In my experience, by 4th-5th grade you can tell which kids are most athletic regardless of the sport they are playing. We all know who those kids are. They are faster and more coordinated, they can catch and throw and kick better and the biggest differentiator is their competitive fire! They are alsways around the ball.. My point is that those same kids who stand out in 7th/8th grade (holdback or not) usually do not fall back in the middle of the pack by their junior yr. So many of you say "just wait until the other boys hit their growth spirt"... On a very rare occasion have I seen a late bloomer come out of nowhere and become the "star athlete".
Wow, you are a colossal idiot. You sound like my son's PAL coaches. One nut job told me my son didn't have the right muscle fibers at 11 years old. (his son never played in HS or college) Like you, they couldn't have been more wrong. I have one in college playing and another committed to a top 20 D1 program. Neither were the best, fastest, most athletic in 4th or 5th grade. In fact, one was heavy, and one ran on his heels. Fast forward a few years. One committed as a jr, the other a soph. Lacrosse is unique sport, where dynamic hard working Lacrosse players, surpass superior athletes all the time. It's a rare sport where you can be big, fast, small, tall, short, thick, skinny and still compete at the highest levels. Is being a freak athlete a benefit? Sure. A prerequisite? No. BTW the kid who ran on his heels, became the fastest kid on his HS team. The heavy one, breaks poles ankles anywhere on the field. Don't think my two where outliers, just hard workers at a sport they loved. Do everyone a favor and take your insane border line creepy assessment of 4th and 5th grade babies somewhere else. Who watches kids that closely? Creeper!!!!
