then, we will have a sophmore class JV team with 15 kids, and a freshman class JV team with 17 kids. Once we hire the extra 4 coaching staffs and work out the fields we should be good to go. Brilliant!!!!!!! Where have you been all of our lives!!!!!!

Couple hundred thousand coaching staffs just kind of sitting around waiting for the call up?
Wait, why not exact day of birth? Although, some of those early morning births could gain an advantage from the afternoon kids.

Thanks dad
I'm sure you enjoy watching JR play varsity as a 8 grader
But his bday would make him a sophomore
Not impressed

Not all dad's that think this way have older 8th graders. Mine was only 13. Birthday was two days after the playoffs.

Still burns me he went up against 16year olds that say they are only one grad year over him. F'n cheaters. Their Kid can't handle themselves so you hold back so he looks better. I always thought you should challenge your kid.

Boy oh. Boy what was I thinking. And wait what is this I think we may hold back $hit so he can play a year younger. When was this acceptable practice.

You play your HS graduation year. That is what the year means. It doesn't mean the year you enter college.

Agreed and they should also require picture ID like soccer does.

I think they are talking about club. You seem to be talking about High school lax.

There should not be more than 11 month difference between the oldest and youngest kid by grad year. unless your kid was left back. If he was, then he should probably bring focusing on school and not lacrosse. even kids the same age can have a 30lb -40lb difference between them. So if it's the size of the boys you have an issue with. Then seperate them by weight classes and not age. If your a parent that is playing your 7th grader at the 6th grade level. Then shame on you for separating your kid from kids in his grade and kids going through the same experiences.

I have bad news for you all from MD. Part of the problem here is somewhere around 2001 the idiots who run the public schools pushed the cut off date to begin kindergarten up to September 1st. So, they essential taken anyone born in September through December and forced them to be held back a grade. My son was born in October 2003 but he just finished 7th grade. Previously he would be finishing 8th grade. He looks like he's in 10th grade.

My youngest son starts kindergarten this fall. He was born in October 2011. I've pleaded with Baltimore county schools to let him go early but they refuse. So he's being forced back too. Here is the bad news....I've been told they are pushing that cutoff up even further to June 1st to begin kindergarten. So any child not 5 by may 31st will be forced back a grade. It sucks and is ridiculous. So now the hold backs will be even older

Sorry. Blame the fools at MD public schools!!!

Hands down one of the most ridiculous posts on here ever. Baseball is more for you friend! My so. Was a 150 pound Sophomore on varsity. He did just fine.

My son is right in the middle of the pack for his school year (if you look at on age "normal" age kids), so he has always been able to hold his own. But it was always frustrating when he would play against kids from other teams who have been held back a year or two, sometimes they would literally just blow right by him! But, this summer (he is 2020 class) things seem to have evened out quite a bit, he has been loving kicking "holdback" butt. Kids he could never handle for the last few years he can now compete with, it has been very fun to watch. I have to admit, that some of the "holdback" kids must be struggling this summer because they don't stand out like they used to!

I am not following you?? MD is Sept 1 now starting any grade ..... If they change it to June 1 ...then it will make the the kids that used to be June 1 to Sept 1 go down a grade ... ..not up???

That is what most MIAA schools do to summer babies..after kindergarten make them go to a made up grade between Kindergarten and 1st called prefirst grade..which is basically hold them back from June 1 to Sept 1

Your Oct child may be on the older side for his age and big, but he is at the proper age for a Md public school and most of schools in country. My understanding is that NY is more in line with what you say about a Dec start for school. Md has always been Sept like most schools in country.

Maryland public did change the cutoff starting with the 2001 babies but that is not what is being discussed here. September 1 change was to be in line with most of the country - NY being an exception that remains at December. Hold backs are kids that either do a full year of pre first, the parents hold them a year later for kindergarten or hold back a grade before high school. Kids born between September and December in Maryland are in the proper grad year and in line with most of the country and the old lacrosse age requirements which used September 1. Any kid born before that September 1st date is a holdback or to be gentler, in the wrong grade.

If you can legally give your kid an extra year of school, do it if you want. I held my kid back and think it is great. Worry about your own kids, cheapskate mfer's. Suck it.

Actually it was the arrogant mfer who had to suck it when my on age son took the starting spot from the 20 yr old freshman. Parents got humble real quick.

You can rationalize away all day long why your 16 and 17 year old with a drivers license is in 9th grade. Billy was a slow learner, summer birthday, etc. Just admit it - you held him back in the 8th grade along with a bunch of his private school/FCA/Crabs/Loonies pals in order to gain an advantage over on age kids so he could get a verbal commitment. OWN IT.

Age based classification in youth lacrosse is coming. Deny it all you want - but your little club of man children and obnoxious parents is in peril.

My daughter (a 2020 who just turned 15) commented when leaving the UA Command banquet that some of the boys really need to shave if they want to pass as that age group. We live in an area where there are not as many holdbacks, so she's not used to seeing boys her grade who are that old.

My kid is 13 and needs to shave. Your comment means nothing. Don't make assumptions.

No one cares if you hold your kid back to repeat a grade in school. What people are complaining about is a system that allows him to play lacrosse against younger kids because of it.

Kids should play youth sports - not school sports - against kids of similar age. A one year window (calendar year or sept to aug or something else) has been proven in other sports to work well. It shouldn't matter what grade they are in.

Notice that she said boys - as in plural. Of course some kids may still be 13 and need to shave. Yours is one of them. But a team with several of them - of course they are not all 13. Don't be silly.

Part gorilla?

I agree that you cannot assume that someone is too old because they are shaving. Because my son was born in 2002 and is "on age" for 2020 and he has been shaving for at least 18 months