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They just lost to True so not looking that amazing which had a 4-0 lead over them to start their game. Their big cali trip looked to be a dud. Looking actually worse than last year at this point.

I always enjoy these types of posts. Ma’am please enlighten us all to what elite level club your son plays on that has no holdbacks?

My son is not a holdback. I look at the holdbacks on his team the same way I look at crabs holdbacks. There are just happens to be way more on crabs than any other clubs.

Make sure you let those parents know how you feel while standing on the sidelines next to them face to face. 🤔

Of course there are more on Crabs than another club-because it is promoted by King Crab. He has promoted it not for years, but decades, as have the BL coaches going back to the 80's.

Make sure you tell everyone your kid is a year older when he out muscles the younger kids.

BL School has also promoted the holdback going back to the 80's. Gave them a major advantage until other schools caught on at the percentage that it occurs @ BL. The current move there is the "International Boarding School" This is home to arts & humanities students..... Yea right??

Kids hold back because they can’t cut it academically or are immature socially. Not for an advantage in Lacrosse.

Lol

You’re joking, right? People absolutely hold their kids back for an advantage in sports.

And, If you believe that …. there is a bridge for sale in Brooklyn!

I would say 90% of the kids that are held back is because of sports! At least from what I see in our area. However, It does also offer other advantages having an extra year academically. So? Probably worth doing for both reasons.

Malcolm Gladwell literally wrote a chapter in one of his books about holdings kids back for athletic advantages: https://www.arcticicehockey.com/2008/12/malcolm-gladwells-outliers-and-making.html

but that's hockey

AND FROM 2008 so its not relevant

King Crab & the whole BL sports Lax complex have pushed holdbacks for years. Their middle school gives them the perfect opportunity to do this. Not very many of their senior starters will turn 18 this calendar year-that happened last year. If it does not give you an advantage then why are you doing it? Please just answer that question....

Who cares. This topic has been beaten to death and if you don’t know why it’s being done then no one can help. Next topic.

holdbacks.

BL's loss to Severn. Maybe they can promote some of their Juniors off JV team to Varsity to help win these types of games.

What happened to the vaunted 2025 Nike team? Wasn’t this team a handpicked Crabs/FCA/91/LB/McD/St.Paul’s special. Invite lots of kids and charge them $300 and send them home with some film and a broken heart. Classic Crab-get them a cakewalk in pool play only to have a Sunday meltdown. Will the brain trust ever run a fair tryout to truly get the best players on a Nike team? Probably not-just about $$. My kid did not tryout-busy playing in out of town tourney. Just the same observations of UA/Nike over the years in Bmore…

Fun fact, holdback parents are quite good at changing the subject ("I mean, all the kids are big these days!") or not answering that question directly ("Oh his birthday is in January" (when asked how old), or answering it in a joke ("Oh I don't know why he's so big in 8th grade, maybe he's really 22 years old, ha ha!").

If they are academic or "maturity" holdbacks, the parents are honest about it about 50% of the time. Sports-specific holdback parents - evasive. If it's no big deal and it's allowed, why so coy about it?

I got many for sale around the country if you believe kids are not heldback for sports purposes only.

Yup and the kids that made sent in their film from 8th grade and made it. And the One attacker that didn’t tryout or send in the film was on the team. All politics and nothing more

Crabs foundation donations must be in full swing for the OOS players. Must be a holdback to qualify.

I'm hearing there is gonna be a lot of turnover on that '27 team. At least 7 new faces. Which is more than they have replaced in the past. Hearing they are looking or a whole new midfield and to replace their bottom 2 attackers and defenders.
Some good opportunities for some kids.

Has anyone actually heard anything about who made the team for any of the Crabs teams, other than the email blast sent out last week?

If you haven’t heard either way, yet, you are likely on the bubble and contingent upon other offers. Reach out to the coach and ask.

Is it really that bad for 27 that you remind us of "some good opportunities"?

too bad those opportunities are being taken by the 2026 kids who ride the pine.

Does crabs still allow hold backs?

By high school, that’s all they want.

so true!

"Allow"? More like strongly recommend/encourage.

Is the 2025 Crabs goalie, as well as others out?

Looks like some big changes coming to 2025 again!!

Went to Team 91 Shock. The Coach and King Crab said they were going to blow up the team. So they did. Thank goodness Kelly is leaving and hopefully new coach will be a better fit.

of course

Last year at least 7 kids from FCA went to crabs.

Where

Where is Kelly going?? Back to FCA??

True