Holding back student atheletes for playing time?

[flapjack]

I know of a few 7th and 8th graders being held back this year so they will have more playing time in high school. Problem being most of them are very good students, so is this right or wrong? Curious.

[fbnut]

If its within the rules and everyone can do it if they wish, I don't have a problem with it.

[ironmen1987]

take the parents out and string them up...

[Ironman92]

I think it's 100% wrong to do.

What is the 1 year going to do?


They won't be an NFL player if they mature a grade later?


It is a good way to have your kid be better in 7th and 8th grade than the others....though hard work does the same thing.

People with the job title of "teacher" in the grades of K-3 are the ones that should do 98% of the holding back.

Doing it for sports is just about unbelievable.

I suppose this post will keep me from getting free NFL/NBA/MLB tickets.....oh well.

[WhiteWhiskers]

Lets face it Sports is the tail that wags the dog of education in southern Ohio and worse things have been done in the name of "For the good of the student"

[footballfan]

Hey, if the kid is going to get more playing time by staying back and its going to enhance THEIR school experience then so be it. If a student is making good grades, then they will be making even better grades with a year of maturity. There are many kids who participate in sports who have April/May birthdays who have not matured physically at the same rate as others in their class, why not stay back? Really, I see this as a kid and parent decision and no business of anyothers. As for the parents who do this, they get to keep their children 1 more year as a kid instead of entering the pi$$ poor environment we currently live/work in.

[Peanut]

I think it goes back to each student should get two years of eligibility in Jr. High and that the schools need to look into this trend. Also, kids being held back are taking away from those kids who should be there. If they are good enough to play after high school then they should at least be able to play with kids their own age. So it goes, if they are immature or not doing well in school then holding back is fine. With two years of playing time they should take a year off and concentrate on their education.

[wemufans]

I agree gapper they should only get two years of eligibility for middle school. I Thought the OVC used to have this rule when I was in school but I guess either it changed or I was mistaken. If you are going to hold a kid back do it in Kindergarten or 1st grade.

[Ironman92]

It's school...teachers will tell you if your kid needs held back....and K and 1st grade is when it is best and that is mostly when it happens.

It's just unbelivable to me......and if you only allow 2 years of jr high participation....they'll do it in 6th grade.

Maybe we can just red-shirt them......let them graduate with their group but let them have a red-shirt or 3 so they can make all-league or play with a more talented group.

OJ Mayo is in the NBA because he is more talented than 99.9995% of other players his age.....not because he was 19 in high school.

The one year of maturity will make far less difference than the time squandered to be great or even just achieve your goals.

[footballfan]

I don't think MOST parents think staying back is going to land the kids a NBA contract or make them the next Lebron/Mayo etc...it is strictly to enhance the child's experience; their child's experience. I have a son with an April birthday and he will start school on time. However, when he reaches the 8th grade, depending on his physical development and what he wants to do I will gladly give him the option of staying back.

[fbnut]

Hey, if the kid is going to get more playing time by staying back and its going to enhance THEIR school experience then so be it. If a student is making good grades, then they will be making even better grades with a year of maturity. There are many kids who participate in sports who have April/May birthdays who have not matured physically at the same rate as others in their class, why not stay back? Really, I see this as a kid and parent decision and no business of anyothers. As for the parents who do this, they get to keep their children 1 more year as a kid instead of entering the pi$$ poor environment we currently live/work in.

Could not have said it better myself. My kids aren't that old yet but I do like the idea of keeping them home with me and out of the real world one more yr. It's not my responsibility to look out for other peoples kids only my own. We can all argue how much it helps the kid but I don't see any way it hurts the kid.

[Blackjack]

Hey, if the kid is going to get more playing time by staying back and its going to enhance THEIR school experience then so be it. If a student is making good grades, then they will be making even better grades with a year of maturity. There are many kids who participate in sports who have April/May birthdays who have not matured physically at the same rate as others in their class, why not stay back? Really, I see this as a kid and parent decision and no business of anyothers. As for the parents who do this, they get to keep their children 1 more year as a kid instead of entering the pi$$ poor environment we currently live/work in.

Couldn't have said it better. It is all based on each individual case. If a child is born after February then holding back should be considered. Why not give your child every possible advantage they can get? It's an advantage both academically and athletically. No brainer.

[slamdunk]

This topic absolutely blows my mind! First off, if this does not violate some OHSAA regulation, it should!!!! I totally agree with Ironman on this subject. If the child lacked maturity physically or mentally, it would have been discovered and taken care of in the lower grades like Ironman said (K - 1st). To hold a child back in school just so they can play with a different group of kids or allow them to have another year of playing time is idiotic and morally wrong. I would hope that NO superintendent or principal for that matter would agree to this tragedy, but if flapjack is not making this up, there are administrators out there allowing this to happen. WOW!!!

As a coach myself, we have talked about how nice it would be to have this player with a certain group of kids and we have joked about getting the player held back a year. BUT we were just joking because we know it would be wrong to do that to the kid. If the kid is working their butt off in the classroom and getting good grades, they deserve the right to graduate on time with the classmates they have been with through their school careers. Sports are not everything folks!! I love sports and live and breathe it everyday, but at the end of the day, I realize it is just a game and there are more important things in life. I hope that when these decisions are being made that the child is being told the consequences of being held back for athletic purposes, not just the short term consequences but long term. Such as: 1) You will not graduate with the friends you have been to school with all these years, 2) You will be 18 the summer before your senior year and possibly turn 19 before you graduate, etc.

Sorry if I offended any one but this topic just burns me up. Let kids play and enjoy the sport they are playing and stop trying whatever you can to make them be looked at as superstars. Again I agree with Ironman, let's try something that may be a little old fashioned and not as popular, but folks it works, it's called HARD WORK!!!!! Those words put together may be foreign to some, but if everyone got back to doing it, we may not live in the "poor environment" as footballfan said. We have people that will do anything possible other than hard work to get results. Quick, easy, and underhanded is the battle cry in this day and age. Unreal!!!

[Ironman92]

I can't fathom anyone liking sports more than I do. I basically teach sports for a living and coach all year long. I was in almost every sport and my kids are following suit.......but it's getting to be too much. Wasn't too many years ago basketball began when you hit 3rd grade...as did football. Baseball has always had the wonderful tee ball. Along came soccer.....not just one season....but all year long, indoor, outdoor and you can start while literally still being in diapers....everyone plays, everyone wins and most importantly everyone gets a trophy....and a postgame snack and juice.

Now we have basketball leagues for 3-4 year olds, football for 6 year olds, soccer for embryos and of course tee ball. 95% of these kids aren't anywhere near ready for anything like organized sports. We have kids who start football in 1st grade and by 4th-6th grades they are in pads and practicing with gung ho coaches 3 nights a week for 2+ hours.....then have games on Sat or Sun. Then comes jr high with all-season workouts and lifting and when they finallly make it to high school after already playing for 7-8 years they have 2 and 3 a day workouts and of course all year lifting. Mix in your camps, scrimmages and whatever else and by the time you graduate you have about 3 kids every 5 years who move on to the next level and about 1 of them stick with it...baseball, basketball and soccer are right on cue.

Everyone has their own opinion but IMO many of these athletes have spent 500% more mandatory time in the sport but the same % of kids are winning league titles and gaining all-league and all-district or moving on to the next level.....heck some do not play in small college as they are just burned out.

You want your kids to have great experiences in sports with their teams......make them go outside and play and God forbid you go outside and play with them.....because that time is down about 500%. Keep it fun....not mandatory.

I was the youngest athlete in my grade in school. I was on the varsity golf team at age 14 and 1 month and a significant part of 2 league titles and was playing varsity baseball at age 14......I will attribute whatever athletic success I had to living in the backyard and playing with friends in all sports and in all seasons. The best athlete in the grade behind me was just a few weeks younger and he had an incredible career in sports....and I will guarantee it wasn't because he went to Kindergarten the year after I did...it was because he was an exceptional athlete that worked his tail off on his own time and outside with his friends.

Holding a kid back for sports will do one thing....make them a year older than everyone else.

And for keeping the kid home another year for you to enjoy...just enjoy them more the 18 years you have them....most of the time they come back anyways and on the flipside staying in school an extra year will cause one more thing.......they'll have to retire 1 year older and have 1 less year to enjoy the twilight of their life.

Do whatever you need to do for you and yours, this is nothing more than my opinion....I'll continue to root on the kids who are busting their tail competing at all levels.....regardless of age......I'm all about the effort.

[footballfan]

flapjack, I disagree with you bigtime that you can tell in k-1st grade if a kid is going to mature physically. Again, I think it should be the decision of the parents/kid, your arguement about graduating with friends might have meant something 20 years ago but kids change schools like they change their underwear today. As far as state rules go, there is an age limit for kids playing highschool and even junior high....but my son will turn 18 less than 1 month before he graduates (as I did). I played at the next level and would have loved 1 more year of HS before college...not just for sports either. I have watched kids stay back at different schools for years and can come up with very little examples of where it did not work out for the kid and THEY regretted it.

ironman92....100% behind you on sports starting too early for kids...TBall at 4 years old is crazy and my kid won't put on a pair of shoulder pads nor a helmet until at least 3rd grade if not 4th. That in itself is another arguement for another day. I also agree with you on the effect of playing with your kids in the backyard. My son plays kickball, tball, swims, rides his bike with his dad hours every day just as I did with my father....yet, if he is going to benefit by staying back for 1 more year of growth it is going to happen.

[Ironman92]

I'm not trying to be smart...really I'm not.

What are some positive outcomes (sport wise) from holding back a 7th grader?

How much is needed on the positive end to do this? Be a part of league champ?.....long tourney run? chance at the collegiate level? slightly better stats?

[fbnut]

What do you think the negatives are? I really don't buy thats its all that bad to be 19 when you graduate and I don't know that graduating a yr behind some of your friends is something you are going to regret the rest of your life. By the time you get to highschool most people form pretty strong friendships with people that are a grade ahead or behind anyway. Like someone mentioned above kids switch schools nowadays for playing time or to play for a winner. If you really feel that holding kids back does nothing but make them a yr older than why do you care?

[Ironman92]

The first thing that pops in my mind is this kid will do 180 days of school of nearly the exact same thing as the prior year.

The other thing that somewhat goes with the possible positive outcomes I mentioned is that none of those things are for sure to happen. Nothing in life is for sure but I wonder how many of these hold backs over the years have been a part of or done better things because of the extra year. I also wonder how many of the hold backs didn't get much of anything out of it. I don't know those answers.....but it would be helpful in this debate.

Football, I'm sure, is the leader in this as it would be most likely to assist the kid in being a better player at an earlier grade level.

I still believe hard work will outweigh the holding back.....but if you hold back and have the necessary and beyond work ethic and are healthy...it could give some positives for sure....but again....even with that not guaranteed.

[fbnut]

I agree nothing is guarenteed. I think it could also assist in highschool as well. A 19 yr old senior on the football feild that has worked his butt off in the weightroom and on his conditioning will most likely have an advantage against a 15-17 yr old kid that worked just as hard.

[Ironman92]

Is this something that would be better for an "average" skill athlete, a "low" skill athlete or an "advanced" skilled athlete?