I really don't understand why someone who wants his 12, 13, 14 or 15 year old to compete against kids his own age make him a wuss. 16 and older fine but when they are younger than 16 - age can make a huge difference. If you disagree and want your son to play against older kids then you can have your child play up. There is no logical reason to play down except that the child is not good enough or not dominant enough when playing on age.