I agree. Forget US lacrosse for one minute. I’m saying this as a parent. How does another parent of a youth player, actually allow their son to play against younger kids. Not high school, youth is what I’m saying. I’d be embarrassed as a dad, allowing my son to play against kids a year or 2 younger. If your kid has a good game, what do you say to him. Good game son, you scored 4 goals. Doesn’t it enter your head as you say that. Well my son is 10, he dominated 8 and 9 year olds.
------ Whomever wrote this must be new to lacrosse...i remember when my son first started playing, thinking wow how are these other few kids so physically advanced over my son. My kid was a very good athlete, and not a small kid, but in a totally different class at the beginning stage. Little did i know, all of their dads played lacrosse in various college settings, and each of their dads held them back and had them play down. It was not that they were better players, they were older and had been playing for years. When my son started travel lacrosse at 7/8, there were kids 20 months older than him on the team (disgraceful).
4 years later, i am still grappling with this concept. My kid caught up, their kids still look like they should be playing in a different age group, and my wife and I cannot fathom a family holding back kids in school for a youth sport that has ZERO chance of having a lifetime of earnings (unless you are Paul Rabil or want to be a gym teacher/lax coach).
We have come to grips that the age and "how can i get Johnnie to be physically superior" discussions will not end until a new player either takes a ball to the neck/chest from a kid playing down 2 years, or a "true on age" player basically gets run over by a 20 month older player. It's pretty disappointing. It forces the on-age players to play more aggressive because they are 10 inches smaller, lol.
My son has had a very similar experience. He is in later stages of HS and he has caught up and is a starter. He is better than many of those holdbacks, but still there is no question the extra year helps and has given many that extra training and experience others dont have with similar skills. He plays in MD not NY.
If he had been heldback , he would have been a different player than and now. Oh well, it isnt like this is a money sport or even a good sport for scholarships.
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