Why doesn’t USA Swimming use cut-off dates like every other youth sport?

[Anonymous]

I don’t understand this. If swim programs are going to base their seasonal training and goals around end-of -season championships with qualifying times (which I don’t think is the best plan for age group swimming in the first place), why do they not use birthday cut-off dates like other youth sports that make sense? For example, if SC championship is March 10, and a 10 year old swimmer spends all season from September training with 10 year olds and working toward those time cuts, then turns 11 on March 9 and can’t compete in the end-if-season meet? Why would they structure things this way? Wouldn’t it make more sense to have some sort of cut-off date where swimmers get to finish their season with the group they have trained with (maybe Jan 1 for SC and June 1 for LC)? Or maybe there just shouldn’t be once-per-season qualifying meets for age groupers when the championship meets are basically just a competition between the oldest few in the age group whose birthdays fall right after the meet? And instead give balanced focus to meets throughout the year?

The championship cycle makes sense for senior level swimmers, when relative age is less important and age groups are combined anyway, but the way it is currently structured just makes no sense for age group swimmers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t understand this. If swim programs are going to base their seasonal training and goals around end-of -season championships with qualifying times (which I don’t think is the best plan for age group swimming in the first place), why do they not use birthday cut-off dates like other youth sports that make sense? For example, if SC championship is March 10, and a 10 year old swimmer spends all season from September training with 10 year olds and working toward those time cuts, then turns 11 on March 9 and can’t compete in the end-if-season meet? Why would they structure things this way? Wouldn’t it make more sense to have some sort of cut-off date where swimmers get to finish their season with the group they have trained with (maybe Jan 1 for SC and June 1 for LC)? Or maybe there just shouldn’t be once-per-season qualifying meets for age groupers when the championship meets are basically just a competition between the oldest few in the age group whose birthdays fall right after the meet? And instead give balanced focus to meets throughout the year?

The championship cycle makes sense for senior level swimmers, when relative age is less important and age groups are combined anyway, but the way it is currently structured just makes no sense for age group swimmers.

I think your premise is wrong. If a 10 year old swimmer turns 11 on March 9, they should have been working all season on making 11-12 year old cuts for March 10. I have a kid who turns 11 right before sc champs and that is what he did all season. It’s the most fair system out there. The most important metric is their time, not how they did at a regional short course championship meet.

[Anonymous]

There are other QT meets during the year for age groupers: winter champs and summer LC champs, which helps kids with “bad” SC champs birthdays. I know it sucks for the kids born in February and early March, but in an individual timed sport with individual based meets you can’t have champs meets where 11 year olds are winning 9-10 age groups, or 13 year olds are winning 11-12 age groups. Summer swim is a completely different situation than year round swimming.

[Anonymous]

I don’t mind that the age groups are your age on the day of the swim meet. I think that’s just as fair if not fairer than anything else.
I get this makes it harder for my January bday kid to make JOs but it is what it is.

[Anonymous]

Our team doesn’t structure swim groups around ages. Kids train with the correct group for them. It sounds like you are in an odd program. Your kid should be trying for the correct cuts throughout the season.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Our team doesn’t structure swim groups around ages. Kids train with the correct group for them. It sounds like you are in an odd program. Your kid should be trying for the correct cuts throughout the season.

Our swim team strictly has kids practice with their age group. There are different levels/speeds within each age group, but even a very fast 10 year old will not practice with 11-12s. This is for both physical and emotional developmental reasons. I definitely don’t think that makes it an “odd” program.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are other QT meets during the year for age groupers: winter champs and summer LC champs, which helps kids with “bad” SC champs birthdays. I know it sucks for the kids born in February and early March, but in an individual timed sport with individual based meets you can’t have champs meets where 11 year olds are winning 9-10 age groups, or 13 year olds are winning 11-12 age groups. Summer swim is a completely different situation than year round swimming.

Our winter champs does not have QTs for age group swimmers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our team doesn’t structure swim groups around ages. Kids train with the correct group for them. It sounds like you are in an odd program. Your kid should be trying for the correct cuts throughout the season.

Our swim team strictly has kids practice with their age group. There are different levels/speeds within each age group, but even a very fast 10 year old will not practice with 11-12s. This is for both physical and emotional developmental reasons. I definitely don’t think that makes it an “odd” program.

What club? We have been with two clubs and age groups have ranges. So my 12 year old has some 10 years old and a few 13 year olds.

[Anonymous]

I think aging up on your birthday makes swimming the fairest sport out there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think aging up on your birthday makes swimming the fairest sport out there.

I think it’s fair in theory, but then the swim season shouldn’t be structured around very few championships where the same swimmers benefit from a fortunate birthday year after year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think aging up on your birthday makes swimming the fairest sport out there.

I think it’s fair in theory, but then the swim season shouldn’t be structured around very few championships where the same swimmers benefit from a fortunate birthday year after year.

Nothing is fair. Summer birthdays benefit greatly in summer league. Not fair to others. There are three championship times of year that a kid can excel. We have a kid that is 10 and ages up at the end of February and was able to make the 11-12 cuts for championships. That was the goal and she accomplished it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Our team doesn’t structure swim groups around ages. Kids train with the correct group for them. It sounds like you are in an odd program. Your kid should be trying for the correct cuts throughout the season.

Our swim team strictly has kids practice with their age group. There are different levels/speeds within each age group, but even a very fast 10 year old will not practice with 11-12s. This is for both physical and emotional developmental reasons. I definitely don’t think that makes it an “odd” program.

What club? We have been with two clubs and age groups have ranges. So my 12 year old has some 10 years old and a few 13 year olds.

My kid swims with a smaller team and her group has 11-15 year olds. I know of a large team in another state that does the levels by age and differentiates it further by times with an A time needed for the fast group.

Success shouldn't just be defined with achieving a cutoff time. Maybe success that season was improving starts or improving the worst stroke or trying new events or any number of things. A young age group swimmer focused solely on cutoff times may not have the mental fortitude to overcome a slump or even a bad race. Last year I saw a kid miss a cutoff time in the last qualifying meet. He started punching the pool wall in anger.

[Anonymous]

Our kids were on a large team that did age groups and differentiated, for example 11-12 A group and 11-12 B group. Their team now is smaller and groups by skill, so there is a range of 10-13 year olds in my 10 year old’s group and 12-14 in my 14 year old’s group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think aging up on your birthday makes swimming the fairest sport out there.

It can't be anymore fair than that.

I think what OP doesn't like is that it's TOO fair - no potential ambiguity by which one could gain an unfair advantage.

[Anonymous]

OP, consider why you care so much about this, as the person who is not in the pool. As a parent your job is to get the kid to practice and provide general words of encouragement/wisdom as needed. That’s basically it. Worrying about cuts and birthdays suggests you are very invested. Consider how that may translate into your child feeling pressure from you even if you don’t think you’re putting any pressure on them. I understand as a parent we spend a lot of time and money on our kids’ sports endeavors. But at the end of the day what matters is what the kids learn about themselves and the world from putting effort into something that is meaningful to them. Let your kid and the coach worry about this kind of stuff. Just be a parent who enjoys watching them do something they love.