Mulligan Year

What I like about your decision is you decided on the back end of the educational process rather than holding your son back when he was little. You waited until you could see the value of an extra year.

RJM

Nice point...I was thinking the same thing. Does seem like some parents are doing this more than they use to?

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I could use five or six mulligan years right about now!



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Great story to share. I know others will find it helpful to consider. I am struck by the mature approach he took to the decision. I know you must be very proud.

We held our son (an August birthday) back when he was 5. In our experience this is not uncommon in Texas, where the school year typically starts in mid-August. He had several friends who were in a similar situation - in fact, many schools offer "bridge" classes for those who are taking another year of kindergarten. When we moved to the NE we found it is not so common, although he has 2 friends in the same grade who got their driver's licenses at the same time, so they must have done the same thing.

Our son has thanked us many times for our decision. It sounds like your son feels the same way.

This is very interesting. I never knew this concept existed.

Was he also able to play baseball for this "prep" school? And did the classes he take count as HS courses or will they transfer to college?

quote:

Originally posted by biggerpapi:
This is very interesting. I never knew this concept existed.

Was he also able to play baseball for this "prep" school? And did the classes he take count as HS courses or will they transfer to college?

He reclassified his son so he would be a 2012 graduate.

As much as you are correct he benefited from this decision, you need to remind folks that it is a very expensive one as well. This decision was also made, I am sure, so that he could have a better chance at a better school with a better baseball program and most likely pro consideration later on.

He could have had his mulligan year at a JUCO as well.

Most likely your son would have come home from his first year of college also much more mature, that is usually what happens when they leave home.

I am so happy this worked out so well for your son. Congrats and good luck next season.

And by the way I don't know about mulligan years needed for me. But I definitely could have used some mulligan minutes along the way. Might have saved me from some bad years! Lol

quote:

Originally posted by Coach_May:
I am so happy this worked out so well for your son. Congrats and good luck next season.

And by the way I don't know about mulligan years needed for me. But I definitely could have used some mulligan minutes along the way. Might have saved me from some bad years! Lol

I could use some too!

Will echo CM's words, best of luck!

Great post!
On the flip side...we held my son back in 1st grade. He could/would have been graduating from HS this June. There is NO way he would have been ready to walk onto a college campus this fall.

Papi -- Great questions. From what we have learned, different states have different rules, so everyone has to evaluate their own specific circumstances.

In VA, if a student reclassifies before beginning his/her senior year, and does not turn 19 before Sept 1 in the fall of their new senior year, they can compete in interscholastic sports. However, if they take the Prep year AFTER graduating -- called a PG Prep year -- they cannot play sports. Thus, VA students who take a PG Prep year go out of state to PA, NJ, NY, CT, etc. if they wish to compete during their prep year.

In our case, my guy will not turn 19 until a few months after he graduates following his new senior year, so that was a non-issue. The biggest issue for him is that the NCAA requires that prospective student athletes complete certain core courses within a defined timeline in HS to be eligible. One of those requirements is that students have to take English 9, 10, 11 & 12 in 4 consecutive years. When my son reclassified, he had completed English 9, 10, & 11. His new school requires that all students take the English and Science courses pegged to their grade; so he had to take English 11 again. In order to fulfill the NCAA requirement he took an additional 12th grade English course as well.

Other than that, he is taking college prep HS, Honors and AP courses. Like any other advanced courses, some are eligible for college credit. Hoverever, we have heard of some Prep programs where kids take classes through a local community college, so everything is transferable. It seems to come down the what the specific schools can offer. Bottom line -- you have to explore the options open to you and your student.

Shifting gears ... I told my son that I had launched this thread. He told me that all-in-all he is very happy he made the choice he made, and that he really believes it is going to help him in college and beyond. He said that it is hard sometimes when you think about your buddies who are graduating and moving one, while you have one more year of HS to complete; but all in all the good far outweighs the bad.

I will say this ... this HAS to be the student's decision. He/she is the one who has to live with the ramifications of the choice. For my guy, I have no doubt that taking this path will pay huge dividends for him even if his baseball career were to end tomorrow.

I hope our experience proves helpful to someone else who may be weighing the choices we were weighing last summer.


Addendum -- TPM & Coach May Thank You (your posts came in while I was writing the above). You have both been valued sounding boards to us these past couple of years.

As to the JUCO option, it would have still sent him off to college as a newly minted, and young in more than age, 18 year old. The prep route gives him the opportunity to graduate with kids his own age, and does not start his eligibility clock. Yes, a number of college coaches have been very attracted to the idea that he would come out of HS as a 2012 rather than a 2011 ... but all that is speculation.

The biggest reward I am seeing from this decision is that a kid who has always been clawing to keep up with his "peer group" in physical & social maturity (just because of his age) is now with his chronological peer group ... and is beginning to blossom because all the clawing to keep up with the kids ahead of him has put him at the front of his peer group. It is very gratifying seeing what is coming out of the shell.

southpaw_dad - I give you great credit for starting this thread and your eloquence in describing your feelings and your decision making. You are not alone and you are definitely a great contributor to our site!

I'm not a big proponent of holding back kids for sports. Only for education and that's early before they go off to kindergarten or if they're failing in school. Since the OP says that AP courses are being taken, I see no reason to hold back a student if he/she qualifies to take AP courses. It appears the hold back is only for baseball. However, parents have every right to choose how they raise their kids so to each their own. It's not up to me to decide what's better for somebody else's kids.

My son was the youngest in his class. He started his senior year at 16,, graduated at 17 and will graduate college at 21. In no way would he have wanted me to hold him back despite his classmates, some of them being a year older.

I had no reason to. He made the grade every year and still wound up playing varsity ball despite being a year younger and less mature than some of his classmates and teammates.

Despite starting college at 17, he's on pace to graduate with honors next year. My daughter is in the exact same boat and she would not have wanted to been held back either for an extra year of competitive cheer because her age allowed her to.

Freshman year in college is an adjustment whether they start at 17 or 19.

Sure, an extra year would've physically been beneficial to my son, however, ironically, had I held my son back for baseball. he possibly could have played behind the player who will likely be a first or second round draft pick in the MLB draft in a couple of days as opposd to starting almost every game his senior year.

This isn't a right or wrong issue but more of a will it work for me (or my child) or not. As a teacher with 13 years experience I've seen lots of kids who come in a year young and excel in academics, athletics and maturity. I've also seen the year early kids come in and struggle in those same areas. And I've seen kids fall anywhere inside of that range.

Same can be said of kids who are at the same level as their peers. When it comes to kids you are going to get anything and sometimes going to a post secondary year school before college will work. Sometimes it won't. Sometimes going to a JUCO will work and sometimes it won't.

You just got to factor in all the issues and make the decision you think will be best then make it work.

southpaw_dad it worked for you and I congratulate you mainly because it wasn't random luck. You put the work in to make it successful.

Great job SP-dad. Bottome line, you're positioning Jr to give it his best shot. If I were in your shoes I would have done the same thing.

quote:

Originally posted by gotwood4sale:
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I could use five or six mulligan years right about now!



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Seven years of college down the drain!