Why is redshirting so rare if it's so advantageous?

[Anonymous]

NP. Welp, I see DCUM's weirdo anti-redshirt posters still can't do basic math and statistics.

I didn't redshirt, I just think DCUMs anti-redshirt posters are collectively one of the weirdest, dimmest groups on DCUM and that's a tough competition.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You are trying way too hard and are just wrong. Age groupings are just as arbitrary. Why does swim team have an August 1 cutoff, school has a Sept 30 cutoff, some sports have a calendar year cut off, and camp has a requirement that you be the age at the time of registration (so anywhere between January and July, if the camp doesn't fill up)? Peers aren't limited to those born the same month as you.

Social groupings matter. Classmates matter. It's not a race to finish your education before you die.

Because otherwise, your 16 year old 9th grader will be competing against a 14 year old 8th grader in the same competition. Given average maturation rates, is that fair?

The cutoff date is totally arbitrary. Swim or camp or school could use any cutoff.

If they are using birthdays how is this possible? The kids aren’t born in the same 12 month time frame and they aren’t in the same grade?

Why are people so bad at understanding this?

If school has a Sept 30 cutoff and sports or camp have a summer cutoff, then late summer birthday kids who go on time are forced to group with kids in the grade below for social activities. This means that late summer and September birthday kids don't fall in a single grouping, essentially encouraging redshirting. If age cutoffs matched across the board, I think we'd see less redshirting.

+1. DS has an August bday and went to school on time (he turns 6 in August and is a rising 1st grader). I had to call a few of the camps to sign him up for the 1st grade cohort, because I couldn't do it automatically online since he is still 5 and the website wouldn't accept that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You are trying way too hard and are just wrong. Age groupings are just as arbitrary. Why does swim team have an August 1 cutoff, school has a Sept 30 cutoff, some sports have a calendar year cut off, and camp has a requirement that you be the age at the time of registration (so anywhere between January and July, if the camp doesn't fill up)? Peers aren't limited to those born the same month as you.

Social groupings matter. Classmates matter. It's not a race to finish your education before you die.

Because otherwise, your 16 year old 9th grader will be competing against a 14 year old 8th grader in the same competition. Given average maturation rates, is that fair?

The cutoff date is totally arbitrary. Swim or camp or school could use any cutoff.

If they are using birthdays how is this possible? The kids aren’t born in the same 12 month time frame and they aren’t in the same grade?

Why are people so bad at understanding this?

If school has a Sept 30 cutoff and sports or camp have a summer cutoff, then late summer birthday kids who go on time are forced to group with kids in the grade below for social activities. This means that late summer and September birthday kids don't fall in a single grouping, essentially encouraging redshirting. If age cutoffs matched across the board, I think we'd see less redshirting.

Forced to group? Oh the humanity! Go with the group you are supposed to be with. Isn’t that the entire point of the anti redshirters? I have a late summer birthday kid and he has friends in both grades. He has never complained about this grave injustice. Maybe your kid needs help with social skills.

DP. I am convinced that DCUM antiredshirt posters have significant social skills impairments themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right, but they are also learning US History as a 18 year old while all of their classmates are 17.

They learned geoemetry when they were 15 when all of their classmates were 14.

They feel dumb because they are the oldest and learning the same things most of their peers a year younger are learning.

Why? because their parents didn't think they could compete with kids their own age, so gave them the "gift of time" so they could be a year older and more mature when learning as compared to their peers.

Huh? My non redshirted kids turn 18 in the fall of senior year. It’s totally normal. The birthdays span at least 12 months in a school year. The kids don’t all have spring birthdays. Did you do any math in school? Pretty sure you are the dumb one.

Yes, your non red shirted kid turns 18 during their senior year. A redshirted kid would turn 19 during their senior year (further towards the end of the year, granted)

No. My redshirted kid will turn 19 two days before he leaves for college. He was 18 his entire senior year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right, but they are also learning US History as a 18 year old while all of their classmates are 17.

They learned geoemetry when they were 15 when all of their classmates were 14.

They feel dumb because they are the oldest and learning the same things most of their peers a year younger are learning.

Why? because their parents didn't think they could compete with kids their own age, so gave them the "gift of time" so they could be a year older and more mature when learning as compared to their peers.

Huh? My non redshirted kids turn 18 in the fall of senior year. It’s totally normal. The birthdays span at least 12 months in a school year. The kids don’t all have spring birthdays. Did you do any math in school? Pretty sure you are the dumb one.

Yes, your non red shirted kid turns 18 during their senior year. A redshirted kid would turn 19 during their senior year (further towards the end of the year, granted)

No. My redshirted kid will turn 19 two days before he leaves for college. He was 18 his entire senior year.

Right. My non-redshirted kid will be 17 his entire senior year, and turn 18 shortly before starting college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

You are trying way too hard and are just wrong. Age groupings are just as arbitrary. Why does swim team have an August 1 cutoff, school has a Sept 30 cutoff, some sports have a calendar year cut off, and camp has a requirement that you be the age at the time of registration (so anywhere between January and July, if the camp doesn't fill up)? Peers aren't limited to those born the same month as you.

Social groupings matter. Classmates matter. It's not a race to finish your education before you die.

Because otherwise, your 16 year old 9th grader will be competing against a 14 year old 8th grader in the same competition. Given average maturation rates, is that fair?

The cutoff date is totally arbitrary. Swim or camp or school could use any cutoff.

If they are using birthdays how is this possible? The kids aren’t born in the same 12 month time frame and they aren’t in the same grade?

Why are people so bad at understanding this?

If school has a Sept 30 cutoff and sports or camp have a summer cutoff, then late summer birthday kids who go on time are forced to group with kids in the grade below for social activities. This means that late summer and September birthday kids don't fall in a single grouping, essentially encouraging redshirting. If age cutoffs matched across the board, I think we'd see less redshirting.

Forced to group? Oh the humanity! Go with the group you are supposed to be with. Isn’t that the entire point of the anti redshirters? I have a late summer birthday kid and he has friends in both grades. He has never complained about this grave injustice. Maybe your kid needs help with social skills.

DP. I am convinced that DCUM antiredshirt posters have significant social skills impairments themselves.

They want everyone to follow the rules but then call and complain when the camp rules don’t suit them and request a change. Do as I say not as I do! Hypocrites.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right, but they are also learning US History as a 18 year old while all of their classmates are 17.

They learned geoemetry when they were 15 when all of their classmates were 14.

They feel dumb because they are the oldest and learning the same things most of their peers a year younger are learning.

Why? because their parents didn't think they could compete with kids their own age, so gave them the "gift of time" so they could be a year older and more mature when learning as compared to their peers.

Huh? My non redshirted kids turn 18 in the fall of senior year. It’s totally normal. The birthdays span at least 12 months in a school year. The kids don’t all have spring birthdays. Did you do any math in school? Pretty sure you are the dumb one.

Yes, your non red shirted kid turns 18 during their senior year. A redshirted kid would turn 19 during their senior year (further towards the end of the year, granted)

No. My redshirted kid will turn 19 two days before he leaves for college. He was 18 his entire senior year.

Same, will turn 19 one month before college starts. Most of the other red shirt kids we know are in the same situation. It’s so odd that anti-redshirters wave around these numbers without ever taking five minutes to see if they add up.

And no, he was never teased about being “too old” or “held back”. Frankly, kids don’t care. Only psycho mommies care.

[Anonymous]

My non-redshirted kid will be 18 his entire senior year.

[Anonymous]

I was a non-redshirted late September birthday. I started college as a 17 year old.

Parents should make decisions based on what is best for their kids. DS is a late June birthday, we started him on time. He is annoyed that he cannot play many sports with his friends, in the same grade, because they were born in a different year. Academically he is great, he was accepted into AAP even though he is the third youngest kid in his class.

And yes, he knows he is the third youngest, not because we told him but because his classmates discuss when their birthdays are. He also knows the kids who are older because the kids discuss their birthdays and ages. The oldest kid in the class told me, in first grade, that he was in a different Den for Cub Scouts then my DS because he was older so he wanted to be in the older Den. I didn't ask him, he saw me at a Pack meeting and told me. Said kid has also told his classmates what other things he can do, different camps and the like, because he is older then they are. How do I know? My kid came home and said he wanted to do camp X next summer because it sounded cool but he was too young. So yes, some of the kids who are red shirted know about it and seem to care.

I suspect that the youngest/oldest stories fall over a wide range of responses based on the kids personalities and home environment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My non-redshirted kid will be 18 his entire senior year.

and my red-shirted kid will be 18 her entire senior year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Right, but they are also learning US History as a 18 year old while all of their classmates are 17.

They learned geoemetry when they were 15 when all of their classmates were 14.

They feel dumb because they are the oldest and learning the same things most of their peers a year younger are learning.

Why? because their parents didn't think they could compete with kids their own age, so gave them the "gift of time" so they could be a year older and more mature when learning as compared to their peers.

Huh? My non redshirted kids turn 18 in the fall of senior year. It’s totally normal. The birthdays span at least 12 months in a school year. The kids don’t all have spring birthdays. Did you do any math in school? Pretty sure you are the dumb one.

Yes, your non red shirted kid turns 18 during their senior year. A redshirted kid would turn 19 during their senior year (further towards the end of the year, granted)

No. My redshirted kid will turn 19 two days before he leaves for college. He was 18 his entire senior year.

Same, will turn 19 one month before college starts. Most of the other red shirt kids we know are in the same situation. It’s so odd that anti-redshirters wave around these numbers without ever taking five minutes to see if they add up.

And no, he was never teased about being “too old” or “held back”. Frankly, kids don’t care. Only psycho mommies care.

completely agree. my redshirted kid will be 18 her entire senior year and no one seems to care one way or the other.

[Anonymous]

The thing I don't like about this conversation is how some commenters throw around comments about how people will think your kid is dumb or behind if they are red-shirted. You know some kids actually are behind and not the smartest (mine!) and its not the end of the world. I don't like the tone of these comments at all -- perhaps people should actually think about how their comments sound.... oh right - this is DCUM no one thinks before they post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The thing I don't like about this conversation is how some commenters throw around comments about how people will think your kid is dumb or behind if they are red-shirted. You know some kids actually are behind and not the smartest (mine!) and its not the end of the world. I don't like the tone of these comments at all -- perhaps people should actually think about how their comments sound.... oh right - this is DCUM no one thinks before they post.

DCUM anti-redshirt posters have no problem gossiping about children or being cruel to children, unfortunately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thing I don't like about this conversation is how some commenters throw around comments about how people will think your kid is dumb or behind if they are red-shirted. You know some kids actually are behind and not the smartest (mine!) and its not the end of the world. I don't like the tone of these comments at all -- perhaps people should actually think about how their comments sound.... oh right - this is DCUM no one thinks before they post.

DCUM anti-redshirt posters have no problem gossiping about children or being cruel to children, unfortunately.

These weirdos act like its a race their 16 yr old high school senior needs to win at all costs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Forced to group? Oh the humanity! Go with the group you are supposed to be with. Isn’t that the entire point of the anti redshirters? I have a late summer birthday kid and he has friends in both grades. He has never complained about this grave injustice. Maybe your kid needs help with social skills.

I think you are being willfully obtuse.

If different activities have different cut offs, then some kids will be grouped with one cohort for one activity (school for example) and a different group for a different activitiy (Swimming or hockey for example)

So going with "the one you are supposed to be with" puts some people in a position of having different groups, or not being able to participate with their friends.