BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums MID-ATLANTIC LACROSSE MARYLAND FORUM Holdbacks

Use this thread to discuss this heavily talked about topic. Remember to oblige by the forum rules and to not use ANY names.

This is hysterical.

I don't see an issue with holdbacks. If this will help a kid mature and have a better chance of playing in college while potentially saving more money, then that is great.

Can’t he hang with the big boys and play in his own age group?

Play up until 8th grade, as high as reasonable. You'll get better, and the libs can argue with the refs, coaches, spouses, weather, grass, and their own kids again, like in the good old days. Once you hit 8th, anyone but your own parents can mind their own business, or eat a bag of (censored).

Spoken like a true cheating Holdback parent... Loser. I'm sure you held them back because of the academic challenges the simpleton was having in school, or was it they socially couldn't handle it so they had to stay back, or was it your boy just couldn't keep up competitively on the field and play with his peers (Yeah, that sounds about right). Don't worry son you are GREAT just as long as you are playing with the little kids, and mommy and daddy will make sure of it. That's right that's real life. "If you can't compete just repeat." And Again, And Again. You'll get it son.

The influence of MIAA school parents and the large amount of their prefirst children in Private schools has given us grade base lacrosse in MD.

!.Everyone knows there is an advantage playing against children generally younger than you. Especially prior to HS

2, Everyone knows it is within the rules for HOCO and many tournaments.

3. The big question is about letting these select children get an advantage in youth lacrosse others dont with same birthday.

This was in response to someone suggesting playing up to a level high as possible during youth ball? Wow, your cheeks are so sore, you aren't even trying anymore. Your narrative is the argument!

Don't just blame it on the MIAA or IAAM - there is also the WCAC.
Here's a tree in the woods thought: If everyone else is holding back, is it really an advantage to hold back? Just wondering.

Everyone complains about safety when the holdbacks are big kids but no one worries about the late bloomer that is getting crushed by bigger kids his own age. The late bloomers should be forced to repeat for their own safety.

What's the disadvantage of doing an extra year of primary education?

I think most people look at this the wrong way. Trying to control parents behavior or choices is difficult at best. Each situation is different. Some may choose a late start early for many reasons. It is hard to predict if a "pre-first" will end up being a talented lacrosse player prior to K. However holding back in 8th grade for an athletic advantage may seem crazy to some but very logical to others. Try explaining this logic to a public school family in the midwest for "lacrosse" which is not a professional sport and you may get a confused reaction. However I think that we should not focus this issue solely on the parents. Instead of asking what is the upside to holdbacks in top tournament and the HOCO league, we should ask the HOCO league officials what would be the downside of creating age based classifications and having a minimal form of enforcement? The answer may be that the top clubs will not play. This would hold true for current classes 2024-2022 but what about younger ages? We have to start somewhere. For those who claim it would never happen because it does not benefit the clubs look at the early recruiting issue. This was a boom for the clubs. They built business off being the only game in town and parents fears that if my son did not commit by 9th grade it was over. The clubs won't admit this but the new rule does not help them. Yet, it was still able to be changed. The holdback issue is similar in many ways. However the target should be USL and HOCO not the parents they are simply doing what they feel is best for their family.

Isn't club supposed to be more advanced than rec, for kids that want to hone in on a primary sport, and definitely play in HS? For $2,000/yr the expectation should be that the league is very challenging, correct? Because for $100 during Spring, they can just play rec for fun, correct? We've had age spreads for 30 years, so safety should not be an issue for two consecutive grades playing together. Are we sure that people aren't signing up for club, mistaking it for a community service, like rec, because, for example, friends and buddies are doing it? For $2,000/yr, plus travel, the league better darn sure emulate what to expect for the foreseeable future. I'm not paying that kind of money for my kid to have a false expectation that he is a superstar. I think kids under the "holdback" argument should play up at age or even +1 depending on ability all day long until HS, but honestly, if my kid thinks he's one of the best kids out there, because it's only kids exactly his age, he's not getting better, and he's not pushing his limits. Does anyone really want their kid to be the best 10 year old anything, except maybe best brother or sister to his siblings!? I say play up until HS, but I also want my kid to be pushed a bit, so yeah, it's a tough argument at the youth level.

Holdbacks, also see Crabs Lacrosse / Baltimore Lacrosse Club thread (disambiguation)

I swear, I have seen this exact text in multiple forums. Did you create a special clipboard item for it?

LOL!

Holding kids back works in athletics and academics.

Private schools have perfected holding kids back or doing a prefirst. There is no longer any stigma for doing this. Years ago anyone held back was looked on as lacking in something.

And along with hardly anything considered wrong now a days except being a white male. Holding back in public isnt looked down on either.

So you have no reason not to hold your child back?? There is no question that there is an advantage.

But they have no true friends,

you idiot....you obviously have no friends! Your son must hate you because you are suck a loser and can't understand why parents make a decision that will benefit their
child throughout their whole life. If you had done this for your child maybe he won't need to work at the 7-11 like you.

Hey - if your kid can't compete on the field - why not hold em back. It's the Baltimore way.

My kid in top 20 D1 school, your kid is a 16 year old freak with no friends loser
,

Not just Baltimore ...The Private Schools in DC area are loaded with holdbacks

This is a tough one, it does make a lot of sense for some. Kids do grow late and opportunity may pass them by. My son is on grade (no pre-first) and was a little underpowered in 7th-8th grades. He plays for one of the NLF teams and was de facto playing up. It was challenging at times but he hit the wall and the gym and added 12 pounds between 9th and 10th and about 10 mph on both hands. We thought about it, but he was very competitive in the classroom and it made no sense at the time. I cannot judge because every case is different, it is certainly easier when cost is no object. The thing that does suck is when your kid who is playing a lot has a mediocre repeater drops down and take playing time from him.

With the end of early recruiting the dash to reclass is going to fade. Not to mention that youth lacrosse will eventually go enitirely age based despite what the holdback crowd thinks. The college coaches all know who the older kids are anyway - if your kid can handle himself playing against them even better.

a top 20 D 1 school you must be so proud.....if you're not in a top 10 D1 school you might as well be playing college club lacrosse. All my sons played on top 4 teams and they were all pre- first.

what a tool bragging about a top D20 program.....you need to get a life!

So all your sons are cheaters that's great,

Funny thing about hold back parents they all think there nothing wrong with it. But in all my years standing on side lines watching lax, i never heard a hold back parent say my kid is a year older or he repeated 8th grade. They all try to act like the kid is great an on age.

The 20th ranked team in the nation this year plays at a significantly higher level than any club team

Your kid is playing lacrosse at Dartmouth - couldn't make the UNC team - what a fail. LOL

keep telling yourself that the 20th ranked D1 school is better then a good club lacrosse team....face it your kid was not an elite high school player. It's probably why you constantly rant about holdbacks.

Why do you think there was such an uproar when UA posted birth dates for the rosters? All the Baltimore and D.C. Kids were exposed.

Holding back works, why do you think so many college coaches redshirt and / or send their recruits to do a PG year? It's more ridiculous at the younger ages but as you get older the impact diminishes, those who complain (me sometimes) aren't "whining" we're just pointing out the indisputable advantage the older kids have and if the holdback parents showed even a little bit of humility it would make the holdback situation somewhat tolerable. Case in point is the FCA parent who constantly says his kids "played up" with the 2019s when they are all born in 2001 anyway.

Agreed. What's the point of playing for any school in D1 outside the top10. The same schools basically win every year. If your kid want's the chance to actually win a championship, and you can get over the point of being an idiot parent who only cares about bragging about your kid, let them go D2, a top school and they can actually win something they will have the rest of their lives. A championship as well as a great education. But i'm assuming you are also likely that dad at every tournament who carries around a stick for absolutely no reason. There are always a few.

Actually you are wrong about impact. The advantage of age has a greater impact as the players get older. It may appear to have a larger impact in 7th and 8th grade bc of obvious size differences, but the teams themselves get older in HS (and better) bc the younger kids don't make it and quit/get cut.

Well, the rankings change week to week throughout the season, but yes, any top 20 Varsity D1 College lacrosse team would absolutely annihilate any college club team in existence. What are we even talking about? Some of the teams that fall into that category week to week from last year are Duke, Army, Loyola, it's just a stupid argument.

This is literally an argument about nothing as related to HS or College. Youth, fine, chatter on all day long, both sides have a case. HS into College, irrelevant. The major HS sports associations have age caps to account for every reasonable circumstance imaginable, and it is never going to go "down". It's basically 19 before Senior year to be eligible. They aren't going to lower it, because a kid could have to repeat a grade for many reasons - could be very stupid, could have a catastrophic accident, could miss a year of school for who cares what reason, could be super lazy, could have parents that transfer around and move a lot, could just like to have another year. It's not changing. NCAA has age caps for Varsity sports and time restrictions between HS and College to be eligible, with some understandable exemptions, such as major injury, military service, charitable service, and a few similar. Never changing the cap in the "down" direction. So, whine, complain, argue all you want, these things have been thought through upside down and backwards. Youth, argue all you want about age versus grade, because there are cases on both sides.

I Rant about holdbacks because it wrong simple has that. FYI, my guy all american this year on age.