Okay, have a sports question for other parents. My daughter wants to try out for track. Runs almost everyday. She came home today upset b/c the teacher (not the coach) told her since she failed a grade she could not try out. She has NEVER FAILED a grade ever. Yes, she is older than her peers. When she came to America, she knew no English whatsoever and was older. So, we put her in a grade we thought appropriate at the time...2nd grade. She turned 9yo at the beginning of 2nd grade. Now, is there actually a cut off or something w/ what age you're allowed to be to do sports in middle school? This is new territory for me as my older two are not athletes. Let me know when you get a chance. I'll call Monday to verify but really didn't want her whole weekend to suck. Thanks, Stephanie-- mom to 7
If memory serves me right she is eligible to play if she is in 7th or 8th grade, has an overall "C" average for the previous semester is not yet 15 years old. I do not recall a rule that makes someone ineligible if they have a failed a grade (unless I supoose it was a result of the previous semester). She will need physical before tryouts. The best thing to do to get exact clarification is to contact coach or athletic director at the school. Good luck to her. School sports have been a great experience for my kids!
I don't know if the boys and girls track coach is the same at CMS, but I had to email the boys coach last week, and he was very responsive and receptive. I'd just send an email over the weekend to clarify. Maybe they'll reply sometime tomorrow!
Thanks everyone. I emailed & waiting for a reply. this would really suck b/c she is 15. NOT b/c of any failure on her part though. Never failed a grade. She finally worked up the gutso to try out for something & giving it her all by practicing the last few months & now looks like from what I hear she won't even get a chance. I had the chance to change her age on the birth certificate. Now, I'm regretting not taking that option. As for dedication, she got up at 6:30 this morning & went for a run in the pouring down rain. Guess I should tell her today that most likely this will not happen. Sucks to be a parent some times. Stephanie--mom to 7
I am sorry....that does suck! Is she in eighth grade? Get in touch with the Athletic Director if he says no then ask about playing at the high school this year. I do not know how rule works (or loop hole) but there is one that allow kids who have aged out of middle school to play on high school school. I know that was the case this year with my son's high school team and my son said 2 boys did the same thing when he was in eighth grade. (my son is now in 10th). I guess it is not a well known rule but it does exist since my son is aware of 3 occassions and I myself know of 1. If that doesn't help maybe they would allow her to be team manager, that way she would go practices and games with the team, just couldn't compete. tell her to keep toning her skill it will make her better for high school when the time comes. In highschool she can do cross country in the fall and track in the winter. Hope something works out for her.
I just did a little digging on this and found http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/curriculum/healthfulliving/athletics/2005finalmsmanual.pdf. From there:
unfortunately it's her age, not the holding her back a grade situation. If she is already 15 (see the guidelines somneone else posted), she isn't eligible. :cry:
Thanks. Looks like an age issue. Stinks, it really does. They assume if you're older, you've failed. Again, she NEVER EVER failed a grade. We chose to put her in a lower grade, 2nd, when she first came to America since she couldn't speak English at all. However, in Russia she was an excellent student w/ no issues academically. Live and learn. These next 3 coming home, I may just opt for that changing of the birth certificate option now that I know how much it will effect them later. I learn something new everyday. Stephanie-- mom to 7
Just to add on to this....it is not that they assume a child failed if they are older. It is that they assume an unfair advantage to teams that have physically more mature members competing, so they have to pick a cutoff age based on that. There are 20 year olds in high school. Could you imagine 20 year olds competing with 14 year olds? It is unfortunate that kids in your daughter's situation are deemed ineligible. Have you thought about trying to a get her involved in recreational sports? They might not have track, but she could try something else or maybe even start a rec track team. I know her little heart is broken
I don't think you're seeing the REAL issue clearly, or least not objectively. The issue is not if the the child has failed a grade, as you seem to want to dwell on, but rather the AGE, (Also think about the SIZE) of an older child. If a child in the 7th or 8th grade were to turn 15 BEFORE the October cutoff, that means they possibly could be 16 before the end of the school year. This means a 16 year old would be competing WITH and AGAINST sometimes much younger (AND SMALLER) children. We've all seen kids on the field and thought "they need to check their birth certificate" because of their size. NOW, you are advocating FRAUDENTLY CHANGING yours, just so they can play a particular sport!! What if your child was small for their age and got CREAMED by a much larger kid playing foottball, basketball, soccer or whatever sport that involves contact. You'de be screaming bloody murder about the kid being too old to play. Sorry, you're missing the point on this one. It's not to penalize kids who may have been held back or failed a grade, for whatever reason. It's a safety issue, plain and simple.
lovinglife and dgats are absolutely correct - this is why the policy is in place. Rec sports have age groups, public schools need to have the same safety nets in place.
I am NOT advocating to fraudently change her birth cert. We are given that choice every time we go to Russia or a foreign country to adopt. Why? Because those kids out of orphanages are SO much smaller than the kids over here. My 6.5 yo daughter was 26 lbs. when we got her & wore a size 2T. All my 4yo's wore a size 18 months when home. My daughter that came home that wants to do track, came home at 8.5 yo. She weighed I think 39 lbs at the time. That is why some change birth certs when they come home. We have to make that decision over there at the time. Plus,some adoptive parents change them to give them a chance to catch up since orphanage life has left them so far behind. I do realize there has to be a cut off. Was only asking the question of her eligibility. Coach already wrote me back which I applaud for being prompt. She is not eligible. However, there are other opportunities locally. They just tend to cost an arm and a leg to do. I wanted her to gain a little more confidence as academics are not her strength though she is trying VERY hard. Some things in early childhood can't be over come. thought this would do her some good since she wanted to give it a shot. But, with the dedication she's shown over the last few months, I'm sure we can find something for her. Thanks for those that wrote. Just wanted to clear up I'm not saying change a birth cert to play sports. At the time years ago, we had no idea what her interests would be. BTW, my current youngest daughter would have a tough time doing much in the way of sports. She is 11.5, just barely 40 lbs. They think she has a form of dwarfism. So I can see both sides of the unfair match up. I have to carry her birth cert in the car in case I'm ever stopped. She doesn't "fit" with her age groups so we have a whole other dilema w/her. LOL. Got to love parenting some days. Again, thanks for all the clearing up folks. I went to a DOD school so things were always different for us. Learning. I'm always learning. Stephanie-- mom to 7
This is why high school wrestling is done the way it is. Age isnt the deciding factor but weight classes are. I believe there are 12 or 14 classes and normally a kid would not wrestle another kid thats 4-5 pounds heavier or lighter than he is. My son, who is in the 9th grade, has wrestled 12th graders already in his matches but since its weight for weight, you dont have the risk that Satman had mentioned about a 16 year old going against a 13 year old in a sport. Thats just way too dangerous.
But what about the 215lb and ^ weight class? My son has wrestled kids that weighed 85 lbs more than him.
