Originally Posted by Anonymous
When do the Crabs teams get so age heavy? If you look at the 5th and 6th grade teams the Crabs boys look appropriate for their age? Do they shed boys or push them down a grade in 7th and 8th grade? Is this something that the Baltimore private schools foster? Are they the ones really advocating for the boys to hold back? Seems like they would be just as at fault as the Crabs organization?


- 8th grade seems to be the big year where kids will repeat at another private school before moving on to high school.

- Yes, at 5th and 6th grade they are usually a very good team, but on par with the others in their age group. Then the fun begins as more and more holdbacks are added, but of course, that has nothing to do with their success.

- Kids who are smaller or on-age get displaced by incoming holdbacks. Using Crab logic, they are actually doing those kids a favor since they will have to try out against older kids in high school! Also, holdbacks beget more holdbacks - there is a trickle-down effect.

- The Baltimore private schools know exactly what's going on, kids move between schools and back again. Also, it's a pretty small community, all of the student athletes know each other and know exactly who's repeated, when, and where.

- I don't think the schools advocate for it, but I doubt they discourage it either, it allows them to tout their athletic prowess, which helps with recruiting and keeps the alumni happy.

Q: How do you make the Crabs 2025 team?
A: Start on the 2024 team.