[sprucepinetiger]

In Eastern Ky. holding back is like breathing. It's done at every school and in some cases for more than one year. I was never a fan of it, but a couple of years ago decided to hold my son back, and here's why. He was in 7th grade, 12 yrs old and playing against 14-16 yr old 7th and 8th graders! I held him back, not because of grades, maturity or anything that you hear people say they hold back for. It was simple as this, he could not physically compete with his peers. My son is a good sized kid, but you can just tell the physical difference between a 12 yr. old and a 15-16 yr. old. I now recommend it to anyone who is even thinking of it. Especially here in Eastern Ky. I know there's a few who haven't held back but they are strongly in the minority. Hope this helps.