Grade Divisions vs Age Divisions...What's the deal?

Okay so here's the scoop.  In the past all of the RI youth lacrosse teams throughout the state established their teams by each player's calendar year of birth.  This is know as "Age Divisions".  The divisions were called "U15 (under 15 yrs old), U13, U11 and U9".
If that remained the case then this year the divisions would have been established by the following formula:

• U15 (senior division) - players born in calendar years 1994 and 1995
  
• U13 - (junior division) players born in calendar years 1996 and 1997
  
• U11 - (lightning division) players born in calendar years 1998 and 1999
  
• U9  - (bantan division) players born in calendar years 2000 and later

Beginning with this upcoming spring 2009 season all of the RI youth lacrosse teams throughout the state will establish teams by "Grade Divisions":

• Grades 7, 8, & 9 - senior division (not eligible if born before Jan 1,1994)

• Grades 5 & 6 - junior division
  

• Grades 3 & 4 - lightning division
  

• Grades 1 & 2 - bantam division
  

• Grades K & 1 Instructional - junior bantam division: (NEW PROGRAM THIS YEAR).

Why change to Grade Divisions?

Good question.  If you look around the country there are a mix of age based and grade based youth lacrosse leagues.  The RIYLL (Rhode Island Youth Lacrosse League), the league with which we are associated, decided to switch to grade based teams for the following reasons:

1. Children prefer to play with friends from school.  Grade based play is an incentive for children who have never played to give the sport a try.
2. Grade based play permits children to play 2 full years at the highest level (senior division) before heading off to high school as a freshman.  This way they will be better prepared to play lacrosse at the high school level.

If you think about it, with age based teams the typical child is in 8th grade when he or she plays in the U15 division for the first time.  Then in his or her second year of eligibility in U15's, he or she is in ninth grade and therefore plays for the high school, thus only playing one year at the senior level of youth lacrosse.   In grade based teams, that same child will now get to play 2 full years at the highest level of youth lacrosse (senior division) before heading off to high school and will therefore be better prepared.

I hope that helps.