This might tick a few people off but...oh well, it's my opinion. Typically...and let me say here that there will ALWAYS be intervening individual circumstances, but typically a kid graduating high school should not be older than 18. Now, within that range, you will have kids graduating at 17 and turning 18 in the summer after graduation (these are the youngest in their class), you will have some turning 18 the summer just before they start their senior year (oldest in the class), and of course the majority of kids will/should be turning 18 during the school year between Aug-May, which I did my senior year, turning 18 in April just before graduation.

 

Now, when I was in high school back in the early 80's, this question probably would have never come up, simply because there were very very few 19 yo kids still attending high school. Now maybe that's just how it was where I went to school, but I believe that was the case in most places. It seems that today the number of kids turning 19 or even already 19 by the time they start their senior year is much greater than in the past. Again, there are definitely some legitimate reasons some kids are in this situation, BUT, I also believe this number has increased in recent years SPECIFICALLY because of parents holding kids back for athletic purposes. This I cannot agree with.

 

Personally, my thought is 19 yo's shouldn't be playing high school sports in MOST circumstances...again there are always outliers/specific circumstances that need to be looked at on an individual basis, but overall this is my feeling.

 

Now, the idea that someone had above where the clock starts ticking when a kid starts the 6th grade and has 14 semesters to compete in middle school and high school athletics...that I could possibly get on board with as kids being held back before the 6th grade probably really need it for academic/emotional/maturity reasons. But, just like everything else, if that was the case you would see some parents start abusing that as well so little "Johnny" could get a leg up on the athletic competition and hold back in the 4th and 5th grades in stead of middle school. But with the KHSAA getting ready to take over ms athletics, this will probably be the case anyway as kids who repeat in a ms grade won't be eligible to participate in sports their repeat year per KHSAA.

 

I will leave with this thought. Within the past few years there was a state championship basketball team that...if I am to believe the middle school coach who told me this, and there are several reasons I am apt to believe him...every senior on this state winning championship team was 19 yo when they walked across stage for graduation, and there were several of them. That's just not right...at least to me.

 

I am also firmly in the minority here. If you are 19 at the start of your senior year you are 2 full years behind your peers. At that point there is some issue that needs the child and parents attention much more than sports - not to mention you have already had more opportunity (2 more years - although they may not have been at the high school level) than your peers to enjoy athletics and compete. There needs to be a line and I think 19 is a really good one.

I think it is worse now than I can ever remember.

I can't speak for a parents intentions but I had several more kids I played with at Trinity that graduated at 19 than I do at the school I coach at now which is similar in the amount of kids that play football. And I haven't really seen someone here or there be held back for athletics. Here are mostly kids that needed an extra year academically in elementary school.

I think it is worse now than I can ever remember.

 

The problem is not holding kids back. It is the school systems promoting early enrollment. Holding kids back just corrects a problem driven by school system policy that is revenue driven.

The problem is not holding kids back. It is the school systems promoting early enrollment. Holding kids back just corrects a problem driven by school system policy that is revenue driven.

 

But if they started early and THEN were held back, they would be the age they are supposed to/normally should be AFTER their holdback year, not a full year to year and a half older than almost everyone else.

But if they started early and THEN were held back, they would be the age they are supposed to/normally should be AFTER their holdback year, not a full year to year and a half older than almost everyone else.

 

Agreed. Playing at 19 indicates either being held back two years, or , intentionally manipulating enrollment for athletic purposes. This is why I do not support blanket eligibility for 19 year olds. I believe eligibility for 19 year olds should be reviewed and determined on an individual basis.

 

My core issue is not eligibility of the individual, it is entire teams of 19 year olds being fielded. That, while within the current rules, does not pass the smell check with me.

Agreed. Playing at 19 indicates either being held back two years, or , intentionally manipulating enrollment for athletic purposes. This is why I do not support blanket eligibility for 19 year olds. I believe eligibility for 19 year olds should be reviewed and determined on an individual basis.

 

My core issue is not eligibility of the individual, it is entire teams of 19 year olds being fielded. That, while within the current rules, does not pass the smell check with me.

 

I don't think you want to open that subjective can of worms of evaluating on a case by case basis. That means involvement by the KHSAA. Anyone who believes in the KHSAA please raise your hand?

You have to remember some kids can't start kindergarten on time based on their birthdays. Case in point, some schools say you have to be 5 by the 1st of Oct to start kindergarten. If your birthday is 5 Oct you have to wait until next year. Also a lot of kids especially boys are held back in 1st grade as well. Now conversely, if you fail any grades in HS you shouldn’t be ineligible to play sports anyway no matter your age. School and graduation should be the focus not playing sports. Playing HS sports should be a reward/incentive/ and tied to performing well in the classroom. Hard to believe the state has a law stating you have to have a “C” average to drive. I don’t know if KHSAA has a minimum GPA to play sports. If not there should be.

I'm not buying the "whole teams of 19 year olds" complaint, particularly in football. One, there is no way of knowing that unless it is your own team you're talking about. Even then I'll bet parents don't know the age of more than a handful of the players on their own son's team. Everything else is rumors being passed around. You can't go by looks any longer. I've seen many boys with facial hair at 15 these days. Don't know what's causing it but it's happening.

I have no problem with it. I was a holdback and it really helped me both in school and sports. My son is a holdback and will turn 19 in September of his senior yr. what needs to happen is the start date of students entering school needs to match KHSAA.

 

Why would ALL students entering school need to match guidelines set forth by KHSAA? I am not sure how KHSAA becomes the governing body when not ALL students are playing sports.

Same here, just don't hear about it all that much but then again, it's not something most people care enough to even discuss. If a child is held back from the start most people will not even know how old he is.

 

It happens in NKY more than you may think. In AAU basketball when I ask how hold a kid is I'm told the grade they are in, not the age. I'll ask again how old and usually get the grade answer again.

It happens in NKY more than you may think. In AAU basketball when I ask how hold a kid is I'm told the grade they are in, not the age. I'll ask again how old and usually get the grade answer again.

 

But you're assuming there is an age issue. Many people don't know the age of the players but always know the grade.

 

Do you think it's more prevalent in basketball or just more noticeable?

I don't think you want to open that subjective can of worms of evaluating on a case by case basis. That means involvement by the KHSAA. Anyone who believes in the KHSAA please raise your hand?

 

Good point. But there will ALWAYS be case by case circumstances. I'm also not a fan of "zero tolerance" policies in most cases either, so somebody at some point would have to make a decision.

But you're assuming there is an age issue. Many people don't know the age of the players but always know the grade.

 

Do you think it's more prevalent in basketball or just more noticeable?

 

More noticeable. There are plenty of instances in other sports as well.

Why would ALL students entering school need to match guidelines set forth by KHSAA? I am not sure how KHSAA becomes the governing body when not ALL students are playing sports.

 

I didn't say that they should. I work in the schools and kids shouldn't be starting school at age 4. That what I am saying. Khsaa is August 1 and tho start school is October 1. That is the difference.

I didn't say that they should. I work in the schools and kids shouldn't be starting school at age 4. That what I am saying. Khsaa is August 1 and tho start school is October 1. That is the difference.

What school starts in October?