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Age Limit for Varsity Sports


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Have a question about requirements for playing varsity sports in the state of Virginia? 

What are the rules?

My sister in law is in 8th grade and is playing JV softball, possibility of not having enough girls to compete on JV, they do not have an 8th grade team, so is she just basically having to sit out a year of school ball if they do not have enough for a JV team?

 

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!!! Thank you!!!

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I think 8th graders can play JV without any Issues.

From the VHSL Handbook...

Quote

28A-4-1 GRADE RULE-The student shall be enrolled in the last four years of high school.
28A-4-2 Exceptions:
(1) Students may compete on the sub-varsity level while in the eighth grade; however,
no student below the eighth grade level is eligible to participate in any VHSL interscholastic
contest.

(2) Eighth-grade students who passed fi ve 8th grade subjects the past school year
(see Note following 28A-5-1 (6)) and reached the age of fi fteen on or before the fi rst day of
August may compete on the varsity level.
(3) Eighth-grade students may participate in nonathletic events for one year only
while in the eighth grade. Such participation does not affect the subsequent eligibility of the
student under the Semester Rule.
(4) A student may participate in VHSL sub-varsity sports for one year only prior to
entering the ninth grade.

 

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41 minutes ago, #BBN said:

Have a question about requirements for playing varsity sports in the state of Virginia? 

What are the rules?

My sister in law is in 8th grade and is playing JV softball, possibility of not having enough girls to compete on JV, they do not have an 8th grade team, so is she just basically having to sit out a year of school ball if they do not have enough for a JV team?

 

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated!!! Thank you!!!

Virginia High School League (VHSL) Student Eligibility Requirements
1. Bona Fide Student Rule: You must be enrolled in and in good standing in the school you
represent.
2. Grade Rule: You must be enrolled in the last four years of high school.
3. Scholarship Rule: You must have passed at least five credit subjects, or the equivalent, at
the end of the previous semester and be enrolled in and remain continuously enrolled in
at least five credit subjects, or the equivalent, during the current semester. (Under most
4X4 block plans, one block is the equivalent of two traditional credits and a student who
takes/passes three is taking/passing the equivalent of six.)
4. Age Rule: You must not have reached your 19th birthday on or before the first day of
August of the current school year.

5. Transfer Rule: You must sit out of VHSL activities for 365 calendar days following a
transfer to the school unless the transfer corresponded with a family move into the school
attendance zone. Eighth and ninth graders are automatically eligible wherever they enroll
at the beginning of the year. (Please check with your principal or athletic/activities
director for exceptions.)
6. Semester Rule: You may participate for no more than eight consecutive semesters
following your initial enrollment in the ninth grade, whether or not you have remained
continuously enrolled.

7. Amateur Rule: You must be an amateur who participates only for the educational,
physical, mental and social benefits derived from the activity.
8. Awards Rule: You must not accept in recognition of athletic ability any award not
approved by your school or the Virginia High School League.
9. All-Star Rule: Only seniors who have completed their eligibility in a sport may
participate in one all-star game in that sports season.
10. Consent Form/Physical: You must have submitted a complete copy of a current Athletic
Participation/Parental Consent/Physical Examination Form, including the required
physical by a doctor, prior to practice, tryouts or membership on any school athletic team, including cheer.
You must earn the privilege to participate in interscholastic athletics and activities by meeting
these standards, plus any other requirements established by either the school or the League. The
standards listed here are a summary of the rules, many of which have detailed exceptions or
interpretations. If you have any questions about your eligibility or about how specific activities
might affect that eligibility, please check with your principal or athletic/activities director. By
meeting the intent and spirit of League standards, you will prevent yourself, your team, your
school and your League from being penalized.

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She will be on the JV team, but they might not have enough girls, and they don’t have enough for 8th grade, so she basically will have to sit out a year because she can’t play varsity until she is in 9th grade. Looks like they would switch the rule and be like Kentucky and let them play varsity whenever they are deemed ready by the coaching staff......just my opinion......

 

cheats some one kids out of a year of ball in my opinion!!!

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I believe the only way an 8th grader can play varsity in VA is if they turn 15 before August 1st....because they would not be eligible as a senior due to turning 19 before August 1st.  Obviously that would be a pretty rare circumstance.

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34 minutes ago, cityofRaven said:

A hockey goalie I covered last year was in his senior year and had been the starting goalie since 6th grade.

It should be a case by case basis.

PGA Tour player JB Holmes played on the varsity golf team at his high school in Kentucky from 3rd grade through graduation.  

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1 hour ago, sixcat said:

PGA Tour player JB Holmes played on the varsity golf team at his high school in Kentucky from 3rd grade through graduation.  

Yeh, and you can marry your sister and have kids that call you uncle in Kentucky, too...

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  • 2 years later...

My son is in the eighth grade. He played JV basketball the 2019-2020 school year. He is in good academIc standing with a GPA of 3.7. He just turned 14 this month so we are considering holding him back in the eighth grade next year. How will this affect varsity sports the remainder of his high school years?

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23 minutes ago, Mom14 said:

My son is in the eighth grade. He played JV basketball the 2019-2020 school year. He is in good academIc standing with a GPA of 3.7. He just turned 14 this month so we are considering holding him back in the eighth grade next year. How will this affect varsity sports the remainder of his high school years?

Anyone turning 19 on or before August 1st of their senior season would be ineligable under VHSL rules.  

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My son is in the eighth grade. He played JV basketball the 2019-2020 school year. He is in good academIc standing with a GPA of 3.7. He just turned 14 this month so we are considering holding him back in the eighth grade next year. How will this affect varsity sports the remainder of his high school years?

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He will be 18 as of August 1 of his senior year so he would still be able to play varsity sports his senior year but would only be able to play middle school sports again next year if he repeats 8th grade, correct?

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