The Board of Directors has received inquiries from some parents pertaining to the organization’s rules about age cutoffs for the different divisions (i.e. U10, U12 and U14) and whether or not players who do not meet the April 30th deadline for U12 or U14 should be permitted to move up to the next age division.
The Holt Jr. Rams Baseball program is divided into 3 age divisions. U10 is for the players who are 8 – 10 years old on April 30th of each respective season. The U12 division encompasses players that are 11 or 12 years old on April 30th of the season and U14 players must be 13 or 14 years old on April 30th of each season. The Board recently met to consider these age cutoffs as well as whether or not waivers would be granted to allow certain players to advance to the next division even though they do not meet the age requirement for that division. (i.e. Whether a 10 year old born in September, thereby missing the April 30th deadline, can be permitted to play in the U12 division?) After consideration of this issue, the Board of Directors voted to strictly enforce the age requirements for each respective age division. Accordingly, players who do not meet the age requirement for advancement to the next division will not be permitted to advance and play in the next age division.
While the Board understands the concern that these age cut-offs will in some cases cause players from the same grade level to play in different divisions, it is the Board’s belief that several reasons exist for a strict enforcement of these age requirements. A few of these concerns are as follows:
- All Holt Jr. Rams players should be treated equally and preference should not be given to one player over another.
- The Board wishes to avoid any potential liability and/or insurance issues with regards to injuries sustained by or caused by players playing out of their age designation.
- Allowing players to advance out of their age specified division will result in a dilution of talent and competitiveness at the lower divisions.
- Players who seek to advance out of their age specified division will in many cases be playing against players who are 3 years older than they are. For example, there is little doubt that the size, strength and coordination of a young 10 year old is significantly less than that of a 13 year old.
- Many tournaments require strict adherence to these age cutoffs and require proof of age by presentation of birth certificate.
It is the Board’s belief that enforcement of the age requirements will lead to a safer and more competitive Junior Rams Baseball Program. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this regard.
Holt Junior Rams Baseball
Board of Directors
