I never saw this topic but I do have an opinion. If a student repeats a grade it better be for a very good reason. I knew a wrestler that was a straight "A" student all his life but the year he was supposed to enter high school, he was still thirteen years old. That is a very good reason. If a student is making horrible grades and is struggling for any apparent reason acedemically, then he should be held back.
But if the only reason is to gain an athletic advantage, then KSHSAA should step in and remove one year of athletic eligibility. ie.. if a student repeats a grade for athletic advantage, they should only be able to compete their freshman, sophomore, and junior year. It would defeat the purpose to have them sit out their freshman year. They would still have the same age advantage of being old as a senior if this was the case.
I think KSHSAA should be very strict about this issue to keep competition fair. I know there may be many loop holes, but it should be policed.
Just an opinion!
However, good luck to those wrestlers who have found the loop holes at this point in time as they have not broken any wrestling rules. You can't blame them at this point in time.
Church
