Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
Originally Posted by Anonymous
2022 is 8th grade this year. In last few years with early recruiting we saw a lot of reclassing of 8th graders all over country and especially in holdback central Maryland. . Now with ER somewhat gone until 11th grade, How are MD teams looking. Many reclass in the elite ranks?? Or did the huge amount of prefirsts make it unnecessary?


This entire quote is unnecessary and there is an entire forum dedicated to this topic-


Obviously your son has been heldback or done a prefirst. 8th grade is the big reclass for anyone that missed out on prefirst in MD and is nipping at elite level on age.


Hawks is the only team that picked up kids repeating 8th grade. Crabs did not. FCA did not. Of course Hawks parents will deny this as they still try to say they only have 2 holdbacks on the team.

What's the difference between an 8th grade holdback and a pre-first?

A "holdback" is usually defined generically as a kid that has been held back a year along the way. Could be for any number of reasons - academic, social, athletic.

A "pre-first" is a kid that took an extra year between kindergarten and first grade. While there are those in the community that complain that this gives athletic advantage later on, I don't think that reasonable people think parents are thinking far enough ahead to use this extra year for that purpose. Like many, they feel their kid needs an extra year to grow socially, mentally, or emotionally. Just like kids that are started in kindergarten a year late.

In many cases, particularly for clubs that feed MIAA schools, kids repeat 8th grade before they go to high school, particularly if they did not take a pre-first year. Though some do both. The connotation in the community is this is strictly done for athletic reasons... parents don't deny there are athletic reasons but they usually say that's not the only consideration.

If a kid starts kindergarten when most kids do (the school year during which they turn six), takes a pre-first year, and repeats 8th grade, you could have 2022s that turn 16 this year. And if a kid started kindergarten late, took a pre-first year, and repeats 8th grade, he could be driving himself to spring league games in a couple months.

What makes this a big deal is the spread of puberty. While most kids who attend school following a normal progression (on-time and never held back) are just entering puberty in 8th grade, these kids that have taken 1, 2, or possibly 3 extra years are well into puberty, and the size and athletic differences are obvious.

I'm not a denier... I believe there is an advantage to this structure for those parents who use it, even if some of those parents deny it. But I also believe that a couple years into high school it kind of evens out. Especially if (for most of the kids who are doing this) "everyone's doing it." It can make you look like a heck of a youth player, which might get you and your club some attention early, but if half or more of your high school team also did it, that advantage disappears quickly.

But I'm also not a complainer. It is what it is. My kid got better playing against those bigger and older kids, and as a 9th grader he's behind his peers in terms of puberty.


Well stated. Couple of things. Being familiar with MIAA schools and having multiple children in them. I can tell you that many do think of sports while holding their child back in kindergarten. In other words doing a prefirst. Of course it helps out academically for many boys too . The majority of MIAA coaches of any sport have their sons or son do a prefirst. They know the drill to compete in MIAA.

The biggest issue I have as do many others is just what you state. Having children playing down in YOUTH lacrosse due to being held back. It is noticeable at early ages, but especially around puberty ages. And why do a select group of players get this advantage while others dont. Just isnt right at Youth level .

High School is a different animal and it is what it is,