[Stardust]

I think high school teams should be comprised of high school kids end of story. I don't have a kid that age mine are both girls in elementary school. As far as the cost of holding a student back is concerned, mine will both be hold backs. I'm in the field of education and I feel that I have already since about the age of 16 paid more then enough in taxes so that my money will be all that is needed to pay for thier extra year. So that shouldn't be an issue for anyone, I've paid taxes for over 15 years now personally and my wife has done the same. People should think of it this way I will know where part of my tax money is going and that's reinvesting an extra year of maturity into both of my girls before I have to turn them loose I to this old world. I bet most of those with the issue that feel it shouldn't been done would feel better knowing their money if paying for free cell phones, health care, groceries, head start services in which my kids weren't aloud to participate in and many other crap things.

I hear a lot of "I've paid my dues, and I will do what I feel is best for ME!" With that thinking, how can you possibly support a system that would hold your two daughters back from being the best that they can be? How can you support that a system say's, nope "your daughters cannot receive equal pay until they put in their time versus what their abilities are?". How can you support a system that allows, especially in girl high school sports, to let the best athletes compete against the best athletes and be forced to play against inferior competition that does stunts the abilities of your daughters until they reach a magical grade number? Especially if you plan to hold your girls back, what do you think they will possibly gain by being the age of a Freshman, yet playing against 8th graders who could possibly even be 7th graders age wise. Why wouldn't you want your daughters that extra year of competing against the best and advancing to their peak even faster than others?

As for this whole argument of hold backs, that is completely the fear of the parent and has ZERO to do with the athlete! Both myself and my son were 17 when we graduated (I have an October Birthday and was 16 when I started my Senior year). Both of us played college baseball. I coach at the High School level, and I have put more kids in college athletics who were not hold-backs than I have who went to school with the kids their own age. It's an argument that just does not hold water. I had the privilege to watch OJ Mayo and Bill Walker both dominate High School basketball at North College Hill as Freshmen, Sophomore, and Juniors. They were both 18 their Junior Year, and for anyone to not think they could have started at Division 1 schools that next year are crazy. They WASTED another year by playing High School basketball versus getting to college and the NBA one year earlier!