Summer swim kids swimming in “wrong” age group

[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?

USA soccer is Jan 1-12/31. He’s right in the middle of the pack.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

But summer swim is for fun. Winter swim is for kids who have chosen to pursue it on a higher level. A kid who swims in the summer shouldn’t disqualify an entire all stars relay team bc they aged out between the last A meet and the all stars meet.

I competed at an elite level in a different sport My bday made me one of the youngest. My parents never mentioned it and I never thought about it until reading this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

This is literally how swim team works EXCEPT for summer swim. Age up right before JOs? Too bad. Better swim faster.

Seems a lot more unfair to have a 9 year old swimming against a 7 year old at divisionals.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

But summer swim is for fun. Winter swim is for kids who have chosen to pursue it on a higher level. A kid who swims in the summer shouldn’t disqualify an entire all stars relay team bc they aged out between the last A meet and the all stars meet.

I competed at an elite level in a different sport My bday made me one of the youngest. My parents never mentioned it and I never thought about it until reading this thread.

The all star relay wouldn’t be disqualified. A child who is actually the correct age would swim it. And that child SHOULD get the chance to swim it, because they’re the correct age. Instead, an 11 year old is taking their place in the 9/10 relay spot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

But summer swim is for fun. Winter swim is for kids who have chosen to pursue it on a higher level. A kid who swims in the summer shouldn’t disqualify an entire all stars relay team bc they aged out between the last A meet and the all stars meet.

I competed at an elite level in a different sport My bday made me one of the youngest. My parents never mentioned it and I never thought about it until reading this thread.

The all star relay wouldn’t be disqualified. A child who is actually the correct age would swim it. And that child SHOULD get the chance to swim it, because they’re the correct age. Instead, an 11 year old is taking their place in the 9/10 relay spot.

This is ridiculous. I’m sure you don’t honestly believe a little kid who was 8/10/12 on the day they qualified for all stars shouldn’t get the opportunity to swim all stars in a RECREATIONAL swim league bc their mom went into labor a couple days early

Keep your kid in winter swim, leave summer swim for the kids who want to have fun. The cutoff date won’t be changing. It’s not practical and as someone said upthread it’s been in place for years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: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.

So because your kid currently gets the advantage it is not practical? I don’t have a dog in this fight but seriously?

[Anonymous]

People should lobby to have it changed to be consistent with the rules of swim.

[Anonymous]

All this talk about relays is so disingenuous. We had to sub out kids a bunch of times over the summer because of COVID and vacations. It's really NBD to switch in the next fastest swimmer, and because it's summer swim, it really makes more sense to let the kids who meet the age have the opportunity.

Based on the responses, it seems like the only people who have a problem with the idea of reverting back to the old rule are summer only swim parents who get their jollies watching their 13 year old trounce an 11 year old.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

But summer swim is for fun. Winter swim is for kids who have chosen to pursue it on a higher level. A kid who swims in the summer shouldn’t disqualify an entire all stars relay team bc they aged out between the last A meet and the all stars meet.

I competed at an elite level in a different sport My bday made me one of the youngest. My parents never mentioned it and I never thought about it until reading this thread.

The all star relay wouldn’t be disqualified. A child who is actually the correct age would swim it. And that child SHOULD get the chance to swim it, because they’re the correct age. Instead, an 11 year old is taking their place in the 9/10 relay spot.

This is ridiculous. I’m sure you don’t honestly believe a little kid who was 8/10/12 on the day they qualified for all stars shouldn’t get the opportunity to swim all stars in a RECREATIONAL swim league bc their mom went into labor a couple days early

Keep your kid in winter swim, leave summer swim for the kids who want to have fun. The cutoff date won’t be changing. It’s not practical and as someone said upthread it’s been in place for years.

(1) That's how the rest of swimming works, so yes I think it makes perfect sense. And (2) don't you think it would be fun for kids who are the *actual* age to make All Stars? Because plenty of kids are not making All Stars because it's dominated by kids who are not actually in that age group.

I have no dog in this fight because my kid makes All Stars in the top and bottom of the age bracket, but there are plenty of summer only swimmers who work hard and don't make All Stars because of kids who are not actually in that age bracket.

[Anonymous]

NVSL should revisit this rule. I have a kid who although a summer birthday would rather be with her classmate in the right age group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All this talk about relays is so disingenuous. We had to sub out kids a bunch of times over the summer because of COVID and vacations. It's really NBD to switch in the next fastest swimmer, and because it's summer swim, it really makes more sense to let the kids who meet the age have the opportunity.

Based on the responses, it seems like the only people who have a problem with the idea of reverting back to the old rule are summer only swim parents who get their jollies watching their 13 year old trounce an 11 year old.

Revert to what? From what I can tell it’s been like this for years. I had a friends dad who is in his 70s commented on my 4 yos “good” summer swim bday. How is it fair to the summer bday day kids to only get one year of all star eligibility and everyone else gets 2. If a kid ages out after the last meet and before all stars and gets replaced that will happen every other year to that kid because they don’t get to swim meets in their “new” age group. I am certain all these things have been considered by the summer recreational leagues which is why the June 1 cutoff has been in place for years in many leagues nationwide.

[Anonymous]

PP here. Honestly if they want to change it then it needs to be birth year like soccer. That way there isn’t any switching of age groups in the middle of a 5 week season. As another poster said that messes up practice times too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:All this talk about relays is so disingenuous. We had to sub out kids a bunch of times over the summer because of COVID and vacations. It's really NBD to switch in the next fastest swimmer, and because it's summer swim, it really makes more sense to let the kids who meet the age have the opportunity.

Based on the responses, it seems like the only people who have a problem with the idea of reverting back to the old rule are summer only swim parents who get their jollies watching their 13 year old trounce an 11 year old.

Disagree. I am PP with a kid who doesn’t benefit from current rules (winter birthday) and have no issue with them. There is always going to be inherent benefit to someone in the system. It is an 8- week season at most aimed at recreation. Have no issue with the current rules of allowing kids to swim the age they are when the season starts. As an earlier poster said we are talking about weeks. It has actually made my younger kid a better swimmer bc she goes up against better competition.

[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?

YES!! Mine too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:PP here. Honestly if they want to change it then it needs to be birth year like soccer. That way there isn’t any switching of age groups in the middle of a 5 week season. As another poster said that messes up practice times too.

soccer is only like this for travel- if you play rec soccer you play with your grade level.
In terms of practice times- that is up to your team- the team can choose to have kids practice whenever they want and with whatever age group they want.
I swam for the NVSL when you aged up mid season. My kids swim now with the June 1st rule. We don't benefit from it (winter birthdays) but it is what it is. I see both sides, and basically think they just need a clear rule. The June 1st rule works. They could age mid season. They could set the age as of Aug 1st. (e.g. USA triathalon goes by birth year, so if you have a December birthday and will turn 11, but run a triathalon in the summer when you are 10, you will run as an '11 year old.') No matter when the cutoff is some kids will be advantaged and some kids will be disadvantaged.
I think the 19 year olds swimming is a red herring- very very few kids come back to swim for the NVSL after their freshman year of college.
It makes more of a difference for 8 and under's, less every year after that.