The leagues in MD are set up based on grade, end of story. I suppose it's the club owners directing the HoCo league officials. Regardless, if you are in 7th grade you play 2024, and there are tons of kids in the 7th grade with birthdays between 9/1 and 12/31, and yes kids with birthdays of 1/1 to 8/31. Unless they change it, that's the way it works in MD. Stay on the island if you dont like it, or write your congressional representatives. Believe it or not, the double hold back is extremely rare and really doesn't happen until kids start their 9th grade year. An extremely small number of kids (1, maybe 2 in the grade year), likely the smaller ones, choose to switch private schools and repeat 8th grade. Your imaginations have you believing its systemic. It isn't, as kids don't want the spotlight from it.
So you don't think there should be an upper limit on age? It's okay for kids to be born up to 21 months before others in what is supposed to be a year-by-year designation! What about the kids born the year before from 9/1 - 12/31. What about the rare exception, MadLax 2023 has 3 and most of the other elite teams have 1-2, of a kid born before 3/1 and then repeats a grade.
It's not systemic but it's there.
Should there be an upper age limit on class based leagues? What date should it be?
This would give a good starting point. Elite division could opt to follow 15U guidelines however I know they would be crazy to follow 16U but it would make it interesting even though in the past 15U would always be considered HS it at least puts it out in the open and provides choice. It can end the debate. This way a club in the AA division may choose to stay and help to get more players if they stay 14U
