Any parent with the least bit of common sense can understand that there will be age differences in HOCO. The problem is (and why USL is pushing for age based classification) is that organizations like Crabs are abusing the system. When virtually your entire starting line up in the 8th grade is full of 15 year olds - some who will turn 16 before Christmas of their Freshman year you have dramatic difference in the physical/mental development of the kids on the field. It's unfair and unsafe.
No team cuts from tryouts based on age. Lower ranked teams would love to grab some older kids at tryouts, but most of the better players end up at higher ranked clubs. MIAA sets the 19 year age eligibility limit for start of Senior year, so why are so many people surprised that pre-first and repeating in private are common. It's not about Crabs, FCA, or Looney's abusing anything, they just happen to get the best players, and some happen to be private kids that repeated at some point. USL is not a league, so why would anyone hold a private grade-based club league to a higher standard than the MIAA rules? It is not about "your" kid being the best at the youth level, it is about learning, developing, and getting better. They aren't going to change to age based, or else teams will get split up every year at the 8th to 9th grade levels. Even at age based, it would take the lacrosse equivalent of liberals about 1 minute to start complaining about kids 11 months older than their kids. It would never end, there will always be something to complain about.
You miss the point entirely. Who cares what the MIAA does. It is their business. And if they start a MIAA YOUTH league, go for grade base. Their middle schools teams do now. Look at BL, McD, etc. We are talking about ALL YOUTH CLUB lacrosse until the 8th grade. We are talking YOUTH SPORTS.
When it YOUTH sports did it become ok to have select heldback 5th graders playing against 4th graders?? or teams of mostly 9th graders playing against teams of mostly 8th graders?? Really that is what we want in youth club lacrosse?? Spin it any way you want Youth sports was always made to play pre puberty at a age restrictions.
You miss the point entirely, actually. You are arguing against what currently exists, so the answer to your first question, is that is how it is now, assuming you are talking about grade-based club. You can't call a kid in the 8th grade a 9th grader, just because it fits your agenda. No, he is actually an 8th grader, if he is in 8th grade. You can call him old for typical public school 8th grader, but the league has rules, so it is not up to you to call someone something they are not. You don't have to like it, but an 8th grader that did pre-first is still an 8th grader. It's not spin; it's reality. If you get the rules changed back to age, than it will be like rec again, you are older one year, and younger the next. They aren't going to do a league for birth year, so careful what you wish for..
Is this your first time around youth sports?? Are you some recent private school parent of a prefirst kid?? When did age and rec go hand and hand as you state?? This grade based club lacrosse is only a few years old. Prior to that all youth Club and rec was age base. Are you aware of that?? Crabs had U15 , U13 top of the line age based Club teams just a few years ago. Crabs club High School lacrosse along with everyone else was always Grade based in prior years and is now as it should be.
Get what I wish for?? A simple U15, U14, U13 down to U9 would be a simple method for club lacrosse. The worlds largest sport soccer had a huge problem with cheating and kids playing down due to prefirst/failures/reclass/etc and guess what they did..Yea a simple age based by year with cards. No high competitive soccer games at any age level has any the garbage you hear at youth lacrosse levels about age difference and cheating.
Of course you are within the rules if your child is a holdback playing in his grade now.?? who said otherwise?? The rules letting teams of kids that should be in 5th grade but due to failure/prefirst/reclass are now in 4th grade play against teams of legal age 4th graders ( is that better for you) is not how youth sports was meant to be played. Common sense tells you that.
I am surprised some holdback apologist hasnt given us "that is what college coaches want for recruiting". That excuse is now lame as Early recruiting is now 11th grade as of April 26 .. That was the big reason grade based proponents wanted it. Thats gone..So come on give us some good reasons why ALL Club youth lacrosse need to be grade base instead of a simple U base? The rules? Help out all the private school prefirsts? Is this a MIAA youth league?? LOL..
Your whole basis of argument is that public school curriculum should mandate a private club sports league. There is no "should be". Prefirst is a common curriculum in almost every private school now. Public schools are essentially third world institutions, with some minor exceptions, so let's please not use that as the gold standard to start mandating private (paid) anything.
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