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Right. Because most "lax bros" have a degree in Applied Mathematics from JHU. Glad you don't work at my company.

AWSOME! What middle school do you teach at?

I don't care how old Crabs or Madlax players are, or if college coaches put credit or discount on 16 year olds playing with 14 year olds. Here is a different point: in football, they look at your physical stature and raw inputs like a running dash time. Basketball that matters a lot. Soccer, I've seen kids examined upside down and back over how well they can run and place the ball and a lot of academy soccer players don't even make it to college.

My point would be this: if I see a 6'1 or 6'2 kid who can really run, has a lot of balance and explosiveness...I know Mr. Weight room will work to round his stature out. Same thing with goalie where the college and MLL trends recently now that the game has grown are bigger and bigger kids who can also move. Basically, the way I see it is the only position in lacrosse where physical stature is less important is attack. Tons of small but very fast kids playing college lacrosse at attack. But everywhere else, I'd think that a college coach would be indifferent about ages on grade school teams if he sees that stature on the field. Bet early, middle or late all day long on the big kids who can really run, are balanced and explosive. What I don't get is seeing college coaches committing stick figure 2019 goalies whose helmets are several inches below the crossbar, and diminutive middies. For the life of me, I just don't get why they will bet unhedged on a kid being undersized after puberty and growth fills out, and for all those 5'7 130lb early recruits that risk is really high. What do others think?

Depends if kid is in puberty. Coaches have to look at true 2019s who might not be at their full potential growth. They can figure out if the kid has more growing to do. My son is only 5'2 at 14 but has not one ounce of hair under his arms. Most boys his age are fully matured already. So I know he has a lot of growing to do and will surpass many kids his age in another 2 to 3 years but unfortunately it will be to late for division 1 lax.

I feel the same way as you my son is the same size and situation. Our only hope is to get that last spot of the 12 at the D1 schools. Which hopefully will open up when an early commit changes his mind at the last second. Good thing is no one is getting a ton of money anyway so first or 12th its still 5% off total cost.

It just stinks because my kid is a real solid player but will not get a shot because of his size right now. And with all hold backs it hurts him even more. Being 5'2" at this age is such a disadvantage. But doctors say he should be about 5'10" but might not get there until 19 they say. But coaches look for the now not what a kid might be.

I feel the same way as you my son is the same size and situation. Our only hope is to get that last spot of the 12 at the D1 schools. Which hopefully will open up when an early commit changes his mind at the last second. Good thing is no one is getting a ton of money anyway so first or 12th its still 5% off total cost.

How many true 9th graders, 2001 birthdays, can succeed against 11th graders? I can't understand why college coaches can't see through the playing down types, and why they don't ask to see them against same age competition? It must have to do with the great success the early recruiters UVA, UNC, Hopkins have had, measured by final 4 and national championships.

Wait a sec...

Focus on good grades, he will get more money for grades than lacrosse. If he is as good as you think he is , he can walk on. Buddy of mine played at Delaware, got his books and housing paid for his freshman year. He got cut his sophomore year, lost his position to unrecruitrd walk on.

Is that true? Do top programs still consider walkonx? Or does Title IX restrict how many walk-ons a team can add? For a lot of schools, if you live in-state, just biding your time and walking on - if that's practice - would essentially be a 50-70% scholarship. Not to mention being able to put all that money you might spend chasing a partial could go into a 529 plan.

Just because a child commits to a school doesn't mean he is automatically on the squad. He still has to have the grades to get into school and he still needs to tryout for the team. Yes he can be cut, even though he committed in 9th grade.

Because you are not looking at it objectively, only as a homer dad whose son is not a superstar.

College coaches want the best talent possible per grade. It doesn't matter if the kid is old or young relative to the rest of the people in that recruiting class.

That's it. Period. Accept it and move on or remain bitter.

I can see why I get this response on a Crabs board, but is your 11th grader really better? That's the question. There's no denying that he's bigger because he's older, maybe even looks more athletic against the less developed players he's facing at 2019. But he's done growing. My kid is just starting to grow. Can't the coaches see this?

It is all about potential college recruiting! Of course the club team wants to win, which draws more elite players and ultimately more publicity and more college commitments which is the best form of advertising for the elite club teams. The number and quality of college commitments has always been the Crabs best selling point. Easy to drink the koolaid! But, all of the elite club teams have holdbacks. It has become more pervasive at the youth level in the last two years with the grade based teams. Prior to that it only impacted the youth teams at the U15 level and above HS levels. I don't agree with it. I am a parent of a non-holdback public school kid. If your kid is a good player he will ultimately prevail, but clearly at a disadvantage. I have never bought into the arguement of the older, bigger kid injuring a younger, smaller kid. Very unfair to the good on age kids that get relagated to a reserve role due to the kid in front of him being a year older and more advanced. I have seen kids that were pretty good on age players reclassify and now they are studs and are committing. Thus, it clearly works if it is that important and affordable to you!

I can see why I get this response on a Crabs board, but is your 11th grader really better? That's the question. There's no denying that he's bigger because he's older, maybe even looks more athletic against the less developed players he's facing at 2019. But he's done growing. My kid is just starting to grow. Can't the coaches see this?

It doesn't matter to me or to you how good my son or any kid is. The only person's opinion that matters is a college coach's. If he likes what he sees, he couldn't care less if the kid is the same age or older/younger than someone else he likes a little less.

Stating the obvious: 1) Without a doubt they do look better because they are playing with and against younger players. 2) Yes, they can compete with kids their own age, but not at the high level their parents would like. If you are a 2nd string / on age player for the Crabs, FCA, Madlax you are still a pretty good player compared to your on age peers, just not a surefire, 9th grade / 10th grade early commit kind of stud. 3) Yes, getting screwed by the holdback kids in front of you at the club and private high school level fuels the continued cycle.

Again, mostly a private school issue! If you are a on age, public schoool player and play for one of the elite club teams you are probably a starter as a freshman for your local high school team.

Kids getting recruited and then cut after fall ball is something that happened to a kid our family knows well. He quietly transferred to another school at XMas and was much happier. We also knew the family of a kid who was told he was being dropped as a recruit when the new coach was hired at Penn State a few years ago. The coach asked the club coach for the kid to call his cell at a specific time, the kid called and the coach dumped him on the phone in a less than two minute phone call while he was sitting in the kitchen wearing a Penn State sweatshirt. I have some pretty serious trust issues with coaches who promise what they will do, say what they will do. If you pick a great school where you'd be happy without lacrosse it can never end badly...I just can't sell that to a teenager who wants to be cool and committed. Hard one.

Correction: YOU want the kids at an event to be roughly the same age. The college coaches couldn't care less. So you are just tilting at windmills.

Tilting at windmills? Have you heard of a growth chart? Drs at Hopkins have, maybe not lax coach. It shows that your 1999 b'day, 5'10", 170 lbs kid is done growing. My on age 2019, born in 2001, 5'8", 140 lbs kid will be 6'. While your son looks bigger while playing down, my son will have D1 size.

AGE matters, particularly relative to growth. Stop cheating and teach your kid a real life lesson about competing with dignity

I have given up on stopping the cheating I have moved on to someway of Marking the reclass kids. If they had to wear a band or marking of some kind to show they are 18 months older I could deal with this issue just fine. That way when my on age son knocks the older kid down he gets double credit.

I have given up on stopping the cheating I have moved on to someway of Marking the reclass kids. If they had to wear a band or marking of some kind to show they are 18 months older I could deal with this issue just fine. That way when my on age son knocks the older kid down he gets double credit.

Again, who is this Marking for? So you can feel better? The college coaches know how old every kid on the field is.

Then later, when your on-age son is attending Hofstra or St Johns he can watch my Crabs son on TV playing for Duke or UNC.

Do you understand...College coaches know the ages (and really don't care)...Who really give 2 $%!ts what makes you feel better...Move on and let the athletes play on the field. You can go home and make little Johnny feel better about himself at home after the contest