Why is there a 19 year old in the Footlocker Championships this year?

The magical cutoff wrote:

Jeff Albertson wrote:

She was 18 for all year in state competition. She will be 19 for a grand total of 12 days at FL. Are you saying she should be 18 until graduation?

The age worriers: 18 yrs 365 days is okay. 19 yrs 0 days is not acceptable.

Only in a leap year!

80s kid wrote:

High school seniors graduate at 17 or 18 years old. 19 year olds are freshmen or sophomores in college. Isn't it unfair for a 19 year old to compete against these younger kids?

It is an advantage for sure. How can anyone deny that? Whether it is fair rule to allow this is debatable until the cows come home. Personally, I believe that you should not be eligible to participate in high school sports once you turn a certain age, and I'd make that age 19. If that means shutting it down half way into a season, so be it.

Consider this.... wrote:

80s kid wrote:

High school seniors graduate at 17 or 18 years old. 19 year olds are freshmen or sophomores in college. Isn't it unfair for a 19 year old to compete against these younger kids?

It is an advantage for sure. How can anyone deny that? Whether it is fair rule to allow this is debatable until the cows come home. Personally, I believe that you should not be eligible to participate in high school sports once you turn a certain age, and I'd make that age 19. If that means shutting it down half way into a season, so be it.

Exactly! For those that think 19 years old is fair, why not allow 20 or 21 year olds to compete in Footlocker? When does it stop? 25 years old? 30 years old?

80s kid wrote:

Consider this.... wrote:

It is an advantage for sure. How can anyone deny that? Whether it is fair rule to allow this is debatable until the cows come home. Personally, I believe that you should not be eligible to participate in high school sports once you turn a certain age, and I'd make that age 19. If that means shutting it down half way into a season, so be it.

Exactly! For those that think 19 years old is fair, why not allow 20 or 21 year olds to compete in Footlocker? When does it stop? 25 years old? 30 years old?

It stops at 19, duh!

Ladies First wrote:

80s kid wrote:

Exactly! For those that think 19 years old is fair, why not allow 20 or 21 year olds to compete in Footlocker? When does it stop? 25 years old? 30 years old?

It stops at 19, duh!

Why not allow a 20 year old compete then? Using your side's argument, "For women, 20 years old vs 19 years old makes no difference." Can't have it both ways.

Hasay ran faster as a freshman than today's winner. Erin Davis ran 17:11 as a freshman.

80s kid wrote:

Ladies First wrote:

It stops at 19, duh!

Why not allow a 20 year old compete then? Using your side's argument, "For women, 20 years old vs 19 years old makes no difference." Can't have it both ways.

You can't really be this stupid. Of course, there would be an "advantage" to being 19. No one is denying that. There would be an advantage for the oldest runners regardless of the age cutoff. Obviosly, it is best to be as close to the cutoff as possible. However, an arbitrary line must be drawn somewhere. The rules have drawn that line at age 19. No one is trying to claim that 19 year olds have "no advantage". They just don't have an "unfair advantage". Do you find it unfair that 16 year olds are allowed to run? After all, they have an advantage over the 15 year-olds.