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

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Those who think the USA swimming rule is fair obviously have kids who are unaffected by the misfortune of having a late January-early March birthday. Many clubs put undue emphasis on end of season champs, especially short course, even at young ages. Qualifying for these meets can affect group placement, swimmer recognition, travel opportunities, etc etc. when you have a swimmer who ages up a few days or weeks before these important meets, you have put them in a situation where they are training all season with an appropriate age group, meeting appropriate goals, but then suddenly removed from all the opportunities their peers will enjoy because they were born a week or two earlier. In all other youth sports, there is a cutoff date and the purpose of that is to keep peer groups together, training at appropriate levels and not having to suddenly jump to a whole new team/training group with much higher standards mid-season on the DAY of their birthday. They should either use a seasonal cutoff date or do away with championship meets for age group swimmers. [/quote]
So, because your kid does not have a prime birthday for short course champs, no one should be able to compete? Come on. The sports with the cutoff date are team sports and it is not conducive to a successful team to have moving parts during a season. A basketball or soccer team need to practice and work together as a unit, swimmers do not. Our training groups are both age and ability based, there are kids from multiple age groups. [/quote]

No. There should not be “champs” that are the training focus of the entire season when the results of that champs meet are based primarily on the relative age of the swimmer and the same kids have a massive disadvantage every single year. [/quote]
The swim season is 10-11 months long. There are champs meets in December, March and July for age groupers. It sounds like you are just hyper focused on the March champs meets. [/quote]

Most teams and LSCs are hyper focused on the March champs meets and arrange their groups accordingly. I know that’s what our club does. [/quote]
We are with one of the big clubs and March champs are no more of a focus than December or July. Our training groups, particularly the more advanced ones, have some age requirements, like you can’t start with the group until you are 11 or 13 or whatever, but the age you are for certain champs meets doesn’t matter. [/quote]

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