Divisionals really shows why the unfair birthday rule matters

[Anonymous]

For those with an issue with Olympic swimmers coming back, your priorities are out of whack. I think this is the best thing for the kids to see. It’s shows them that what they are doing means something even to Olympians.

We got to watch someone at divisionals a few years ago who made the team this year, my kids loved watching the trials on tv to see them. Neither of my kids swims year round. It was pretty cool to see a current Olympian still holding league records in the meet programs too.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s a recreational swim league, who cares? Logistically it makes sense to use June 1 that’s why leagues all over the country have done it for decades. It’s a short season and I doubt seriously that any college is recruiting at
divisionals

Want to make it truly fair and level the playing field, do what other sports do and don’t allow the club athletes to participate in the recreational league.

Problem solved.

That’s a terrible idea. I was a s l o w swimmer who got dragged along to swim practices with a faster sibling. Summer swimming was what made club team worth it for me. Club swimming kept me healthy and taught me better technique. I say this as someone who swam two A times in my entire life: it didn’t matter who wins the race. It doesn’t matter who has a good or bad birthday. My parents modeled a low-key attitude about winning. You can too, OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:For those with an issue with Olympic swimmers coming back, your priorities are out of whack. I think this is the best thing for the kids to see. It’s shows them that what they are doing means something even to Olympians.

We got to watch someone at divisionals a few years ago who made the team this year, my kids loved watching the trials on tv to see them. Neither of my kids swims year round. It was pretty cool to see a current Olympian still holding league records in the meet programs too.

Well said! I totally agree. How special to have a 6 year old and an Olympian on the same team where both can contribute points to a Saturday meet or hang out at a pep rally. This is what makes summer swim unique. Let’s focus on the right things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a recreational swim league, who cares? Logistically it makes sense to use June 1 that’s why leagues all over the country have done it for decades. It’s a short season and I doubt seriously that any college is recruiting at
divisionals

Want to make it truly fair and level the playing field, do what other sports do and don’t allow the club athletes to participate in the recreational league.

Problem solved.

That’s a terrible idea. I was a s l o w swimmer who got dragged along to swim practices with a faster sibling. Summer swimming was what made club team worth it for me. Club swimming kept me healthy and taught me better technique. I say this as someone who swam two A times in my entire life: it didn’t matter who wins the race. It doesn’t matter who has a good or bad birthday. My parents modeled a low-key attitude about winning. You can too, OP.

PP here you are quoting - I was being sarcastic. My point is people are whining about a birthday cutoff giving so perceived advantage, when clearly there is an actual advantage if kids participate in year round swim as their primary sport, but no one is complaining that creates an unfair advantage in a recreational swim league.

Of course everyone should be able to participate it’s just for fun.

[Anonymous]

My kids both have fabulous birthdays for summer swim that could put them at an “advantage” relative to their peers. Those birthdays also put them at a disadvantage for school, and they can’t play their spring sports with their classmates. You have to draw the line somewhere and the start of the season seems fair enough to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a ridiculous whine. LOL. Every sport has cutoffs.

NP: I have 15-18 yr old kids so this isnt my issue now…but I think the idea is that yes, all sports have cut offs, but the cut off for everything in swim is your actual birthday except for summer swim. I don’t think people are advocating for no cut off, just a consistent one.

Except that isn't true. Your actual birthday doesn't matter for high school swim. Should that be changed too? Sorry Jane, you just turned 19 in the middle of your senior year. You can't swim on your high school team any more!

It’s HS swim—no one is alleging that rule is unfair. You’re in HS, you swim on the HS team. Were you seriously confused what I meant by by saying the cut off for swim (except summer) was your actual bday?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:For those with an issue with Olympic swimmers coming back, your priorities are out of whack. I think this is the best thing for the kids to see. It’s shows them that what they are doing means something even to Olympians.

We got to watch someone at divisionals a few years ago who made the team this year, my kids loved watching the trials on tv to see them. Neither of my kids swims year round. It was pretty cool to see a current Olympian still holding league records in the meet programs too.

Well said! I totally agree. How special to have a 6 year old and an Olympian on the same team where both can contribute points to a Saturday meet or hang out at a pep rally. This is what makes summer swim unique. Let’s focus on the right things.

The amazing 17-18 yo swimmers who stick around on our summer team are the nicest kids. They are awesome with the little ones, great coaches, and awesome role models (to the littles, tweens and high schoolers). They really set the positive tone for the whole team and are only there because they love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a recreational swim league, who cares? Logistically it makes sense to use June 1 that’s why leagues all over the country have done it for decades. It’s a short season and I doubt seriously that any college is recruiting at
divisionals

Want to make it truly fair and level the playing field, do what other sports do and don’t allow the club athletes to participate in the recreational league.

Problem solved.

That’s a terrible idea. I was a s l o w swimmer who got dragged along to swim practices with a faster sibling. Summer swimming was what made club team worth it for me. Club swimming kept me healthy and taught me better technique. I say this as someone who swam two A times in my entire life: it didn’t matter who wins the race. It doesn’t matter who has a good or bad birthday. My parents modeled a low-key attitude about winning. You can too, OP.

Exactly, I have one of the slower club kids. They choose it, not us. I’m happy as long as they don’t drown. They do swim a meets but not a lot of teens at our summer pool.

[Anonymous]

People really need to stop viewing summer swim as an extension of club swim. There is a a rational reason why USA swimming age rules don’t apply. They don’t work for a short season that is just for fun, made up primarily of B meet summer only swimmers.

Honestly, These posts are made every year by parents of mediocre club swimmers PO’d that a summer bday kid beat theirs for the high point award. The really angry ones are the parents whose kids were best out by a summer only swim kid with a summer bday.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a recreational swim league, who cares? Logistically it makes sense to use June 1 that’s why leagues all over the country have done it for decades. It’s a short season and I doubt seriously that any college is recruiting at
divisionals

Want to make it truly fair and level the playing field, do what other sports do and don’t allow the club athletes to participate in the recreational league.

Problem solved.

That’s a terrible idea. I was a s l o w swimmer who got dragged along to swim practices with a faster sibling. Summer swimming was what made club team worth it for me. Club swimming kept me healthy and taught me better technique. I say this as someone who swam two A times in my entire life: it didn’t matter who wins the race. It doesn’t matter who has a good or bad birthday. My parents modeled a low-key attitude about winning. You can too, OP.

PP here you are quoting - I was being sarcastic. My point is people are whining about a birthday cutoff giving so perceived advantage, when clearly there is an actual advantage if kids participate in year round swim as their primary sport, but no one is complaining that creates an unfair advantage in a recreational swim league.

Of course everyone should be able to participate it’s just for fun.

Those same kids were younger all their swim career. Mine is the younger birthday. They are smaller than their peers and it makes it harder. But it teaches them resilience.

I don’t care if a 19 year old swims. I just feel bad their parents held them back for no good reason but them being too lazy to parent and work with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a ridiculous whine. LOL. Every sport has cutoffs.

NP: I have 15-18 yr old kids so this isnt my issue now…but I think the idea is that yes, all sports have cut offs, but the cut off for everything in swim is your actual birthday except for summer swim. I don’t think people are advocating for no cut off, just a consistent one.

Except that isn't true. Your actual birthday doesn't matter for high school swim. Should that be changed too? Sorry Jane, you just turned 19 in the middle of your senior year. You can't swim on your high school team any more!

It’s HS swim—no one is alleging that rule is unfair. You’re in HS, you swim on the HS team. Were you seriously confused what I meant by by saying the cut off for swim (except summer) was your actual bday?

The issue here sees to be people whose kids swim club, centering club. There are two separate types of swim, and they have different cut offs, because they are different types of teams with different teams.

It's fine for kids who swim club to do summer swim, but ridiculous for kids who swim club to try to make rec swimming into club swimming.

[Anonymous]

Kids with summer birthdays are always the smallest and youngest when it comes to school and school sports. Funny, their parents are never the ones complaining about that being unfair. It is what it is.

My spouse volunteered yesterday and made an interesting observation watching the older kid medley relay. One teams 13 yo was racing an 18 yo D1 bound MAN. He didn’t complain or think it was unfair. He just swam his leg of the race and cheered the rest of his team on.

My own kid was up against an entire heat of kids who were swimming the PVS 12U championships and several seeded in top 10/20 in multiple stroke. My kid didn’t care, they just swam their best race, cut time and out swam their seed. They’ve moved on today for their next sports season.

Kids don’t care, this is a parent issue. Those parents should take up swimming or some other sport and concentrate competitive efforts there and let their kids be kids. You are not only ruining it for your kids, you are ruining it for everyone else. This is all supposed to be for fun.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s a recreational swim league, who cares? Logistically it makes sense to use June 1 that’s why leagues all over the country have done it for decades. It’s a short season and I doubt seriously that any college is recruiting at
divisionals

Want to make it truly fair and level the playing field, do what other sports do and don’t allow the club athletes to participate in the recreational league.

Problem solved.

Yes, you're right - I can't imagine my travel sport kid playing in the rec league too... totally unfair. Summer swimming had always been that way though, but it's weird.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What a ridiculous whine. LOL. Every sport has cutoffs.

NP: I have 15-18 yr old kids so this isnt my issue now…but I think the idea is that yes, all sports have cut offs, but the cut off for everything in swim is your actual birthday except for summer swim. I don’t think people are advocating for no cut off, just a consistent one.

Except that isn't true. Your actual birthday doesn't matter for high school swim. Should that be changed too? Sorry Jane, you just turned 19 in the middle of your senior year. You can't swim on your high school team any more!

It’s HS swim—no one is alleging that rule is unfair. You’re in HS, you swim on the HS team. Were you seriously confused what I meant by by saying the cut off for swim (except summer) was your actual bday?

Not confused at all. Your exact quote was: "the cut off for everything in swim is your actual birthday except for summer swim." Notice the word "everything" that you dropped when you quoted yourself.

everything
pronoun
1.all things; all the things of a group or class.

That would include high school (and college) swim which don't follow the age up on your birthday rule.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s a recreational swim league, who cares? Logistically it makes sense to use June 1 that’s why leagues all over the country have done it for decades. It’s a short season and I doubt seriously that any college is recruiting at
divisionals

Want to make it truly fair and level the playing field, do what other sports do and don’t allow the club athletes to participate in the recreational league.

Problem solved.

Yes, you're right - I can't imagine my travel sport kid playing in the rec league too... totally unfair. Summer swimming had always been that way though, but it's weird.

Are travel baseball players banned from Little League?