Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Just out of curiosity... have holdbacks already started at this age? I was at Severn today and I can't believe there are that many 6th graders - 11 year old or just turning 12 this fall - who are 5'6 or taller. A few per team, but not that many...


It is called pre first..The made up grade between Kindergarten and 1st grade... Only private schools like McD. Boys Latin. St Pauls, etc,,are allowed this magical grade for holdbacks...Once the kids go into first grade they are a year older than most 1st graders...My sons class had over half the boys that were held back in "prefirst"... And apologists spare me that they were all summer birthdays...Bunch were but a bunch were much older...pretty disgusting as most was just to get an advantage..not make sure little johnny was ready for 1st grade...Every private school has them and the number total are staggering,,so to answer your question...yes there is that many


Do you really think that the schools put the kids in prefirst for some "athletic advantage"? You think they know when they are 4 and 5 years old that A)The boy is going to play lacrosse, B)The boy is going to be good at lacrosse and C)The boy is going to stay at said school for 13 years?

These schools can charge what they do based on the colleges they send ALL OF THE STUDENTS to. Not just lacrosse players. Do you not think it behooves these institutions to allow the boys to wait to start kindergarten in terms of maturity? If this wasn't the case, why is this almost solely done with boys? McDonogh does not put many girls in pre-first and neither do the all girls schools. My son is an early September birthday. If he had been born 13 days earlier he would have started the year before. I love my son dearly, but he was in no way mature enough or ready to start school the year prior. I was lucky that he was in fact born in September so I didn't have to make that decision.

I agree with you on the 8th grade holdbacks. That is shameful. But to label a kid with a spring/summer birthday that was put in prefirst as a kid that had to go to prefirst because otherwise he couldn't compete on the field is irresponsible and smells of jealousy and envy.


You may smell jealously and envy, but most of us smell something else. And most people could care less what you do with your child at a young age. But why is there a need to get an advantage MOST CHILDREN don't enjoy in YOUTH lacrosse.That is what this discussion is about, not if little private school johnny needs another year to mature for school. Even tho Privates schools seem to be loaded with children that aren't mature compared to the rare kindergarten child held back in the Public school system.And it isnt just a summer thing..Many kids held back in prefirst are born in months prior to summer. And if you think that many parents main reason is not to give their child an advantage you are misinformed and out of touch with reality. That advantage could fester in academics or sports.

They say words like holding him back will give him a chance to excel. You are correct the pre first parent does not know his son is going to be a great lacrosse player. But once he becomes a Pre First his odds for being a great lacrosse player increase by 50% to 60%. Now with this new system he will player travel lacrosse at the old U9 age bracket but he will be a year older then all the kids. So he will play more and at the highest levels way sooner then ever before. With the old system he would have to play with his age kids tell 9th grade. So lets count U9 is what 2nd grade. That is 7 years more of playing with kids a full year and a half younger. So we can guess he will be starting and playing most of these travel high level games this whole 7 years. This is why us on age parents are a little upset. And have every right to not sit and take it. They play travel now with the kids Grad year not age if you all did not know.