As has been pointed out in previous posts, that is non starter as an argument - EVERY other NCAA sport has no issue recruiting student athletes that play age-based. Please try again!
I am not an expert on all sports and all recruiting processes but I am pretty well versed on lacrosse recruiting - I am not aware of another sport that the school season is practically meaningless and most to all of the recruiting is done through summer teams/ tournaments and showcases ALL of which are done by graduating class not birth year. If you want to look at Hockey that is similar as it is also a non revenue sport. From the get go youth hockey is age based not graduating year based and it works for them because the golden ring in hockey is the NHL draft and that is age based. For lacrosse the ultimate prize is a recruited spot on a college team and that was, is and always will be grade based, it is how the college coaches like it and it is how it is always going to be.
There is so much stupid in this post I can't possibly rebut it all, but I will try. Firstly, the fact that youth hockey is age based has absolutely nothing to do with the NHL draft being age-based (and btw, the NHL draft uses a Sept 15-Sept 14 year, while youth hockey uses a January 1-Dec 31 year, so it doesn't even match - oh my god, this must confuse the [lacrosse] out of NHL scouts). If the NHL draft switched to grade based tomorrow, youth hockey would not follow suit. Second, in the US, D1 colleges and the NHL draft acquire players through either the junior system, the US National team program, Prep schools, or high end high schools (MN only, typically). None of these are age based in the way a lacrosse parent would understand it. The junior system is for kids 16-21 competing against each other, while prep and high schools are grade based. Only the USNDT is really age based. What this means is that for the real high end player, hockey stops being truly age based at age 16. But its age based before 16. There is no reason why travel lacrosse can't do the same. Age based up to, and through, age 15. Than the best of the best can move on to grade based, recruiting-emphasized teams/programs. The rest can stay age based.
But to say the above in less words - you would have to be an absolute moron to think that elementary/middle school kids can't play age based because it will be grade based when they are grown men in college. I guarantee the college coaches don't give a s--t whether or not 10 year olds are grouped by age or grade.
Any recruiting-based argument is about as dumb as the status quo argument.
