Summer swim kids swimming in “wrong” age group

[Anonymous]

NVSL voted this rule after major lobbying fromTeam Reps who had children w/ summer birthdays. That is the truth of it. There was some discussion of at least choosing a summer swim meet date (usually 3rd Sat in June) but two parent reps w/ kids’ birthdays on or about June 1 and June 15 claimed it would be administratively easier to just arbitrarily (and conveniently) choose June 1 as the date. Coincidentally team rep’s child broke the pool record by lowering the 11-12 year old record as a biologically aged 13 year old. Over the years, most of our pool records have been broken by the age advantage. 9 year olds beat the records of 8 and understand… 19 year old division 1 swimmers who turn 19 at the begin I g of June can now compete as 18 year olds. I was resentful but accept it is what it is. They just need to change the record titles for accuracy or add an asterisk to the records.

[Anonymous]

It's because so much of dual meets is relays. It's too hard to constantly rework them. Plus, what to do with kids having a birthday after the last dual meet, but before Divisionals/All Stars? A super fast 8 year old wouldn't even have seed times to swim at Divisionals if they turned 9 the day before, even if they'd be the fastest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NVSL voted this rule after major lobbying fromTeam Reps who had children w/ summer birthdays. That is the truth of it. There was some discussion of at least choosing a summer swim meet date (usually 3rd Sat in June) but two parent reps w/ kids’ birthdays on or about June 1 and June 15 claimed it would be administratively easier to just arbitrarily (and conveniently) choose June 1 as the date. Coincidentally team rep’s child broke the pool record by lowering the 11-12 year old record as a biologically aged 13 year old. Over the years, most of our pool records have been broken by the age advantage. 9 year olds beat the records of 8 and understand… 19 year old division 1 swimmers who turn 19 at the begin I g of June can now compete as 18 year olds. I was resentful but accept it is what it is. They just need to change the record titles for accuracy or add an asterisk to the records.

I agree the biggest disadvantage to regular swimmers are kids that turn 9 in June that compete as 8 & under and kids that turn 19 and are division 1 college swimmers. It is an advantage in other cases, but most obvious in those two.

[Anonymous]

The rule really disadvantages the kids w/ May birthdays. If kids just swam their actual age like they used to before 2009, the swim meets would be so much more inclusive. At our pool, the same kids swim 2 events each so there is no room for one of the truly 12 year olds to compete in A meets. I never realized how many summer birthdays there are until summer swim. Luckily winter swim is fair in that each swimmer competes according to actual birthdate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid has a summer birthday. He is always the youngest on his soccer and baseball teams and one of the youngest in his grade. Can he have this ONE thing where the cutoff is June 1 instead of September?

Soccer leagues have all switched to years so he should be average for soccer.

[Anonymous]

I am amazed how you know all these other kids birthdays. I know the birthday of my kid and the kids of my 2 friends that go to our pool. My kid did all star relays yesterday and I have no idea the birthdays/ages of the other kids in her relay. Maybe u all should volunteer your time in better ways towards the swim team as a while rather than worrying about birthdays.

[Anonymous]

As a whole ( above)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 50 years old and this was the rule in my summer swim league in the Midwest. As the PP said, it's a short season and not worth changing.

Yup. I’m also from the Midwest and this was the rule back when I was the kid. I know this for sure because my own bday is right after the cutoff. People grumbled then and people grumble now.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the interesting age cutoff history. I enjoy parent rep drama as a parent rep myself!

Our club has a lot of really successful summer birthday swimmers. It definitely helps to turning 9 and competing against a group with a lot of 6-7 year olds, or turning 13 and competing against just-turned 11 year olds. Those are some big jumps physically and developmentally. I have a spring birthday kid so she is young for most activities that she does and the youngest in her grade because of pandemic redshirting. It is what it is so all you can do is observe it and shrug it off. When it gets my kid down, I gently remind her that she is being compared to kids who were in preschool when she was born. That helps give her some perspective.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am amazed how you know all these other kids birthdays. I know the birthday of my kid and the kids of my 2 friends that go to our pool. My kid did all star relays yesterday and I have no idea the birthdays/ages of the other kids in her relay. Maybe u all should volunteer your time in better ways towards the swim team as a while rather than worrying about birthdays.

You’d be amazed at how many random parents asked how old our kid “really” was this year because they were the top swimmer in their age division. Nevermind they were the 2nd best in the age division last year and made divisionals in multiple strokes as a “younger” kid too. It’s summer swim, it’s for fun my kid will be the youngest again next year so what does it matter? I agree people should not concern themselves with this type of thing.

My kid played another sport where size really matters and was done by grade level. Someone’s summer aged kid did an extra year of pre k along the way, making that child exactly 3 years older than mine. Rightfully so, that child was significantly faster, stronger and further along than mine. I have no problem with that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am amazed how you know all these other kids birthdays. I know the birthday of my kid and the kids of my 2 friends that go to our pool. My kid did all star relays yesterday and I have no idea the birthdays/ages of the other kids in her relay. Maybe u all should volunteer your time in better ways towards the swim team as a while rather than worrying about birthdays.

There are parents who stalk the website that lists the scores/information of the kids online. They monitor all the times/ages. Its a bit creepy.

[Anonymous]

Having them swim their actual age is not practical. I have a kid that swam at all stars this weekend but would have aged out of their age division 3 days prior to all stars. That’d be ridiculously unfair to tell them sorry you can’t swim at all stars bc you are officially 72 hours too old.

[Anonymous]

This is so silly. My child has a summer birthday but it’s at the very end of August so even if summer swim aged up on the swimmers birthday it wouldn’t affect her. Still, when she was younger, some parents seemed to think it was unfair that she was not aged up early in June-July.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am amazed how you know all these other kids birthdays. I know the birthday of my kid and the kids of my 2 friends that go to our pool. My kid did all star relays yesterday and I have no idea the birthdays/ages of the other kids in her relay. Maybe u all should volunteer your time in better ways towards the swim team as a while rather than worrying about birthdays.

Your team doesn't celebrate birthdays and sing to kids? That's sad. Every pep rally we celebrate the kids having a birthday-- makes up for them not getting that experience in school!

[Anonymous]

And yet it happens all the time in winter swim. Ask those of us with kids with March birthdays and how difficult it is to make JOs.