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Something I've been against for a very long time...

I don't see how kids who struggled in school should be punished athletically. Sounds like discrimination to me. How will you regulate who is being held back for athletics vs education reasons? Will this thought process have kids trying to push through when they need to stay back for educational purposes? What about kids who entered school early and need to do some maturing or kids who enter school late? I don't disagree there may be issues but to throw out a dragnet is crazy.
 
Touchy subject. What about the kids who repeat for non athletically motivated purposes? Middle and Intermediate School promotions are a culture shock for a lot of youngsters. It's when the training wheels first begin to come off and a lot of kids begin to incur responsibilities they've never before had. I'm not saying 6th, 7th and 8th grades cannot be conquered but simply that not all kids being held back are doing so in order to get a leg up on recruiting.

That said, there's other ways that parents can improve athletic abilities in a child.

Just recently we saw the development of our first "unlimited weight" youth football program here in The City. Unlimited weight football has been a complete game changer for many young men who are coming into high school better prepared than they were than they were years ago.

Additionally, I grew up with former Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli. I recall his father ALWAYS playing Jeremiah and Zach "up". The whole "older-lighter" BS with Pop Warner is absolute garbage. I remember my younger brother being a 5th grader playing with 8th graders who are now at Serra, SI, Riordan and SHC. All great players but all guys who had to sit as Freshmen because the game wasn't coming as easily to them once you put another young'n their age in front of them. It stunted their development and the confidence of the younger kids. I'm not suggesting that being as radical as Mr. Masoli but if anything play your kid up or with their correct age group, not down.
 
Bubba3000 said:
http://www.coachad.com/news/n-j-legislator-wants-to-punish-athletes-for-repeating-grades/

I'm of the opinion that it's obvious which kids can play at the next level by the time they are 16 or 17 years old. I also consider this to be a main contributor to what I call high school "super teams". Teams like DLS, Bishop Gorman, Bosco, Centennial, etc.....
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That is an issue a lot of people don't want to touch. No one knows the birth dates of most high school kids and combined with leaving neighborhood schools and searching out super teams, it can and does have an impact. People know the age of kids that have grown up in their neighborhoods, even ones that move on to super schools. It is obvious to all. But once a law like that is passed, many parents will simply wait to enroll their kids in school and the grey shirting will be done much younger.
 
If you want to hold back your child because of social/educational issues, that is fine and should be a personal decision.

However, a lot of families think they can get a leg up athletically by having an older child play against younger ones. This may get you an initial scholarship or high school praise, but it is short lived success if you don't have the skills to compete against older competition.
 
Bubba3000 said:
http://www.coachad.com/news/n-j-legislator-wants-to-punish-athletes-for-repeating-grades/

I'm of the opinion that it's obvious which kids can play at the next level by the time they are 16 or 17 years old. I also consider this to be a main contributor to what I call high school "super teams". Teams like DLS, Bishop Gorman, Bosco, Centennial, etc.....
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Names of the kids at DLS, the Bishop, SJB and CC who have done this for athletic purposes. Not all of them. Just a few for fact purposes and to support the claim.
 
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Bellevue (WA) has been known to have "5th-year" seniors...J.R. Hasty for one. That is the only school on the national stage that has been known to encourage this type of gaming the system.
 
bella123 said:
Names of the kids at DLS, the Bishop, SJB and CC who have done this for athletic purposes. Not all of them. Just a few for fact purposes and to support the claim.
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Not gonna mention kids by name don't believe in it. Trust me it happens a lot.
 
Polemic said:
I don't see how kids who struggled in school should be punished athletically. Sounds like discrimination to me. How will you regulate who is being held back for athletics vs education reasons? Will this thought process have kids trying to push through when they need to stay back for educational purposes? What about kids who entered school early and need to do some maturing or kids who enter school late? I don't disagree there may be issues but to throw out a dragnet is crazy.
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Polemic this law is aimed at parents holding back kids for purely athletic reasons. If a kid is struggling academically I fully support a parents right to hold that kid back no matter what grade they are in. With that said I only believe a kid should have four years athletic eligibility in high school.
 
Bubba3000 said:
Polemic this law is aimed at parents holding back kids for purely athletic reasons. If a kid is struggling academically I fully support a parents right to hold that kid back no matter what grade they are in. With that said I only believe a kid should have four years athletic eligibility in high school.
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4 years athletic eligibility in high school is the norm. Loosing a year due to academic struggle or other in Jr high is crazy to me. It's just not the laws place to regulate it is all I'm saying.
 
Do our elected politicians have no other pressing issues to focus on???? Waste of time and tax payer money because the politician or some supporters little Johnny got beat out by somebody who was held back. Lol
 
Bubba3000 said:
http://www.coachad.com/news/n-j-legislator-wants-to-punish-athletes-for-repeating-grades/

I'm of the opinion that it's obvious which kids can play at the next level by the time they are 16 or 17 years old. I also consider this to be a main contributor to what I call high school "super teams". Teams like DLS, Bishop Gorman, Bosco, Centennial, etc.....
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Lucky Football is the first HS sport within school year because HS kids cannot play - for example - baseball if they have already turned 19 years of age.
 
This isn't about telling pa
Polemic said:
Do our elected politicians have no other pressing issues to focus on???? Waste of time and tax payer money because the politician or some supporters little Johnny got beat out by somebody who was held back. Lol
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This isn't about telling parents how to raise their kids. It's about not allowing one to hold a kid back who has had good grades up until and through the time at which they are held back for obvious athletic reasons.
 
I get it but who's to say? Athletic, emotional, whatever. If somebody wants to hold their kid back its not my business. That is what they are doing is "holding their kid back" grade wise as well as athletically. It all comes out in the wash when they try to compete in college, either your ready or your not.
 
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Polemic said:
I get it but who's to say? Athletic, emotional, whatever. If somebody wants to hold their kid back its not my business. That is what they are doing is "holding their kid back" grade wise as well as athletically. It all comes out in the wash when they try to compete in college, either your ready or your not.
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My point exactly. Holding a kid back a Year in middle school rarely results in a division one offer. Either you have the talent to play at the college level or you don't.
 
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Some misconceptions in the replies (much like the misconception of transfer vs. valid change of residence).

Sections have different age requirements. In the Sac Joaquin section, if a student turns 19 after July 15, they are eligible to play the coming school year.

There is not technically a "four year rule". It is "eight consecutive semesters" once the student enters high school (public or private). Although the section offices have the discretion to waive that rule according to various circumstances including hardships. And if they do grant a "fifth year" they can specify which sports can and cannot be played.

And Bubba is correct when he says it happens a lot. It can happen in all sports, but is most prevalent in basketball, based on my experiences.
 
Phoenix45 said:
Bellevue (WA) has been known to have "5th-year" seniors...J.R. Hasty for one. That is the only school on the national stage that has been known to encourage this type of gaming the system.
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5th year seniors are the least of the diploma mills problems.
 
Polemic said:
I get it but who's to say? Athletic, emotional, whatever. If somebody wants to hold their kid back its not my business. That is what they are doing is "holding their kid back" grade wise as well as athletically. It all comes out in the wash when they try to compete in college, either your ready or your not.
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Very Interesting subject that has been going on I assume for decades. It's more prominent now because how the media and social media glamorizes sports. Little League world Series and "Friday Night Tykes" etc. I don't think it's anyone's business but it is the State Educational Systems' business. It's sends a wrong message from an educational standpoint. Unfortunately, if the parents don't get their way, they go to another school or enroll them to those sports specific schools. BTW, 19 years old in HS? My nephew is still 17 as a freshman at Pac12 school and is on the Rugby team.
 
HSS75 said:
Very Interesting subject that has been going on I assume for decades. It's more prominent now because how the media and social media glamorizes sports. Little League world Series and "Friday Night Tykes" etc. I don't think it's anyone's business but it is the State Educational Systems' business. It's sends a wrong message from an educational standpoint. Unfortunately, if the parents don't get their way, they go to another school or enroll them to those sports specific schools. BTW, 19 years old in HS? My nephew is still 17 as a freshman at Pac12 school and is on the Rugby team.
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19 year old high schoolers are more common than you think. I can see middle schools having issues with perfectly good students repeating grades with already crowded classrooms.
 
Back in the "day" it was common to graduate HS at 17 or barely turning 18. The cutoff date now for Kindergarden has been moved so kids are a little older now when they start. For example, if you were a September birthday when I grew up you could graduate at 17 and turn 18 Fresh year in college. Now that same kid wouldn't start Kindergarden until a year later and start his senior year at 18. This should have corrected all that nonsense of redshirting in JR High. But it does go on and if you are 19 in HS that is a problem.
 
@larrylegend33 - I would disagree. I graduated high school in the early 80's and almost all of my classmates were 18 at graduation - I was one of the younger ones, and I turned 18 in May of my senior year. Additionally, with the state funding pre-K, kids are entering the school system earlier. In areas with high poverty rates, kids are being put into kinder as young as possible (there is state law about when kids can be put into kinder, and when they must be enrolled) because in high poverty areas, it is essentially free day care. Overall, kids are graduating younger than ever, which is why the holding back of athletes in 8th grade is such an issue. It is actually creating what one could call a two-year disparity among student/athletes.
 
SacCoachA said:
@larrylegend33 - I would disagree. I graduated high school in the early 80's and almost all of my classmates were 18 at graduation - I was one of the younger ones, and I turned 18 in May of my senior year. Additionally, with the state funding pre-K, kids are entering the school system earlier. In areas with high poverty rates, kids are being put into kinder as young as possible (there is state law about when kids can be put into kinder, and when they must be enrolled) because in high poverty areas, it is essentially free day care. Overall, kids are graduating younger than ever, which is why the holding back of athletes in 8th grade is such an issue. It is actually creating what one could call a two-year disparity among student/athletes.
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A guy I played high school ball with went to Weber state. Back in those days they played BYU. With most of BYU players going on their two year mission before playing some of them were already going bald!
 
Looks like the rules only apply to 6,7,8 graders. Parents will start holding them back in 3,4,5 grades. If there is a will there is a way. I for one like to see the good younger kids compete against older kids. Its always good to "Play Up" not down. I think the holding back biz is directly proportional to the size of their fathers ego. If you are good you are good and it shows.
 
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A blanket law sucks IMO because holding someone back can be done for many non athletic reasons. Social, educational, family issues, lots of stuff. For whatever reason in football I never think of a players age but with basketball and baseball I do.

I didn't turn 18 till November after graduation. My sister turned 18 in December following graduation but she skipped a grade. Two of my friends in the same grade had birthdays close to me so graduating at 17 probably wasn't the norm but in my circle it wasn't uncommon. If it takes a kid till 19 to graduate so be it. As long as they make it its all good in my book.
 
EBALISBEAST said:
Looks like the rules only apply to 6,7,8 graders. Parents will start holding them back in 3,4,5 grades. If there is a will there is a way. I for one like to see the good younger kids compete against older kids. Its always good to "Play Up" not down. I think the holding back biz is directly proportional to the size of their fathers ego. If you are good you are good and it shows.
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I agree about fathers ego's. I believe that only kids that are struggling academically should be held back, regardless of the grade they are in.
 
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I'm not a big fan of the whole idea of holding a kid back just to get an athletic advantage/scholarship opportunity. A lot of time (most of the time?) this is driven by the parents. It also has to suck for the kid having to have their friends move on, while he/she stays back having to make a whole new set of friends. It stinks and tarnishes the concept of fair play, but I'm against trying to regulate something like this with rules/laws/restrictions. I imagine most high school leagues/sections would lack the resources to really enforce this.
 
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