Sen. Richard Codey to introduce bill penalizing athletes who repeat grades for athletic edge

[hbkmyr]

State Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex) will introduce a bill this fall that aims to penalize athletes who repeat a grade in middle school to gain athletic advantage in high school, NJ Advance Media has learned.

The bill would limit student athletes who repeat grades six, seven or eight — despite being academically on track — to three years or six consecutive semesters of athletic eligibility once they begin high school. The three years of eligibility would include all levels of play: freshman, junior varsity and varsity.

“Right now, it’s not cheating, but we know it is,” Codey said. “It’s trying to game the system.

“This issue has been digging at me for years.”

http://highschoolsports.nj.com/news...ade-for-athletic-advantage/#incart_river_home

 

[Seton75]

When my oldest son was in grammar school, at least four local kids repeated 8th grade. Ugh

 

[Vegas pj]

It's a right of passage for football players attending Texas high schools. Been going on for as long as I can remember there (and probably elsewhere).

 

[Merge]

So now they just need to fail a class and stay back for academic reasons and that will be encouraged by their crazy parents.

Pretty pointless effort here.

 

[Vegas pj]

So now they just need to fail a class and stay back for academic reasons and that will be encouraged by their crazy parents.

Pretty pointless effort here.

Corrected above.

And yes, it started inTexas because of the kids' crazy parents.

 

[SPK145]

So now they just need to fail a class and stay back for academic reasons and that will be encouraged by their crazy parents.

Pretty pointless effort here.

Leave it to the politicians to stick their noses in somewhere it doesn't belong.

 

[Section112]

Pet peeve for Codey that will not work. He coaches a MS basketball team and gets upset when he has to play these kids I am sure.

Waste of time unless the High Schools, AAU and Club Teams all pass a max age that allows kids to compete in HS age sports and if they exceed the age they cannot compete. Aiken was left back one maybe two years if I recall so he could compete and in his case it will lead to a D1 scholly. Doesn't happen all the time but parents see that and think its good for the kid. I don't like it but I don't understand why legislators are wasting their time on such a small issue that affects a small percentage of the population and will not increase jobs or help the economy or protect many people. Bigger fish to fry IMO.

 

[hallgrad80]

Do you think parents hold their kids back just for athletic advantage? It's a practice that goes on so that kids coming out of a public middle school can get their children into one of the better private prep schools so that they can get their children into a top tier college. SPK got it right, politicians sticking their nose in where it doesn't belong.

 

[Seton75]

Pet peeve for Codey that will not work. He coaches a MS basketball team and gets upset when he has to play these kids I am sure.

Waste of time unless the High Schools, AAU and Club Teams all pass a max age that allows kids to compete in HS age sports and if they exceed the age they cannot compete. Aiken was left back one maybe two years if I recall so he could compete and in his case it will lead to a D1 scholly. Doesn't happen all the time but parents see that and think its good for the kid. I don't like it but I don't understand why legislators are wasting their time on such a small issue that affects a small percentage of the population and will not increase jobs or help the economy or protect many people. Bigger fish to fry IMO.

My son's grammar school team lost their league title to a team with one of the kids, and they got beat in the big tourney, Run for the roses to a team that started four 8th grade repeaters. Was really hard to take. But it is up to the parents, not the pols. A natural outcome of a sports obsessed / money obsessed society.

 

[batts]

Repeating grades to gain an athletic edge? We live in a really F'd up society, and youth sports manipulated by adult parents and schools are one of its worst aspects.

 

[Stevie_H]

When my oldest son was in grammar school, at least four local kids repeated 8th grade. Ugh

Hey! I spent three years in the second grade and I'm just fine...

 

[Merge]

Aiken was left back one maybe two years if I recall so he could compete and in his case it will lead to a D1 scholly. Doesn't happen all the time but parents see that and think its good for the kid.

There are absolutely arguments for and against it... and the rules will always be abused but let each family decide what is best for their children.

This same practice happens with academics as well as early as kindergarten. If your child was born near a cutoff date, they could be in school with people 364 days older than they are and may be considered to be behind the other students even though it is exactly where they should be in their development. The "smarter" children may be treated more favorably - If you hold them back a year, they might have more opportunity to flourish in an academic setting.

In both academics and sports, it might make sense to keep a kid back. These decisions should be up to the family.

 

[Seton75]

Hey! I spent three years in the second grade and I'm just fine...

According to whom?

 

[Seton75]

There are absolutely arguments for and against it... and the rules will always be abused but let each family decide what is best for their children.

This same practice happens with academics as well as early as kindergarten. If your child was born near a cutoff date, they could be in school with people 364 days older than they are and may be considered to be behind the other students even though it is exactly where they should be in their development. The "smarter" children may be treated more favorably - If you hold them back a year, they might have more opportunity to flourish in an academic setting.

In both academics and sports, it might make sense to keep a kid back. These decisions should be up to the family.

Making the change for academic reasons is perfectly OK. Why? Cause the reason to be in school is to educate.

 

[Section112]

There are absolutely arguments for and against it... and the rules will always be abused but let each family decide what is best for their children.

This same practice happens with academics as well as early as kindergarten. If your child was born near a cutoff date, they could be in school with people 364 days older than they are and may be considered to be behind the other students even though it is exactly where they should be in their development. The "smarter" children may be treated more favorably - If you hold them back a year, they might have more opportunity to flourish in an academic setting.

In both academics and sports, it might make sense to keep a kid back. These decisions should be up to the family.

Good comparison and I agree about leaving it to the family - that is what I implied by saying politicians have better things to do. But the huge difference is that for academic reasons usually the child is held back very early (Kindergarten or 1st grade) when they are young and in their super formative years and not socially established so to speak. For sports it occurs very late (sometimes 7th or 8th grade). Being held back that late can potentially help the kid mature and compete better in sports. But does it hurt a kids ability to become a good citizen and does it put too much emphasis on how important sports is vs. anything else? That is why the two practices are very different in my opinion. But some parents thinking about holding kids back late for sports could probably care less about competitive fairness and raising good citizens.

 

[hbkmyr]

Some reactions..including Hurley.

http://www.nj.com/sports/index.ssf/...enalize_athletes_repea.html#incart_river_home

 

[Seton75]

Some reactions..including Hurley.

http://www.nj.com/sports/index.ssf/...enalize_athletes_repea.html#incart_river_home

Hurley nails it.

 

[Merge]

Making the change for academic reasons is perfectly OK. Why? Cause the reason to be in school is to educate.

But holding them back is not to "educate" them. It is to give them advantage over other students. They will get an education in both cases, but in one case they may stand out as exceptional instead of average.

I read into this a little since my daughter was 2 weeks away from the cutoff date so she will be one of the youngest in her class. Statistically she is not less likely to do as well as my other daughter born on the other side of the cutoff date two years earlier.

 

[Section112]

Hanson should talk. He encourages this kind of thing. Hurley has it right but this will be difficult to enforce and again our legislators have bigger fish to fry.

 

[donnie_baseball]

I used to deal with a lot of child/adolescent athletes and their parents. Only one guy I played ball with made it to the pros -- out of many, many good players. Parents need to realize that only the most naturally gifted are going to make it to that D-1 program, and even less to the highest levels of sport. All the manipulating, special training/coaching, speed and agility programs, and travel teams aren't going to change that.

 

[Seton75]

But holding them back is not to "educate" them. It is to give them advantage over other students. They will get an education in both cases, but in one case they may stand out as exceptional instead of average.

I read into this a little since my daughter was 2 weeks away from the cutoff date so she will be one of the youngest in her class. Statistically she is not less likely to do as well as my other daughter born on the other side of the cutoff date two years earlier.

IMO, it is more about maturity. I was in school with a number of kids who were older and they were not smarter. Take an 11 yr old and a 12 yr old and teach them a new subject. I am not sure the age is any advantage. If you have concerns about your daughter, hold her back.

 

[Merge]

IMO, it is more about maturity. I was in school with a number of kids who were older and they were not smarter. Take an 11 yr old and a 12 yr old and teach them a new subject. I am not sure the age is any advantage. If you have concerns about your daughter, hold her back.

Well she is not even one yet, haha, it was just something that someone pointed out to me and I did some reading about it. For the most part it seems like things will even out as they age. Also a lot of parents willing to do something like this are going to be active in their child's development so I am not 100% convinced that any advantages that I saw were not from engaged parents... I just don't want to F up these kids too much with a disadvantage.

 

[lokiSHU]

It has become quite common in HS basketball to repeat 8th grade. Some kids then even do a post grad year at a prep school. Colleges love it. Sick cycle. Wish it would stop. This bill will just expedite this kids to going out of state for HS. If your willing to hold your kid back you are probably willing to send them out of state, Would really help if AAU put hard cap on ages instead of grade exceptions.

 

[Stevie_H]

According to whom?

The voices in my head.

 

[cernjSHU]

You can certainly understand the intent of this bill. I was a September baby. When I was in school I was very young for my grade. There were kids born a week later in a grade lower. And other kids who almost had an entire year on me in the same grade. In this situation you are at an athletic disadvantage for sure.

But I was never going to be D-1 athlete. So I am glad I was able to be able to start my future earlier.
I love the intent but when the rest of the country is still doing this, you are putting kids in New Jersey at an athletic and educational disadvantage.

 

[Vegas pj]

You can certainly understand the intent of this bill. I was a September baby. When I was in school I was very young for my grade. There were kids born a week later in a grade lower. And other kids who almost had an entire year on me in the same grade. In this situation you are at an athletic disadvantage for sure.

But I was never going to be D-1 athlete. So I am glad I was able to be able to start my future earlier.
I love the intent but when the rest of the country is still doing this, you are putting kids in New Jersey at an athletic and educational disadvantage.

You think you were young, I was the youngest in my class all the through to an LL,M! Try being born in ate February and not turning 18 until second semester frosh year at SH. Back in those days, I didn't realize the competitive disadvantage athletically (physical) in hs and at SH. I was a D1 athlete. I just dealt with it and worked my butt off just like I had to in the classroom. The only real disadvantage was not being able to get into Dodds until 2nd semester seniorbyear and all my classmates were in months earlier. Now that's a competitive disadvantage! lol Like you, looking back at it I was glad to start my future earlier.

Deliberately holding kids back for athletic advantage in hs is BS. The guys I competed athletically against were the correct age (most were anyway) for their grade. I started school a year early (thanks mom & dad lol). If you can't cut it academically in hs you don't play pure & simple. Like a poster stated earlier, very few make it to the "show" so why allow parents to gain a non existent advantage. If you need an extra year to mature you can always go to prep school and if you're an athlete a scholie there s always available.