Look in the mirror when you say the stick your head in the sand comment. As much as the timelines have escalated, the mad rush is on right now for the 2020's. Will identification happen for 2021's, sure that is possible. But there is a big difference between identification and recruitment. I'll leave you with a tip for the day. When you receive an email asking your daughter to attend a camp this fall or winter, she is not being recruited. But I'm sure you'll go into the office telling anyone and everyone that your 8th grader is. The goal of a 2021 right now should be on playing the game, getting constructive feedback on how to improve her game and working to improve her skills, and selectively attending the clinics or camps where either there may be some interest in the school or an opportunity where she may actually learn something.
While I agree w you on most parts the fact that the timeline moves younger each year does indicate that 2021 will be getting looked at and recruited more so this fall than ever before . Many of the top schools have identified their top 10 or so 2020 kids they want and will now be starting on their 2021 top 10 . They do not wait until they are completely done with any age group before they move on to the next .
