Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 14:29     Subject: Divisionals really shows why the unfair birthday rule matters
Anonymous wrote:My kid is an end of May birthday. It is what it is. The cutoff has to be somewhere.



It can be their actual birthday. That’s what USA Swimming uses.
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 14:28     Subject: Divisionals really shows why the unfair birthday rule matters
Anonymous wrote:If your child is a swimmer, there is always a birthday that isn’t as good.
Short Course Champs, PVS - March 20-ish
NCSAs - March 27-ish
Summer league all over the entire U.S.! - June 1st
Long Course Champs, PVS - July 20-ish

You know who has the worst birthday? Late Feb and early March birthdays. They get screwed for short course champs & NCSAs, and aren’t that much older at Long Course Champs.

If your child summer swims and plays travel baseball, a May birthday may stink for summer league but is awesome for travel ball.

FWIW, my child has an October birthday and is 9. And my child likely made All-Stars in two events today.


Not surprising. Fall birthday kids do well in summer swim.
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 14:25     Subject: Divisionals really shows why the unfair birthday rule matters
My kid finished ahead of all the younger kids and most of the older kids. No gold medals. Boo hoo.
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 14:23     Subject: Divisionals really shows why the unfair birthday rule matters
I wonder what this supposed backroom meeting of parents of kids with summer birthdays who also happen to do summer swim looked like. How was it arranged. Did someone start a Facebook group called "Parents of July and August Kiddos!" and then quietly blue pill its members until a coalition could be formed. Does everyone in the diabolical cabal also redshirt their kids and if so is that why every year someone on this website starts a thread titled "There's a 9 year old in my child's kindergarten class -- why."

So many questions and so little time. Someone should write a DaVinci Code style book on the conspiracy.
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 14:23     Subject: Divisionals really shows why the unfair birthday rule matters
If your child is a swimmer, there is always a birthday that isn’t as good.
Short Course Champs, PVS - March 20-ish
NCSAs - March 27-ish
Summer league all over the entire U.S.! - June 1st
Long Course Champs, PVS - July 20-ish

You know who has the worst birthday? Late Feb and early March birthdays. They get screwed for short course champs & NCSAs, and aren’t that much older at Long Course Champs.

If your child summer swims and plays travel baseball, a May birthday may stink for summer league but is awesome for travel ball.

FWIW, my child has an October birthday and is 9. And my child likely made All-Stars in two events today.
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 14:21     Subject: Divisionals really shows why the unfair birthday rule matters
My kid is an end of May birthday. It is what it is. The cutoff has to be somewhere.

Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 14:19     Subject: Re:Divisionals really shows why the unfair birthday rule matters
If the oldest kid considered a particular “age” is not more than 364 days older than the youngest person of that “age,” it is fair. Just because it sucks for your kid, changing it would just make it suck for another kid. As someone else mentioned, their kid has a good birthday for swim and a bad birthday for their primary sport. It is what it is.
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 14:15     Subject: Divisionals really shows why the unfair birthday rule matters
I’m impressed you know everyone’s birthday and your division has mostly summer birthdays. Truly astounded. It’s almost newsworthy.

Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 14:11     Subject: Divisionals really shows why the unfair birthday rule matters
My child is 17 today and won’t be 18 for another 6 weeks. Has graduated high school though because they made the school cutoff by a few days.

What exactly do you propose?
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 14:09     Subject: Divisionals really shows why the unfair birthday rule matters
Seriously? Our team had more 9 year olds and 11 year olds than 10 and 12 year olds at divisionals. If she down to the months mattered so much, that would not be possible. This is just sour grapes.
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 14:09     Subject: Divisionals really shows why the unfair birthday rule matters
My kid has a great birthday for summer swim, and a terrible one for his primary sport. Every system or cut off will have kids impacted one way and the other. I am sorry this particular one is bad for your particular kid, but changing it so it’s bad for someone else’s wouldn’t be more fair.
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 14:08     Subject: Divisionals really shows why the unfair birthday rule matters
I have a kid with a June 1 birthday. It is what it is.

I also just watched a different kid with a June first birthday get two all star qualifying times being the youngest person in their age group.
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 14:04     Subject: Divisionals really shows why the unfair birthday rule matters
The age up date should be one day a before my kids birthday. That’s the most fair date, sorry I don’t make the rules, it’s science
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 14:00     Subject: Divisionals really shows why the unfair birthday rule matters
Oh good -- this again.

Sorry your kid lost.
Anonymous
Post 07/20/2024 13:58     Subject: Divisionals really shows why the unfair birthday rule matters
On our team, in the younger ages, most of the divisionals swimmers were swimming in the “wrong” age group. 11 year olds swimming as 9/10. 9 year olds swimming as 8&under. In the older kids, many of those dominating came back from college to swim a final year.

This rule was literally cooked up in a back room by the parents of summer birthday kids. It should be done away with. We follow USA Swimming rules for everything else. We should for aging up as well.