BOTC - US Lacrosse Community Forum Forums MID-ATLANTIC LACROSSE MARYLAND FORUM Boys 2029 Grads - Mid Atlantic Region

I know a few lacrosse families , who plan this from the moment their kids are born. They know they will either start late or repeat early on. Easier that way and better to get the older advantage young when not so obvious. Nothing wrong with it. The argument has always been, should youth lacrosse change the rules to age based? This is a Relevant topic for all the youth age threads. As long as it’s allowed, it’s totally within the rules. It’s just that it’s becoming crazy. If a kid wants to play high level D1, at some point they will probably need to be staying back a year or two. Since it’s allowed, what’s the opinion on when the best time to do this to get the biggest advantage?

Hung up on it, because it’s getting a little out of hand. Also, it can be dangerous! It’s also elitist, as it’s an unfair advantage against those who can not afford the extra years” of private schooling!

You cannot conflate the two, at least not in this setting. Parents are usually making the call to start their child in kindergarten at a certain age because of their level of readiness not that it might give them a possible advantage in a hypothetical sport they may play in the future.

And age does not automatically give an advantage I’ve seen plenty of younger age squads run older teams right off the field. And the ones that do get held back specifically for sports is typically because their game is missing something.

I agree with most of what you said here. But don’t know about that last statement. I’ve found that the kids who are holding back at the end of elementary school are talented and doing very well at the age they played until that point. Maybe undersized? Maybe they have the super late summer birthday and feel like they are closer to the level of the age below than the age above. Maybe it’s Becuase they want to destroy at the younger age and stroke their little egos. It could be a lot of things. I personally think a kid who was born in late august is the same as a kid born in early September. No real advantage by holding them back. And I have seen it where there is some expectation that holding back will pay major dividends and it really doesn’t. Eventually things start to even out.

My only personal beef is double holdbacks. Like the kid who has the late birthday holding back to a second level down. Which is 100% happening and usually around the end of middle school. And mostly with private school kids, who’s mommy and daddy want little Johnny to be the best. Becuase he deserves it, and mommy and daddy can afford to make it happen for them.

Lol at the guy who keeps saying there is a board for that talk - then continues to ramble post after post on this board.

Your delusional. Its not a hypothetical sport to these families. The parents played it and multiple family members. They are “lacrosse families”! Teething rings are mini lacrosse sticks! They know they want little Johnny playing as well, even if little Johnny Doesn’t want to. He won’t know, as that is what his family does. These families are calculating benefits of extra years way early on. It’s not about size either. It’s about mental maturity and extra year of skills training. Guess what, that kid will be more advanced skill wise and prob. Be on the top teams early on. There is an advantage. They know it! I’ve seen this more than once… that’s why I think youth Lacrosse needs to be age based.

All sports should be age-based.
If you want it any other way, you are a defective and obviously can't compete and need an advantage.
There is no logical defense of class-related sports. It started because of early, middle-school-aged recruiting. Now early recruiting is gone.

It might not be hypothetical to the family but it absolutely is to child. Not every kid is automatically anointed a stud because of their pedigree or extra coaching their parents provide to them. I've seen more than a few kids who've come from lacrosse families who just weren't that dominate. And to your point, they were on the better teams with the best coaching. And I am guessing their name or parent connections had gotten them to that point.

I've never seen a double holdback, however, is that that common?

Totally agree. My kid has an April 2nd birthday so I vote for an April 1 cutoff.

Soon to be more! If it benefits the kid dominating and no rules against it. I’m sure MD has more double, LI will catch up.

More than you would think. Probably 5-7 players every year in the 8th grade of HoCo. That's just in elite but I don't know about the lower divisions (AAA, AA...) probably fewer.

So you are saying people hold kids back for 2 years so they can play lacrosse against younger kids.....are these kids also...delicately...not smart. It's kinda shocking that there aren't more people pointing out the absurdity of this. What kind of argument does a parent make for a straight A kid to repeat 5th grade again? What kind of school system allows that to happen? What kind of kid is OK with leaving his friends to progress with life while he repeats the same math classes he did the previous year?

Save your time and don't respond with "You have your head in the sand if you don't think this is happening"....I get it....it happens. But it's notIntelligent...in the context of life.

Why are you so Invested in caring about what other families do with their Children?

Lax is life?

hahahaha. It's a FORUM where things are discussed, over-analyzed, and judged! So asking why someone would set their kid back two grades is fair game.

We know why they do it, the question is… why is it allowed?

Dad of older lax players here..........it's fewer but not zero in AA and AAA. The general model for holdbacks is that the kid would be a starter at his on-age AA or AAA team (which is equivalent to being deep in the roster on an Elite team. The extra year makes him a starter on an Elite team or even a featured offensive player.

To the extent this is done for the holdback A, AA, and AAA players, it's more complicated, and often has a component of maturity, behavioral issues, level of academic "self accountability" etc. Essentially, Jordan Landon VIII doesn't quite have the skills to play elite on-age, and in addition, is not going to throw up the required academic performance on-age (since this is lax and not football/baseball/basketball) to get into the same pre-law program at UVA that his dad Jordan Landon VII attended.

#1 I'm against holdbacks, let's start there. But It's only notIntelligent if you only see half of the equation. Among a lot of these kids there is a weird flex of inevitability (which to you or I, sure looks like privilege, but I digress).

What if you're a kid who's "above average" at lax.

What if the cost of private school is just a non factor for you.

What if it's already been decided that by age 26, you'll be working at your parents' company/firm.

What if it's all but guaranteed you'll attend a specific college, where you'll be a legacy applicant.

What if it doesn't matter what MBA or law school you'll attend, because, again, your employer is already guaranteed (want it or not, it's happening).

Given those what if's, it makes no difference if you spend an extra year in kindergarten and an extra year at 8th grade. Especially if the money doesn't matter.

A month ago this 29 thread had almost zero posts. The ones that were here were actually about lacrosse. Now there are 7 pages all about the same subject that has it own thread. Y’all are some angry birds man.

Top 5 teams in 29

Hawks
Madlax
91pride
Next level
Sweetlax upstate

Forgetting BLC and Cavs. Sweetlax upstate head to head in the fall was pretty far behind those two teams

Ok holdback Dad, we will do better in future and stop calling out the players who play down in age.

That’s cool, how wound you round out the top ten?

Double holdback. Gonna enjoy watching him destroy all the 10 year olds. He’s huge too, good luck

Do you remember growing up and the way to get noticed in sports was to be pulled up and play with the older kids. Too bad those days are gone.

Totally agree. But with grade based teams parents also want to get their kid on the team they will be playing with in high school now, before they gel without them. Fear drives a lot of decision in sports

Meh only in lax, only in MD. The #1 2022 recruit (Joey Spallina) played up 1-2 grades until 10th grade. Yes he is from Long Island, not an MIAA kid. He's also "only" 5'11" (which we all know in sports recruiting talk means he is 5' 9.75") so it's not like he's been a physical beast since 4th grade.

His dad (lax pedigree) coached him since an early age.

He was willing to compete and lose against older kids. His parents encouraged it.

He put himself to work developing the skills need to beat older kids.

He was placed in a very solid HS program.

He played for great club teams in LI.

This isn't rocket science.

And he's far superior to the #1 2023 recruit who is a MD holdback, also coached by dad (and still coached by dad, to make sure everybody gets him the ball).

LOve watching the MIAA games on youtube with Booker and Company. It is hilarious at times hearing them say ..so and so is only a Sophomore but plays above that...Of course he does, He is a junior anywhere else except the MIAA. LOL..

The top 2023 recruit made a mistake by picking Duke if he wants to play. The ACC is to physical for him, He would have been better off picking a school UMASS like his mentor cheerleader and actually getting some playing time .

The way to do it, is play up when younger youth age, and gain better skills and play better comp… then “holdback” around MS and be superior! That’s the way it’s done!

It's about post-college PR and branding and that's it. Millon Events will soon be able to brand itself with a bunch of Duke logos. Score!

2022 #1 recruit and Syracuse commit JS is a holdback. June 2003 bday. He will be 19 when he graduates from HS.
https://www.insidelacrosse.com/article/recruiting-il-s-top-10-juniors-in-the-class-of-2022/56818

Classic… he played “up” to his own age.

But…but…they don’t do that in Long Island…..🙄

To be fair, he did play up by age with 2020 Crush until they graduated and excelled.

Yes, He actually played up with a few incredible players,

But all we have heard the last few years from the cheerleaders of JS was...he plays up , but now is with his age group. Total made up stuff by his supporters. He is a holdback like all the Md boys born after Feb . Look at the ages. If you arent born Sept to Jan on age,,,,,hold em back. The IL article proves what we all know. Total sad state of lacrosse frankly

Thanks LI DAD. the correct response is, LI does the same exact thing as MD, and they are just as sad.

Why wouldn’t they if MD is going to do it regardless ? It is SAD, to stay competitive for D1 recruiting, that people feel the need to do this. Rules should change! Or, why wouldn’t they do the same holdback advantage as MD gets??

wow no one wants to talk about actual 2029 lacrosse

Easy buddy. I’ve suggested that like ten times. No one is interested. But I’ll play.

What are you looking most forward to seeing? Any matchups? Seems like the 1/2 matchup is hawks and madlax. Is BLC and next level the second tier?

Except that on every thread LI parents swear that maryland is the problem and only ones doing it. Stop blaming maryland.

Let's go! What happened to all the programs who's 29 teams folded? (Crabs, Breakers, etc.)

Sorry, dropping in from outer space here, but how do crabs not have a team?