MAG Changes Coming

[skschlag]

I think you will see some level 8s in that boat too. one more year of level 8 to solidify those higher skills, maybe 1 year of 9, then 10. D only did one year of 8, but will get 2 of 9, thank goodness.

It definitely will be interesting.....

 

[Madden3]

I have one gym son with an August birthday, and one with a May birthday. They will both turn 18 before they start their senior year in HS.

Where I live, the compulsory level season starts in December (Maybe late November some years? Can't remember) and the upper level in Jan. So depending on how far the child advances, most or all of the season is well over by late May. And the season in both cases does not begin until well after September, when the current date cut off is. I am not talking FS. I am talking regular season.

So both of my sons have always competed the age they actually are. I have never, ever thought my August birthday son was at some kind of disadvantage. With this change, my younger son will compete at an age above his actual age. So, yes that is weird and different than what I have experienced with my August B-day son.

BUT, As I have said before, my "angst" is NOT about what age my kids will be considered when competing. It is about the child aging out of being able to train and compete with his team earlier than what we planned before we invested a tremendous amount of our time and money into the sport.

My August birthday son was and will continue to be able to compete in his Senior year of HS.

My younger son, under new date, will not, unless he is granted a waiver. And this feels uncertain to me, and it is not a pleasant feeling.

Please tell me what I have wrong here. I would love to be reassured.

 

[profmom]

Madden3, I know nothing at all except what I read here, but I just can't believe that the USAG JO men's program will implement this in a way that cuts off access to JO competition for boys in your son's situation a year earlier than everyone had been anticipating for years.

 

[krc]

Hi Madden3

Please be reassured Either through a petition, or an additional "out-of-age" age group, something will be done to cover this problem. It is not a huge number of kids that will turn 19 before May, but under the new rules it will be a greater number than before. I agree with profmom, USAG will not kick these kids out (or lose a revenue stream!). The good news is that we will have a definitive answer to this question sometime soon. (before January at any rate)
My guess is that the requirements will be that the athlete must be in high school and born after Jan 1. (a FIG eligible junior)

KRC

 

[Madden3]

Ok thank you both! That is reassuring. I appreciate it.

 

[Deleted member 10727]

Does that mean AFTER Jan 1 (Jan 2+) or Jan 1 is included in that?

 

[lilmisssunshine]

Hi Madden3

My guess is that the requirements will be that the athlete must be in high school and born after Jan 1. (a FIG eligible junior)

KRC

Do you (or does anyone) know what the rules are for a *younger* child graduating from high school? As it stands now with birthday and age cutoffs in our state, my son will graduate when he's 17, and there's a small chance that he'd be graduating even younger. I always wondered what this would mean for him.

 

[profmom]

My son is in that boat as well (young). The rule change is actually a good thing for him, as he will get three years at L10 rather than two if his coach keeps him competing in age. Boys can keep competing JO even after graduating unless they've moved into NCAA competition, I believe.

 

[duyetanh]

That is interesting. What about girls?

 

[profmom]

That is interesting. What about girls?

These changes are completely unrelated to anything happening on the girls' side. The girls' quad shifts a year after the boys', so any discussions about changes are probably very preliminary at this point. Because the girls don't do the whole age group competition thing with rules about being in age to be eligible for nationals, pretty much all of the concerns expressed and addressed in this thread are irrelevant to them.

 

[skschlag]

These changes are completely unrelated to anything happening on the girls' side. The girls' quad shifts a year after the boys', so any discussions about changes are probably very preliminary at this point. Because the girls don't do the whole age group competition thing with rules about being in age to be eligible for nationals, pretty much all of the concerns expressed and addressed in this thread are irrelevant to them.

and I don't think the girls are set for a change until the next quad. The last one was for 8 years....

 

[profmom]

and I don't think the girls are set for a change until the next quad. The last one was for 8 years....

Yeah, minor tweaks at most. Maybe, if all are fortunate, new compulsory floor music options!

 

[krc]

Hi All,

Just a quick update. CB has been a bit buggy for me lately - anyone else? The site has been off-line a lot. Anyway, the latest on the age dilemma is this. (Pending the official vote and publication which as always may change things...)
All 18 and 19 yo's will be allowed to compete in the JO/JE program as long as they are still in HS. If an athlete is 18 and has graduated HS he must compete as an Elite (senior).

Hope this helps

KRC

 

[txgymfan]

Do older men compete JO like some older women? There have been some wonderful examples posted here of older women competing with JO teams.

 

[ZJsMom]

No. Currently, 18 is the oldest age allowed in MAG jo. The age date change potentially created a problem because there would be more boys who would be 19 and still in high school. KRC's post is about this issue.

At DS's gym, there have been a few guys recentlu who have done a year of community college and continued competing JO. This rule will put an end to that trend.

 

[txgymfan]

That's sad! I love that older women compete JO.