16 year old freshman and 20year old seniors .
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JustASpectator
Active member
Oh boy. A student athlete is ineligible once they turn 20 during the athletic season (4-2-1).
Actually, I thought that a student athlete had to turn 19 after a certain date to be eligible. I thought the date was sometime in the fall. Correct me if I'm mistaken.
JustASpectator
Active member
Wow! Thanks, I wonder when they changed it.
WashtenawCounty
Active member
I believe there was a situation recently where a kid turned 19 on July 31st and was ruled ineligible because the cut off was August 1st. The parent brought up the argument that their kid was ineligible at 19 because their birthday was one day before another kid who's birthday would be August 1st and is eligible.
The argument made was why is my kid ineligible and the other is eligible when only one day separates the two kids and there is literally no advantage gained by being one day older. From then it was changed to the current wording, you're ineligible the day you turn 20. That takes the blame off OHSAA and makes it clear cut and avoids any future issues or a potential lawsuit.
To answer your question, I do not know or remember the exact time/year that went into effect. I believe it was maybe 4 or 5 years ago?
Some people don't have the common sense that God a gave a goose. In your scenario what would be the difference with a parent saying my son turned 20 the day before the State tournament and couldn't compete but this wrestler turned 20 the day after the State tournament. What's the age advantage in 3 days. In my opinion, there's nothing ethical in allowing someone turning 20 the day after the State tournament to compete with someone who will be 14 his entire Freshman year. Must be the same people that believe it's okay for a guy that thinks he's a girl to compete in girls sports. Get a clue!
Everyone has an opinion and I have mine. As with everything there are moral reasons and legal/administrative ones. It is within OHSAA guidelines to allow for this. The biggest issue that I find annoying, as it was on a FB post I saw today, regarding a female wrestler who is a lauded as 3X state champ and "just a junior" who was held back and is already 18 going on 19. If people are going to do it but stop with the "and just a freshman!" etc.
The rules are what they are...
I've never met a parent who held their kid back that regretted it. There are plenty of people who I have a tremendous amount of respect for that did that.
I've told my son that there's no point in wasting time in energy on things outside our control...
My son was 14 his entire freshman year....
I've never met a parent who held their kid back that regretted it. There are plenty of people who I have a tremendous amount of respect for that did that.
I've told my son that there's no point in wasting time in energy on things outside our control...
My son was 14 his entire freshman year....
WashtenawCounty
Active member
I agree with you! There will always be different "what if" or "not fair" scenarios no matter what the cutoff is.
Either way, do I agree with a almost 20 year old competing in high school? No, but I'm not going to chastise someone who felt the decision they made for their son/daughter was the best decision for them and their family at the time regardless of if I think it's right or wrong or if it is a decision I would or wouldn't make. It's within the guidelines set forth by OHSAA, so they have every right to make that decision if it's what they feel is best for their kid.
I have nothing but respect for your post, but if your 14 was injured by a "kid" within days of turning 20 you might be singing a different tune.
There is always an inherent risk. I'd argue the discrepancy in youth and Junior High paired with the lack of technical ability presents a higher risk. Now if the injury was caused from malicious and intent then there could be a different tune from me.
I've coached an 8th grader in the past who was as physically developed as any high school kid. By rule he had to practice with 7th and 8th graders. Not even allowed to touch the 9th graders he beat up in practice the year before... So I do agree logic seems to be contradictory here.
In 7th grade OAC tournaments my 12 year old at the time (who was no where near puberty) had wrestled some 14 year olds and possibly a 15 year old here and there. Luckily he made it through. And this isn't to brag about my son. He's an average wrestler at best.
Unfortunately for him when he first started wrestling he was a stocky 2nd grader weighing 75lbs. So oywa consisted of a lot of 5th and 6th graders wrecking his day.
So I guess that's a lot of words to say... I tell my son, life's not fair and no one is going to feel bad or care that it's not fair. To be fair... im not the nicest person...
Playoffs???
Well-known member
Preface my comments by I agree with whomever already stated that there are hundreds if not thousands of posts opinions on the age rule, the holdback option etc, but I guess I finally decided to chime in. First thing I'll say is not all 14-year-olds are created equal, just like not all 18-year-olds are created equal, or whatever age gap you want to compare. My point is there are plenty of 14-year-old freshman that are extremely mature and ready to compete with kids much older than them, regardless the sport. If you think your 14-year-old will be injured by a 20-year-old, then don't put him on the mat, on the field on the court etc.
I know of plenty of jr high wrestlers that train with high school kids have been doing so for years and would probably be on the podium before they even reach HS and they are not hold backs. @Cjlewis01 I'm with you, my oldest is a very young Sophomore, not turning 16 until July, therefore will be 17 when he graduates. He's not a Feister by any means, but is able to compete in 3 sports, and has more than held his own in all three. He would have been a prime candidate to hold back, but we chose not to and he's fine and I have no issues with the parents and kids that do.
It is a family decision within the parameters of the rule book, period. I will never pass judgment on either side of this argument; everyone has a choice. I think the decision has less to do with age and more to do with evaluating your son or daughters' maturity level (both physically and mentally) and what the situation is at their current school, team, what their goals are etc.
I know of plenty of jr high wrestlers that train with high school kids have been doing so for years and would probably be on the podium before they even reach HS and they are not hold backs. @Cjlewis01 I'm with you, my oldest is a very young Sophomore, not turning 16 until July, therefore will be 17 when he graduates. He's not a Feister by any means, but is able to compete in 3 sports, and has more than held his own in all three. He would have been a prime candidate to hold back, but we chose not to and he's fine and I have no issues with the parents and kids that do.
It is a family decision within the parameters of the rule book, period. I will never pass judgment on either side of this argument; everyone has a choice. I think the decision has less to do with age and more to do with evaluating your son or daughters' maturity level (both physically and mentally) and what the situation is at their current school, team, what their goals are etc.
WishYouWereHere
Well-known member
Is he almost 20 or barely 19.
So your telling me your 14yr old was injured "because" the kid was almost 20? could he have sustained the same injury if he was wrestling a kid that was 16?
My son was 14 as a freshman. I never complain about the age thing we always was beating kids older than us even before my son began to wrestle but the thing that is very funny is that you can go to the to the USA wrestling side of things and they keep it age range fair for a reason I think, taking advantage of a rule that’s made for fair sports play and thinking that all these kids are so much better when they’re not, and you give them a false sense of security ,and to believe that they can bend the rules and things in life .now you can do whatever you want with your kid but the question was never answered by none of you guys in this thread the question was should we hold them to the same standard if you have a kid that is 16 and 14 and they both win a state championship who would be considered better I think we’re looking too much it the hold back thing I have no problems if you feel like you need to hold your kid back some kids learn a different level some kids grow at different levels, maturity wise but the funny thing is is it everyone gets upset when we talk about it you can’t bend the rules break the rules go within the rules and then get upset when people who are not bending the rules want to speak about it and they’re not always speaking about it because their kids are not good because I know plenty of kids that get held back and they still haven’t won championships, etc.
First of all Einstein I have no kids. Secondly, it's obviously a matter of values/principles. Let's forget about ages. Would you be upset if you had a daughter that was a wrestler, and she was injured by a boy wrestler who thought he was a girl. It's all a matter of values or principles. If that wouldn't upset you that's fine and dandy, but I wouldn't have an issue with a parent who was upset that his daughter was injured just as I wouldn't have an issue with a parent whose 14-year-old son was injured by a guy within a stone's throw of 20. All I'm saying is that in both instances the parent has a LEGITIMATE concern based on their principles and values.
Thanks for the compliment, but your comment was a 14yr old boy getting hurt by a kid almost 20, I asked did the kid get hurt because he was wrestling an almost 20 yr old? or did the kid get hurt while he was wrestling an almost 20yr old, which could have happened with another 14yr old or a 15, 16,17 yr old. you cant just suddenly change directions and go to girls wrestling boys that think they're girls. lets pretend you did have kids would you be upset if your 14yr old got injured in practice wrestling a 30-45yr old coach or would that be ok? if someone is being a punk and trying to hurt people it really doesn't matter what their age is, it shouldn't be tolerated.
1) If a 14-year-old was wrestling someone close to 20 or older I would (if a parent) hope/expect that it was in a teaching/demonstrating capacity, not competitively. 2) IF you know anything about the development of the adolescent body you know that medically speaking a 14-year-old (as a rule) is a good deal behind in physical development then a soon to be 20-year-old man. Likewise, a girl's body (as a rule) is not developed for the physicality of a boy her own age, that's the only reason I shared the correlation. 3) If you think the policy in place is a good one then that's fine and your opinion, but there's not a doubt in my mind that you'd be in the minority.
Hammerdrill
Well-known member
If you have a son start him in school “late”. Understand that the starting age for school is a bit arbitrary. The main reason to start them late is because they mature a lot slower than girls, and will likely do better in school as well. The people who talk about their 17 year old senior have not done anything noble, to put their son at a disadvantage in both academics and athletics.
I don't think most people are doing if for any noble purposes.
Some do it because they can't afford preschool or daycare another year.
But I'd guess the majority of people just do what they were told by someone. I know with my oldest son (he has an early Sept birthday) the preschool told us our elementary school did testing to see when they were ready. So we took him in, they said he was ready. We sent him...
For my twins later they changed it and if the bday was after 8/1 you had to wait.
Hindsight, I'd tell anyone... always wait. As long as possible. Lol.
Nicolas Nickleby
New member
It doesn’t matter. Some of these kids have wrestled 14-15 years of their most developmental years by the time they win a state title. They have earned it, given the family’s and athlete’s sacrifice. Let’s not knock double holdbacks.
I asked my son, who won a title only wrestling 7 years of his life, “would you give up 6-7 years of your childhood for an additional title?” He absolutely loves wrestling and answered, “absolutely not.”
Time will tell if these sacrifices on behalf of 4 and 6 year olds will return a long term benefit for the child and future adult.
I asked my son, who won a title only wrestling 7 years of his life, “would you give up 6-7 years of your childhood for an additional title?” He absolutely loves wrestling and answered, “absolutely not.”
Time will tell if these sacrifices on behalf of 4 and 6 year olds will return a long term benefit for the child and future adult.
i agree I see a lot of boarder line child abuse going on in the sport that creates lots of traumas !
WishYouWereHere
Well-known member
I once asked a barely 17 year old senior if he wished he was held back after he placed 6th his last year; and he replied, “should’ve repeated 8th grade twice like my teammates”.
His teammates received wrestling and academic scholarships and went on and are doing outstanding things.
Meanwhile, he drifted in and out of obscurity and never found his place, always feeling like he grew up too fast and didn’t experience all he could while he was growing up.
Not even sure if he is still alive.
Would be about 28 now.
Don’t be in a hurry to get out of school and “grow up”.
Grown-up life isn’t what it’s cracked-up to be.
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