8th grade holdback

February 11th, 2007, 10:10 PM

Play 8th grade your 8th grade year and jv your hold back year, the VHSL doesn't care about less than high school . This means varsity sports and 9th grade, catch- some schools won't let you take that many classes of less than high school level the second year. It is discrimination, no different than failing. If a kid fails anywhere in school , then they would have to lose a year of playing time. No, I don't believe this, but the board will never win this argument if you get your stuff together.

**fathokieboy** · February 12th, 2007, 12:38 AM

You have 4 years of to play once you reach 9th grade.

**sup-rbeast** · February 12th, 2007, 12:52 AM

at the beginning of this school year there was talk that they were going to change the rule starting next school year. The change would be that instead of setting eligibility for varsity sports as 8 consecutive semesters starting in the 9th grade, it would be changed to eligibility for both jv and varsity sports would be 10 consecutive semesters starting in the 8th grade. This change would make no player eligible for jv until he or she was in the 8th grade; thus, eliminating any chance for a holdback year. Still the athlete would have the same eligibility as now once in the 9th grade. Don't know if it has been passed or voted on...but before the spring is over we all will know if this is the case.

**imported_Counts** · February 12th, 2007, 09:45 AM

The rule did change

28-4-2

[ QUOTE ]
A student who is repeating the eighth grade after having successfully
completed the eighth grade (held back), must be enrolled in five new courses in order to
be eligible for a second year as an eighth grader.

[/ QUOTE ]
http://vhsl.org/Handbook.pdf

Now there is a heck of alot more to it than there used to be.

Add to that the fact that the rule has no teeth since

#1) It does not affect the players varcity elegability
#2) Worst case it leads to JV Forfits (and who really cares?)
#3) The the kid does it in 7th Grade there is nothing to stop him/her
#4) Call it middle school ball insted of JV and all is well

So YES there is a rule change and NO it will change nothing

**sup-rbeast** · February 12th, 2007, 10:41 AM

Your post on the rule was a compromise earlier this year...there has been talk since of fixing the rule as I stated in my post for next year. But, as for now, your post is the way it stands. I have heard the compromise on the rule this year was to avoid law suits and complaints from parents who had kids that had held back already...but at the same time serves notice that the intention is to eventually phase out holding back in order to avoid lawsuits when the rule is changed.

**imported_Counts** · February 12th, 2007, 10:50 AM

If I remember correct they were looking at making Varcity elegability end 10 semesters after the student entered the 8th grade but still only be able to play the last 8 (9th grade on)

That did not happen this year and we got the watered down change.

I had not seen anything that sugusted that they were looking at making another change next year (Not saying that it is not in the works but I had not seen it brought up anywhere yet)

**sup-rbeast** · February 12th, 2007, 10:58 AM

Working in schools you hear folks asking about it all the time. The answer most usually given is "this is how it stands now"..lol.

**Jason** · February 12th, 2007, 11:26 AM

[ QUOTE ]
#4) Call it middle school ball insted of JV and all is well

[/ QUOTE ]

Do as Gate City and have 7th and 8th graders play on the 8th grade team. We have been doing that for years though. Sometimes we have a JV team when we have alot of kids dress out to play Varsity. And then I think GC uses 9th through 11th graders. I really never heard of 8th graders on JV until we joined the LPD. I am speaking of football.

**sup-rbeast** · February 12th, 2007, 11:42 AM

If the rule was changed to a student having to be in 8th grade to qualify to play jv, there wouldn't be any 7th graders on an 8th grade team tho.

**Jason** · February 12th, 2007, 11:47 AM

[ QUOTE ]
If the rule was changed to a student having to be in 8th grade to qualify to play jv, there wouldn't be any 7th graders on an 8th grade team tho.

[/ QUOTE ]

I am not sure of the rules myself. All I am saying is I never saw an 8th grader on JV till we joined the LPD. I guess some districts do it different than others. Not saying anything wrong with it.