MAG Changes Coming

[uniqueRN]

My son told me there are big changes to the age groups starting next year. Guess we will finally be like the rest of the world and the age group will be as of January 1st. His coach said starting next year, he will compete at the age he is for the season. This apparently means since he will be 14 in next years competitive season so he will compete as a level 10 instead of a level 9. Anyone else hear anything like this

 

[profmom]

There are a lot of rumors flying around. I hadn't heard that one, but I did hear that L4 and L5 might only have mushroom in their compulsory routines. I also heard that there's a plan to change how regionals work, with a super regional meet putting some regions together to manage qualifications to nationals.

 

[ZJsMom]

Age will be as of 1/1 instead of 9/1? It won't impact my ds, but I guess it will effect who he's competing against. As a matter of fact, I think that would bump one of the best AAs in our region in ds's age group into the next age group.

Level 9 is for 13-14, so the OP's ds should still have another year of level 9. It would stink for boys who lose a year of being eligible for 8 or 9 though.

 

[duyetanh]

Ok, I don't have a son, but am trying to understand this...so if you have a 12 year old boy who competed level 5 last year, what does he have to compete this year? (I am just throwing a random example out there)

 

[krc]

These changes will be for the 2016-17 season - to be enacted with the new quad. This will not effect the upcoming 2015-16 season. The age determining date will shift forward 8 months from Sept 1st to May 31st of the competitive year. In other words, the athletes will be competing their actual age at the end of the season. Exactly as the women do now. There will be boys that will lose a year, but their entire cohort will also. It will be the same group of kids, just under a different designation. (minus a few at the bottom and top of the age group.)

Super Regionals is on the table, but it is not a done deal. (I for one, will lobby against it - additional costs we don't need) However this and any other changes are all conjecture at this point. With the exception of the age date change, nothing has been voted on or approved. Yes, these are all things that have been proposed, but as the committees do their work these proposals will get modified before they are solidified. Stay in touch with your Regional and State chairs - they have the latest info and will be able to answer your questions. (I should say ask your coach to ask the chairs )

KRC

 

[curlymop]

Ok, I don't have a son, but am trying to understand this...so if you have a 12 year old boy who competed level 5 last year, what does he have to compete this year? (I am just throwing a random example out there)

I believe a 12 year old can compete any level except 9 or 10. However, only certain age groups can qualify for JO Nationals in levels 8, 9, and 10. Anyone 11 and up can compete level 8, but only 11 and 12 year olds can qualify for Nationals. In level 9, only 13 and 14 year olds can go to Nationals. So a 15 year old who wants a shot at Nationals must compete level 10.

This reminds me that at my son's very first meet, when he had just turned 6, there were a couple of older boys competing level 4 in the same session. Those boys had clearly shaved that morning and possibly driven themselves there.

I wonder what the point would be of changing the cutoff date.

 

[ZJsMom]

Thanks KRC. What's the rationale behind changing the age cutoff? It seems to just upset the apple cart by taking away a year of eligibility for nationals for some guys at levels 8 and 9. It would also mean if someone turns 19 at the end of their senior year, he'd be too old for JO. I don't think I like it.

 

[profmom]

Age will be as of 1/1 instead of 9/1? It won't impact my ds, but I guess it will effect who he's competing against. As a matter of fact, I think that would bump one of the best AAs in our region in ds's age group into the next age group.

Level 9 is for 13-14, so the OP's ds should still have another year of level 9. It would stink for boys who lose a year of being eligible for 8 or 9 though.

That's my kid. He loses a year. To stay in prime age, he will only get one year at L8. I'm not going to tell him until I know more, but this will turn up the heat on his personal pressure cooker tremendously. With a shift from September to May, that's going to affect a LOT of guys in that way. I'm pretty sure all of our optionals and prospective optionals will lose a year.

 

[ZJsMom]

If they're going to do this, they should really phase it in with compulsories so they don't take a year away from the 8s and 9s. That doesn't seem fair at all.

 

[profmom]

Agreed, ZJsMom. But it depends on how they set it up. Right now, they compete as the age they are on September 1. If it's set up so that they compete as the age they are on May 31, it pushes things back rather than forward for most guys. I really, really hope that is the plan, as it will cause far less disruption and won't make guys lose a year.

(So, e.g., a fall, winter, or spring birthday guy who will compete this year as an 11 year old would turn 12 during the year and for 2016-17 would compete as the 12 year old he would be on May 31, 2016, not the 13 year old he would be on May 31, 2017.)

 

[ZJsMom]

I understood it to mean pushing forward. So for next year instead of competing the age they are on 9/1/16, they'd compete as the age they are on 5/31/17.

 

[2G1B]

W

These changes will be for the 2016-17 season - to be enacted with the new quad. This will not effect the upcoming 2015-16 season. The age determining date will shift forward 8 months from Sept 1st to May 31st of the competitive year. In other words, the athletes will be competing their actual age at the end of the season. Exactly as the women do now. There will be boys that will lose a year, but their entire cohort will also. It will be the same group of kids, just under a different designation. (minus a few at the bottom and top of the age group.)

Super Regionals is on the table, but it is not a done deal. (I for one, will lobby against it - additional costs we don't need) However this and any other changes are all conjecture at this point. With the exception of the age date change, nothing has been voted on or approved. Yes, these are all things that have been proposed, but as the committees do their work these proposals will get modified before they are solidified. Stay in touch with your Regional and State chairs - they have the latest info and will be able to answer your questions. (I should say ask your coach to ask the chairs )

KRC

Wait, what?? So, if a kid's birthday is May 30, and he will turn 12 on that day, he will now compete the season as a 12 year old even though at every single meet he will be 11 years old?? Even nationals is over by the end of May isn't it? I know it was before the last day if school and we get out before Memorial Day. Seems ridiculous that the date would be set as May 31.

 

[krc]

Good Morning Everyone!

ZJsMom, you are correct, the age date is moving fwd. About 2/3's of the kids will lose a year at a specific level. i.e. only one year of L9 or 14-15 L10. It should not affect the number of times you are eligible for Nationals overall. (except for a few) What it will do to some athletes is put them in the lower or upper 1/2 of an age bracket 2 yrs in a row. A 15yo old L10 may skip to a 17yo L10, or a 14 L9 may become a 16 L10.

Most JO athletes get 3 yrs of L10 at Nationals, a few with early birthdays may get 4. This won't change under the new system. And, if your 19 yo is still in HS, he can petition to stay in the junior program an additional year. This exception has been granted before.

Understanding that any date is as arbitrary as the next, the reasoning behind May 31 is so that all athletes will be competing their actual age at the championship meets. There will always be someone who is 364 days out. Right now I have a Aug 31 and a Sept 1 in my gym - this move is great for them!

Personally, I liked Sept 1st. It groups kids by their school year cohorts. But from USAG's perspective it is a backward looking criteria. At most meets the winners in any given age are usually not that age. This change will fix that. However there will be a one year displacement for many kids. Lets hope that single year awards, and selection criteria can soften that landing.

BTW no 11yo JO L8's at Nationals this year, only 12yo's and 11yo JE's will be eligible.

KRC

 

[samsmama]

I'm so confused! I have an 8-yr-old who turns 9 in December. So this year he will compete as an 8-year-old. Will he compete as a 10-year-old the following season?

 

[krc]

I'm so confused! I have an 8-yr-old who turns 9 in December. So this year he will compete as an 8-year-old. Will he compete as a 10-year-old the following season?

Yes. That is correct.

 

[2G1B]

Understanding that any date is as arbitrary as the next, the reasoning behind May 31 is so that all athletes will be competing their actual age at the championship meets. There will always be someone who is 364 days out. Right now I have a Aug 31 and a Sept 1 in my gym - this move is great for them!

I understand what you are saying (and truly, I'm not attacking you, just the thought behind this particular arbitrary date); but while any date is arbitrary, May 31 is absolutely ridiculous IMO. It means that the handful of late May kids will NEVER compete their actual age. They will always compete a year older than they are. My DS is one of those kids with a late May birthday. Nationals, from what I can see, has never been after (or on) his birthday. He is going to get thrown into always being the youngest kid in his age group. For a sport (on the men's side) where there is a definite advantage to the older boys (especially in the younger end when that year could mean the other boys are near or have hut puberty), my son is getting the raw end of this deal.

 

[krc]

2G1B,
I absolutely understand your concerns, and I don't take offense. Please realize I am not one of the people making these decisions. But realistically, there is no perfect date. There will always be athletes on the negative side on this or any other date. Currently any athlete born in August is in the same position as your son will be with the new age divisions. The effect of age bias towards athletes born shortly after a cut-off dates is well documented : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relative_age_effect
I don't have the ultimate answer to this question. I see the reasoning behind the May 31 date. It will be more accurate when comparing "competitive age" to "actual age." But as I mentioned earlier, I would prefer School-year age divisions (sept 1), however I didn't get a vote on this. (I just get to try and explain it )

KRC

 

[2G1B]

I guess that why this date seems so off to me is that it puts some kids competing at an age that they won't actually turn until after the season is over. For the compulsory boys, kids like my son will be 1.5+ months away from turning the age that they have competed all season when their season ends (at regionals).

It is almost funny. My son was almost 7 weeks premature. If he had held off for even one more week he would be firmly in the advantage end of this age group.

Honestly, he has always been towards the younger end of his age group, most of the guys he has always competed against will be the same; but it really just strikes me as odd to pick a date that has kids competing as older than they will be all season.

 

[skschlag]

So, from what I am understanding, only kiddos with summer birthdays are unaffected by this? Other than goign from being the youngest in the age group to the oldest?

 

[profmom]

I know it will be of some benefit on the back end to some boys like my DS, who will only be 17 when he graduates from high school. If he stays in the proper age/level, he'll now get three years of L10 rather than only two. But it stinks that he now only has one more year to do Future Stars. However, as bad as I feel about that, I can't imagine what it's going to be like when the majority of kids competing FS as 12 year olds this year find out . . . at some point hopefully soonish? . . . that this is/was their last year in the program.

I hope USAG gets the word out about these changes soon. The elimination of eleven year old JO L8 nationals will have an impact on choices coaches are making now for fall training.

Thanks so much, Krc, for explaining all of this to us. I know several parents who are going to FREAK OUT when they find out, and my having had a little time to think about this will help me to talk them down off the ledge. It might save our program director a migraine or two.