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]I wholeheartedly agree that the aging up on your actual birthday is the fairest.  We have a january birthday- my kid rocked the december championship meets and is not back at the bottom of the age range and will not be swimming in JO's. Oh well- it happens, no big deal.  I also fully disagree with the idea that the season is 'structured' around the JO competition- it’s not- its another meet.  A fun, competitive meet, but it’s a meet.  I find it frustrating for summer swim that basically all of our pool records are held by kids who are in fact 11 when they break the 9-10 record, etc.  They all have June birthdays.  Certainly wouldn't want to see USA swimming adopt that silly model- and I am confident that they won't.[/quote]

Totally agree with this. I think people get tunnel vision about JO’s. I have a kid who won several events at JO’s at age 10 (not dc area) and he was way more excited about the times he got right after JO’s at a meet with faster Q times, where he placed out of the top 10. If you ask him about his best meet, he names that one, not JO’s. JO’s are a great way for kids to get used to the prelim/final format and swim against kids they have been racing all season, but to think that it should dictate age cutoffs is shortsighted. Swimming is a long game and JO’s is just one of many stepping stones. [/quote]

Agree and once they turn 15 it doesn’t matter at all.  My college swimmer only once made JOs (at 14) because of a bad swimming (late November) birthday.  But he made sectional, NCSA and futures cut as a 16/17 year old.[/quote]

Agreed 100%. Although I do think it’s a little funny when parents get super hyped and crazy thinking they have the next Michael Phelps because their April birthday 10 year old made JOs or NCSAs. Well yeah, any halfway decent swimmer would make those cuts at the top of their age group. I’ve seen it over and over and it’s just so silly. [/quote]

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