My daughter was brought up simply because they thought she would contribute significantly, be a starter to the varsity and most important of all it was in the best interest for her in terms of being challenged. Say what you want but from a challenged aspect middle school lacrosse is a joke , one notch above PE class. I find it interesting that we want our kids to be challenged academically such as being in honors or AP classes but feel differently when it comes to athletics. I get the fact that some may question the safety because of the size differential etc., but go watch any high school game and you will see kids of vastly different sizes. From a social aspect it was a very positive experience and still remains friends with some of the older group 4 years later. The only people that complain when the kid is good enough to be brought up are the parents of the kid that thinks their daughters spot was taken.