[drdrayandcooler]

I hear the term "Bubble baby" and "whiners" from these threads and it is rediculous. So I say, let your "stud" 14 year old 7th grader play up to where kids are his age. Turning 18 (voting age and able to join the Marine Corps) in the 11th grade??? Come on. If you have a small kid, with a late birthday who is under sized and strugles with grades, by all means that is what this rule (where it is allowed) is for. But when you have a team full of 14 year old hold backs who are of normal development and size on the 7th grade it is plain wrong. Your not a good 7th grade team, you are a good 8th grade team who is held back to beat up on younger and usually smaller kids. The size of the dog in the fight arguement doesn't mesh when you are holding your kid back so he can have a size advantage. If your "dog" has that much fight in him then don't hold him back and let that superstar play with his age group. It is simple, you hold back for one reason, to have a size advantage. This is the grades where kids start to shoot up and some do not and that is rough in itself, but add the equation of holding an already big athletic kid back to beat on a little kid. I know the areas that do this will not change their minds on this topic. But don't call my 12 year old 7th grader who is average size and ability for his age a bubble boy or whiner when you kid two years older is up againts him. Maybe the state should stop the grade level ball and go to age group teams. Then we will see where the talent is for real. 12-13 year olds play other 12-13 years olds. 14-15 plays other 14-15 year olds. Don't brag about your great super star players when they are just good because they play against kids 2 years younger. The Baker kid Freshman at Ashland, 14 or 15 years old. He is a true superstar and no one held him back.