If a child is held back they will benefit athletically. They will also benefit from an extra year of maturation. I can not even count the number of 17 or young 18 year olds I have seen go off to college and be home a semester later because of lack of maturity. For those who say the kids are already good students, why hold them back, does anyone really think holding a kid back will make them worse students? I have never spoke to anyone who was held back that regretted the decision.