"redshirting" - holding kids back a year just to gain an advantage

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have two summer bday "redshirted" boys. They were TKed for different, but what felt to be very significant, reasons at the time. I paid 0 attention to how old their peers were and as they aged there was only 1 year, with 1 kid, where I was worried it might have been a mistake, but the following year it was all fine again.

I can't imagine many parents are TKing their 4-5 year olds planning for any sort of an "advantage" in the future, and if they are there are likely a lot of other problems going on in that parenting mindset.

That said, I have met a handful of redshirted 8th graders who changed schools and were absolutely hoping for a sport advantage, and now that I have college-aged kids I know there are quite a few who go to boarding school for a 13th year as another layer of redshirting before college. With covid extending eligibility for that cohort of college students it does create a backlog of kids who want to be recruited.

Of course you redshirted your boys for an "advantage." You might not like to use that word, and it might make you feel uncomfortable that you inadvertently put other kids at a disadvantage by doing so, but you did indeed do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Careful, you just entered a DCUM war zone. Prepare for the wave of parents who say they are doing what's best for their kids, completely ignoring that redshirting inevitably puts younger kids at a disadvantage. Holding your kid back, no matter how "shy" or "immature" he or she is, will always, always skew a class demographic.

I wish private schools would set a cut off and stick with it, but that would piss off too many monied families who don't want their kid to be on the younger side. Make April or May cut offs, I don't care, but let it be a real thing and stop creating grades that span 18+ months.

Are you a private school parent in DC?

Because many/most kids with summer birthdays are pretty much forced to redshirt for DC privates.

I am, and in our experience it is very dependent on the school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Careful, you just entered a DCUM war zone. Prepare for the wave of parents who say they are doing what's best for their kids, completely ignoring that redshirting inevitably puts younger kids at a disadvantage. Holding your kid back, no matter how "shy" or "immature" he or she is, will always, always skew a class demographic.

I wish private schools would set a cut off and stick with it, but that would piss off too many monied families who don't want their kid to be on the younger side. Make April or May cut offs, I don't care, but let it be a real thing and stop creating grades that span 18+ months.

Are you a private school parent in DC?

Because many/most kids with summer birthdays are pretty much forced to redshirt for DC privates.

I am, and in our experience it is very dependent on the school.

Which DC privates don't redshirt summer kids?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have two summer bday "redshirted" boys. They were TKed for different, but what felt to be very significant, reasons at the time. I paid 0 attention to how old their peers were and as they aged there was only 1 year, with 1 kid, where I was worried it might have been a mistake, but the following year it was all fine again.

I can't imagine many parents are TKing their 4-5 year olds planning for any sort of an "advantage" in the future, and if they are there are likely a lot of other problems going on in that parenting mindset.

That said, I have met a handful of redshirted 8th graders who changed schools and were absolutely hoping for a sport advantage, and now that I have college-aged kids I know there are quite a few who go to boarding school for a 13th year as another layer of redshirting before college. With covid extending eligibility for that cohort of college students it does create a backlog of kids who want to be recruited.

Of course you redshirted your boys for an "advantage." You might not like to use that word, and it might make you feel uncomfortable that you inadvertently put other kids at a disadvantage by doing so, but you did indeed do it.

Oh don’t be so daft. The schools admit who they want, when they want.

Do you understand the basic concept of private schools?

[Anonymous]

Trolls trolling trolls

[Anonymous]

I had great grades, a perfect SAT, later LSAT, etc etc and still wish that I had not only not been advanced but had actually been redshirted. My foolish parents gave me the gift of “advanced classes at an early age” when what I really needed was to be the same size as everyone else. I can still remember the looks on my classmates faces when I dunked in a pick up game post college. They were all 22 and I was barely 19. The world doesn’t need “advanced 14 year olds,” it needs well rounded 25 year olds who become wise adults. Hold them back!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had great grades, a perfect SAT, later LSAT, etc etc and still wish that I had not only not been advanced but had actually been redshirted. My foolish parents gave me the gift of “advanced classes at an early age” when what I really needed was to be the same size as everyone else. I can still remember the looks on my classmates faces when I dunked in a pick up game post college. They were all 22 and I was barely 19. The world doesn’t need “advanced 14 year olds,” it needs well rounded 25 year olds who become wise adults. Hold them back!

All of them?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Re: What people call "redshirting" - holding kids back a year just to gain an advantage. If one is going to do this, when should it be done? Start a child in K at 6 or 6.5 instead of 5?

Ha! I had this debate 16 years ago on DCUM! My friends who held their kids back uniformly sent them to private schools and those kids are now at tippy top schools. Mine, not so much. There is a two year spread between some boys applying for college!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had great grades, a perfect SAT, later LSAT, etc etc and still wish that I had not only not been advanced but had actually been redshirted. My foolish parents gave me the gift of “advanced classes at an early age” when what I really needed was to be the same size as everyone else. I can still remember the looks on my classmates faces when I dunked in a pick up game post college. They were all 22 and I was barely 19. The world doesn’t need “advanced 14 year olds,” it needs well rounded 25 year olds who become wise adults. Hold them back!

You make zero sense. So, the freshman you were with at 18 were all 22? They had some serious issues then.

[Anonymous]

In DC, every July/August birthday I know is redshirted so I consider that the norm. It’s June/May/April that I’m curious about.

Are those kids frequently redshirted at places like St. Pat’s/ GDS, etc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Re: What people call "redshirting" - holding kids back a year just to gain an advantage. If one is going to do this, when should it be done? Start a child in K at 6 or 6.5 instead of 5?

Ha! I had this debate 16 years ago on DCUM! My friends who held their kids back uniformly sent them to private schools and those kids are now at tippy top schools. Mine, not so much. There is a two year spread between some boys applying for college!

wow!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Re: What people call "redshirting" - holding kids back a year just to gain an advantage. If one is going to do this, when should it be done? Start a child in K at 6 or 6.5 instead of 5?

Ha! I had this debate 16 years ago on DCUM! My friends who held their kids back uniformly sent them to private schools and those kids are now at tippy top schools. Mine, not so much. There is a two year spread between some boys applying for college!

wow!

I hate to break it to you, but there is actually a much larger gap than that at college.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In DC, every July/August birthday I know is redshirted so I consider that the norm. It’s June/May/April that I’m curious about.

Are those kids frequently redshirted at places like St. Pat’s/ GDS, etc?

Yes, and many parents are redshirting late January, February and March children as well. (I don’t think you could go back to December the prior year with a straight face and be taken seriously.)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Careful, you just entered a DCUM war zone. Prepare for the wave of parents who say they are doing what's best for their kids, completely ignoring that redshirting inevitably puts younger kids at a disadvantage. Holding your kid back, no matter how "shy" or "immature" he or she is, will always, always skew a class demographic.

I wish private schools would set a cut off and stick with it, but that would piss off too many monied families who don't want their kid to be on the younger side. Make April or May cut offs, I don't care, but let it be a real thing and stop creating grades that span 18+ months.

Are you a private school parent in DC?

Because many/most kids with summer birthdays are pretty much forced to redshirt for DC privates.

I am, and in our experience it is very dependent on the school.

Which DC privates don't redshirt summer kids?

I think it’s up to the parents not the schools. However, many of these schools have group “play dates” and observe the kids and obviously the older children are going to stand out more especially at three years old, so yes, maybe indirectly the schools are pushing this practice. (how was a child that is 3 1/2 going to compete with a 4 1/2 year-old at a play date)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In DC, every July/August birthday I know is redshirted so I consider that the norm. It’s June/May/April that I’m curious about.

Are those kids frequently redshirted at places like St. Pat’s/ GDS, etc?

Yes, and many parents are redshirting late January, February and March children as well. (I don’t think you could go back to December the prior year with a straight face and be taken seriously.)

In private school, this is not the decision of the parents.