AAU Basketball just changed their eligibility to restrict birthdays and many kids found out their old team did not want them. They put in some grade based grandfathering for older kids, but not younger (U-14 or less).
(Example: 15U/9th Grade: An athlete can be no older than 15 on August 31, 2015. Grade Exception: An athlete who is in the 9th grade as of Oct 1, 2014 and who is no older than 16 on August 31, 2015 is eligible to play in the 15U/9th grade division)
It is too late for the 2020 to be affected by a stricter rule change, but there is hope for my 2025. Hopefully, lacrosse can get their act together.
Crabs will figure some way to cheat the system.
I am totally against the holding back of kids for an athletic advantage. Think it's terrible. But why single out the Crabs? Every team has them. One team who didn’t do so well last weekend at Hill even has a kid that just decided to play down without even reclassing. It's sad that people would go to these lengths to try to make their kid look better temporarily.
Which team???
Which team DOESNT have holdbacks? Seriously every LI team I know has at least one kid who should be in 9th grade. It may not be as open and widespread as say Edge Ontario, but they are there. Ironically also, they are often not the biggest kids so they fly under the radar. I agree that MD has raised re-classing to an art form......but the complaining on LI rings a little hollow unless or until all the clubs here want to lay near their rosters by DOB and take a no hold-back. What's that I hear? Cricket, cricket .....that's what I thought.
But not all are as brazen as the LI kid playing down without even reclassing. Dispicable!
Every year we all go onto the US Lacrosse website and renew for another year. No big stretch to require a yearly headshot be uploaded or mailed, with a laminated ID being sent back with picture, name, ID number and birth year. Also require a one time only mailing of birth certificate. ID cards can be checked before each game - town or travel. Forget your card, you don't play.
I don't know why college coaches don't jump on this. If I am offering 9th and 10th graders I want to know the kid will be good. Watching a 17 year old dominate 15 year olds tells me less about the 17 year old than if he were dominating other 17 year olds. When they get to February of there freshman year, even the youngest are already 18. The age advantage is gone. The 17 year old that was dominating 15 year olds when offered may not be so hot as a 20 year old vs 18 year olds. The bottom line is that while kids are developing, the best way to predict future success is to see them play against kids their own age.
