Sean, you still aren't saying WHY you are opposed or what is BAD about this proposal.

Give me supporting data on 6 and under sports where a state championship series is the norm. I need supporting data from other state organizations that says this is the right way to develope young children in these activities.

Jay Coakley's - Is this guy a distant cousin with a different spelling.


Youth Sports - From 2005
Quick Facts

Age in which children first have the capability to understand social dynamics of competitive sports: 8 years old

• Average stint in one sport : 5 years

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, National Council of Youth Sports, NCAA.org, Jay Coakley's "Sports in Society".

• Number of kids ages 5-19 in U.S.: 61,446,112
• Number of kids ages 5-18 that competes in 61 top sports organizations: 38,259,845

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, National Council of Youth Sports, NCAA.org, Jay Coakley's "Sports in Society".

Youth Age Divisions

Youth competitions typically take place in two-year age divisions. These age divisions provide young athletes the opportunity to compete with other athletes of similar ability. The age divisions for competition year 2005 are as follows:

Age Division Year of Birth
Bantam (10 & under) 1995+
Midget (11-12) 1993-1994
Youth (13-14) 1991-1992
Intermediate (15-16) 1989-1990
Young (17-18) 1987-1988


2005 Divisions
The Junior Olympics is divided into six divisions for boys and six divisions for girls. The athlete's year of birth shall determine the division in which the athlete shall compete. With each succeeding year each division shall be adjusted. Listed below are the 2005 divisions (NOTE: Sub-Bantams do not advance past the Region 2 Meet in both Track & Field and Cross Country):
Sub-Bantam: Born 1997 or after
Bantam: Born in 1995-1996
Midget: Born in 1993-1994
Youth: Born in 1991-1992
Intermediate: Born in 1989-1990
Young: Born in 1987-1988

(NOTE: Sub-Bantams do not advance past the Region 2 Meet in both Track & Field and Cross Country):

Hockey players are separated into levels based on their age.
• Mites--This is the youngest age group for youth hockey. There are two groups of mites, silver mites and gold mites. Silver mites consist of six year olds and younger, while gold mites consist of seven and eight year olds.
• Squirts--Squirts are between the ages of nine and ten years.
• Pee Wees--Pee Wee is a turning point in a hockey player's life for two reasons. One, it is the first year that body checking is introduced and allowed. Second, it is the first year in which a slap shot is allowed. Pee Wees are eleven and twelve years old.
• Bantams--Bantam is the age where competition and skill really begin to take over. Bantams are thirteen and fourteen years old.
• Midgets--Midgets are the oldest age group before adult or amateur hockey. Midgets are fifteen and sixteen years old.



This is another post from back in 2005

Any parent can start their own club and pay the CLUB FEES and then they get to vote. One vote per club at the state meeting in Salina - that is the way it works. We typically take 2 or 3 coaches from our club to the meeting and only one of us gets to vote. If our club and their parents and all other clubs parents show up we would need the Expo Center. The agenda is sent in advance to club representatives so we know what topics that needs to be voted on. When I need to get an EXPERT opinion - on kids, I ask our parents and coaches. One of our coaches is from a family of 15 kids and the other coach is from a family 14 (not experts - but they have a pretty good field lab). A couple other families in our club have large families with around 10 kids. I consider myself - from a family of 6 kids (novice) and have around 100 cousins on my dad's side and around 100 cousins on my mother's side. I get a bit of insight from my parents. My father was a social worker in the public school system and my mother -well you know her job. One of my brothers is a head high school wrestling coach and elementary teacher. This by no means makes these people or ME EXPERTS on today’s young children. I have left that up to the people who do the studies. I am sure the board members keep tabs on the forum and all the topics - but I doubt they get into it as much as I do. I have been involved with Kansas Kids Wrestling Since 1992. We have come a long way since then.

Coach Sean McCarthy

Last edited by smokeycabin; 10/14/10 06:16 PM.