New USA age cut off for next season?

[BK5931]

I wasn't referring to you not having the stones to post your name.

Loophole, maybe if you address it like that. But if this has been this big of an issue for so long, why has it taken this long for a group to address it? And why were they the only group to do this? Only a handful of groups are following suit and those are mainly the ones who like to run unsanctioned but use USA rules to avoid kicking up to them. Must really be all about the money for them then also?

When the decision by the other group to change was made, I seen both sides of it and the only ones who benefit are the older age groups which I didn't disagree with. The issue there is we can't have one standard for one part of the program and a different one for a different piece of it. And honestly, we do not see many 19 year olds as you referred to in our programs as most second year 18u teams really struggle to stay together that last summer of softball. We do have 18 over age groups which many of those players would rather play in anyway if they play at all that summer. And like Kymn posted, there is hardly two states next to each other that has the same age date for enrollment so even grad year is not a perfect solution. And what about kids who parents hold them back a year that are 19 before their senior year of high school begins or turn it during the school year. There are your 19 year olds also playing another season of 18u too.

And the intel we got from some vendors who worked the other groups convention was that this was still a very divided issue with them a few weeks ago when discussed in their meetings. They just implemented it this fall but teams and tournament directors are not running to their brand in droves like they must have envisioned would happen. But unlike them, we the directors do have a say in our programs and do not get dictated down to by a couple of higher ups who have not ran events in several years. In essence, the people on the ground have say and not get dictated to by the folks behind the curtain or in the ivory tower.

Maybe the reason many second year 18U teams struggle to stay together is because some are still in HS and some are graduated. This is exactly my point.

Stating that different states have different dates for age cut-off I understand, there is no perfect date. But December 31 is far from it. Sept 1 is much closer and makes much more sense when your trying to field a team of same graduate year kids. This makes sense because girls would be playing with the same girls they play with in school. Current set-up has girls from as many as three graduating classes forming teams.

As far as kids that get held back by their parents, I have no idea but that is a personal choice they made that shouldn't be a softball organizations concern

The problem with USA and USSSA having separate dates is that very few teams are going to reorganize to the new birth date and only play in USA or un-sanctioned events. Again, just because their enrollments haven't blown up in two months time doesn't mean their rule change isn't working. And it isn't a validation of your own rules.

I do believe you will see an issue at the HS age and up where USA tournaments become more popular that yours do to this rule though. This is why I encourage you guys to do more research and correct this loophole that provides advantage to some and takes away a season of travel ball from others.

Example: Stacy is born in January 2010 (2028 grad), Jane is born in September 2010 (2029 grad)

Both start playing in 2018 as 8U
2019 = 9u
2020 = 10u
2021 = 11u
2022 = 12u
2023 = 13u
2024 = 14u
2025 = 15u
2026 = 16u
2027 = 17u
2028 = 18u (Stacy graduates)
2029 = Stacy could actually play again on an 18U team this season! Jane is left without a travel ball team because most of her team graduated with Stacy and must either quit or find a new team that is playing USA tournaments only (if your org keeps their rules the same). Jane loses a year of travel ball

 

[Josh_2031_dad]

Hello all,

Yes I just joined, yes this is my first post, no I'm not hiding, yes this topic affects my 10 yo. daughter. I know all states are not the same age cutoff for school, and yes I realize there will always be girls barely too old for age cutoffs. The hostility sounds like its between adults and the kids are being left out of the equation. But what is the downside of giving girls born late in the year options to play with girls their grade level? If they are ready, can't they play up? I just don't understand the hard stance on not giving kids the opportunity to play where they belong. On average, the ages for grade level better aligns with September then December. If its because "its easier to figure out if your girl is a 2012 or 2016 or whatever" then that's just lazy, because I have heard that a lot. Again, I'm just trying to give my side of the age cutoff because it does affect my daughter, and we don't like to have to change teams every year just to play with her classmates every other year. I know life is not fair but I'm not excited about the possibility of her being in 5th grade and being forced to play with 7th graders. Big maturity difference there if you catch my drift. Shoot, May - April makes more sense than January - December. I don't know, I realize I'm being selfish looking out for my little one, but I know I'm not the only one.
Just a little feedback, no intentions of insulting anyone. Being newer to the fastpitch world and legitimately curious about the age cutoffs 3 years into it and anything else I can learn.

 

[ThomasKBrown]

I agree with others that the new age cut off, in the USA can be a bit confusing at first. However it seems like the main goal is to align softball age divisions with school grades, which could actually have long term benefits. It's true that this change gives players born later in the year a year in their age division, which some might see as an advantage.. I think the transition will be smoother than expected because teams can still choose to play and the new system allows for more inclusivity. As for organizations like USSSA there's still some uncertainty about whether they'll adopt changes. Some suggest they might follow USA Softballs lead to stay up to date while others say there hasn't been discussion about it at USSSA. Overall I believe that despite its disruption this change could lead to an organized system that aligns with education and provides more playing opportunities, for girls.