[catfanmd]

I am for holding back, and this thought started when I was in highschool during the early 80's. I played my senior year of football at 16 and then turned 17 in December. I was an above average football player, but I was 16 competing against 18-19 year olds. I wish my parents had held me back and because of that, I have now held my son back.

Also, similar to the man's son above, when I went to college as a 17 year old, the first semester was a bust, and I eventually retook all my classes.

When you ask for the negatives, normally the only negatives we here are from people complaining about their kids being at a disadvantage to the holdbacks. That is not a problem for our son, but a problem the other adults and their children have to deal with. The only thing close to a negative is the fact that our son will turn 18 during his junior year of highschool and considered an adult in the eyes of the law. I hope the childish, highschool pranks do not become an adult issue.

Our son is an exceptional athlete, and a straight A student. We tell him he is more likely to get an academic scholarship than an athletic scholarship.
Either way, the example I always use, whether you are competing for an academic or an athletic scholarship, and you have 100, 19 year olds and 100 18 year olds, and you have 25 scholarships available, would you rather be a 19 year old competing against 18 year olds, or an 18 year old competing against 19 year olds.

The person that states their son is playing against 16 year olds in middle school, is likely mistaken. The KHSAA rules state you have to be 18 on August 1st of your senior year. This would mean you would have to be 15 on August 1st of your freshman year. So if anyone is 16 in the 8th grade then they would be ineligible to compete as a senior in highschool, and would either have to go to prep school, or not play as a senior.

Of all the holdbacks I know, they will all be eligible for their senior years, which means as an 8th grader, they will be 14 on August 1st, then turn 15 at some point during their 8th grade year.