[Wildcat18]

The rule currently states that a hold back must sit out the year he is held back. I would argue that a kid should be allowed to play. However I would recommend that he be able to play a grade ahead. If a 7th grader is held back in the 7th grade, he should be allowed to play up for the 8th grade team. If he's good enough, great. If he's not, he gets scrub minutes and reps in practice that he wouldn't normally get. The rule is intended to be a slap in the face to the school and discourage holding back, but it really just hurts the kid. In no way, shape, or form do I believe that making a kid sit out of athletics for a year is good for him. I've seen many kids "take a year off" from athletics to simply never come back out. Sitting out runs players off.