Anonymous
Post 02/06/2024 17:24     Subject: Why doesn’t USA Swimming use cut-off dates like every other youth sport?

See also:

Practical implications

The influence of relative age in representative swimming is transient. While relatively older are more likely to achieve National swimming qualification standards and participate in National Championships in junior developmental years, the relatively younger are equally or more likely to attain similar outcomes after 16 years of age.

What were you saying about anecdotes again?
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2024 17:21     Subject: Why doesn’t USA Swimming use cut-off dates like every other youth sport?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was a D1 swimmer and this conversation is absurd. It will not matter AT ALL by the time it actually counts. All sports have age-related disadvantages and advantages. My daughter has a Jan 2nd bday and plays travel soccer. You could argue she has an advantage every year over kids who are born in December, since they use the calendar year to determine age cut-offs.
THIS.


Just bc it evens out when the kids are 15 (good birthdays) compared to 16 (bad birthdays) doesn’t mean it didn’t have an impact before that.


But it doesn't "even out." Hasn't everyone heard about Malcom Gladwell and relative age/ Matthew effect at this point? Researchers have looked at this as applied to swimming and found that the theory holds for swimming too (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8535716/). In other words, those with advantageous birthdays are seen as better when they are young, and they get more and better opportunities while they are young. Those opportunities accumulate over time so they end up better when they are older. That's why you see those with May birthdays widely overrepresented at meets like Sectionals, at which point you would expect things to "even out." (https://swimswam.com/brett-leader-looks-relative-age-age-group-swimming/


You realize that two of the very best male swimmers in PVS age up within a few months of the spring champs meets right? One, who just turned 17, is committed to swim at UVA, and the other slightly older one is committed to swim at NC State. Good thing they weren't dissuaded by a few anecdotes on this board.


There are always anecdotal exceptions to the general trends. Doesn't mean there isn't a bias.


This x1000. We don’t need to hear a few blips where the general rule doesn’t apply. In general, it applies.


The article linked above stated the following, "In individual sports, the body of scientific literature is even smaller, and results suggest that RAEs are less consistent in individual sports than in team sports." So what general rule you saying applies here?


Did you miss the sentence two sentences after the one you quoted: "Swimming is a sport in which the greatest prevalence of the RAE has been observed, with a high perceived precocity in elite competition."


No, I just dismissed it because when you read the cited study, it concludes the following:

"With few exceptions, by 15–16 years RAEs had typically dissipated; and by 17–18 years, descriptive and significant inverse RAEs emerged, reflecting overrepresentation of relatively younger swimmers."

"Performance advantages associated with relative age (and thereby likely growth and maturation) are transient."
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2024 16:56     Subject: Why doesn’t USA Swimming use cut-off dates like every other youth sport?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was a D1 swimmer and this conversation is absurd. It will not matter AT ALL by the time it actually counts. All sports have age-related disadvantages and advantages. My daughter has a Jan 2nd bday and plays travel soccer. You could argue she has an advantage every year over kids who are born in December, since they use the calendar year to determine age cut-offs.
THIS.


Just bc it evens out when the kids are 15 (good birthdays) compared to 16 (bad birthdays) doesn’t mean it didn’t have an impact before that.


But it doesn't "even out." Hasn't everyone heard about Malcom Gladwell and relative age/ Matthew effect at this point? Researchers have looked at this as applied to swimming and found that the theory holds for swimming too (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8535716/). In other words, those with advantageous birthdays are seen as better when they are young, and they get more and better opportunities while they are young. Those opportunities accumulate over time so they end up better when they are older. That's why you see those with May birthdays widely overrepresented at meets like Sectionals, at which point you would expect things to "even out." (https://swimswam.com/brett-leader-looks-relative-age-age-group-swimming/


You realize that two of the very best male swimmers in PVS age up within a few months of the spring champs meets right? One, who just turned 17, is committed to swim at UVA, and the other slightly older one is committed to swim at NC State. Good thing they weren't dissuaded by a few anecdotes on this board.


There are always anecdotal exceptions to the general trends. Doesn't mean there isn't a bias.


This x1000. We don’t need to hear a few blips where the general rule doesn’t apply. In general, it applies.


The article linked above stated the following, "In individual sports, the body of scientific literature is even smaller, and results suggest that RAEs are less consistent in individual sports than in team sports." So what general rule you saying applies here?


Did you miss the sentence two sentences after the one you quoted: "Swimming is a sport in which the greatest prevalence of the RAE has been observed, with a high perceived precocity in elite competition."
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2024 16:37     Subject: Why doesn’t USA Swimming use cut-off dates like every other youth sport?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was a D1 swimmer and this conversation is absurd. It will not matter AT ALL by the time it actually counts. All sports have age-related disadvantages and advantages. My daughter has a Jan 2nd bday and plays travel soccer. You could argue she has an advantage every year over kids who are born in December, since they use the calendar year to determine age cut-offs.
THIS.


Just bc it evens out when the kids are 15 (good birthdays) compared to 16 (bad birthdays) doesn’t mean it didn’t have an impact before that.


But it doesn't "even out." Hasn't everyone heard about Malcom Gladwell and relative age/ Matthew effect at this point? Researchers have looked at this as applied to swimming and found that the theory holds for swimming too (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8535716/). In other words, those with advantageous birthdays are seen as better when they are young, and they get more and better opportunities while they are young. Those opportunities accumulate over time so they end up better when they are older. That's why you see those with May birthdays widely overrepresented at meets like Sectionals, at which point you would expect things to "even out." (https://swimswam.com/brett-leader-looks-relative-age-age-group-swimming/


You realize that two of the very best male swimmers in PVS age up within a few months of the spring champs meets right? One, who just turned 17, is committed to swim at UVA, and the other slightly older one is committed to swim at NC State. Good thing they weren't dissuaded by a few anecdotes on this board.


There are always anecdotal exceptions to the general trends. Doesn't mean there isn't a bias.


This x1000. We don’t need to hear a few blips where the general rule doesn’t apply. In general, it applies.


The article linked above stated the following, "In individual sports, the body of scientific literature is even smaller, and results suggest that RAEs are less consistent in individual sports than in team sports." So what general rule you saying applies here?


In general, bad swim birthdays hurt kids. The fact that there are a few kids who have bad swim birthdays and nevertheless excel doesn’t change that.
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2024 16:34     Subject: Why doesn’t USA Swimming use cut-off dates like every other youth sport?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was a D1 swimmer and this conversation is absurd. It will not matter AT ALL by the time it actually counts. All sports have age-related disadvantages and advantages. My daughter has a Jan 2nd bday and plays travel soccer. You could argue she has an advantage every year over kids who are born in December, since they use the calendar year to determine age cut-offs.
THIS.


Just bc it evens out when the kids are 15 (good birthdays) compared to 16 (bad birthdays) doesn’t mean it didn’t have an impact before that.


But it doesn't "even out." Hasn't everyone heard about Malcom Gladwell and relative age/ Matthew effect at this point? Researchers have looked at this as applied to swimming and found that the theory holds for swimming too (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8535716/). In other words, those with advantageous birthdays are seen as better when they are young, and they get more and better opportunities while they are young. Those opportunities accumulate over time so they end up better when they are older. That's why you see those with May birthdays widely overrepresented at meets like Sectionals, at which point you would expect things to "even out." (https://swimswam.com/brett-leader-looks-relative-age-age-group-swimming/


You realize that two of the very best male swimmers in PVS age up within a few months of the spring champs meets right? One, who just turned 17, is committed to swim at UVA, and the other slightly older one is committed to swim at NC State. Good thing they weren't dissuaded by a few anecdotes on this board.


There are always anecdotal exceptions to the general trends. Doesn't mean there isn't a bias.


This x1000. We don’t need to hear a few blips where the general rule doesn’t apply. In general, it applies.


The article linked above stated the following, "In individual sports, the body of scientific literature is even smaller, and results suggest that RAEs are less consistent in individual sports than in team sports." So what general rule you saying applies here?
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2024 16:27     Subject: Why doesn’t USA Swimming use cut-off dates like every other youth sport?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was a D1 swimmer and this conversation is absurd. It will not matter AT ALL by the time it actually counts. All sports have age-related disadvantages and advantages. My daughter has a Jan 2nd bday and plays travel soccer. You could argue she has an advantage every year over kids who are born in December, since they use the calendar year to determine age cut-offs.
THIS.


Just bc it evens out when the kids are 15 (good birthdays) compared to 16 (bad birthdays) doesn’t mean it didn’t have an impact before that.


But it doesn't "even out." Hasn't everyone heard about Malcom Gladwell and relative age/ Matthew effect at this point? Researchers have looked at this as applied to swimming and found that the theory holds for swimming too (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8535716/). In other words, those with advantageous birthdays are seen as better when they are young, and they get more and better opportunities while they are young. Those opportunities accumulate over time so they end up better when they are older. That's why you see those with May birthdays widely overrepresented at meets like Sectionals, at which point you would expect things to "even out." (https://swimswam.com/brett-leader-looks-relative-age-age-group-swimming/


You realize that two of the very best male swimmers in PVS age up within a few months of the spring champs meets right? One, who just turned 17, is committed to swim at UVA, and the other slightly older one is committed to swim at NC State. Good thing they weren't dissuaded by a few anecdotes on this board.


There are always anecdotal exceptions to the general trends. Doesn't mean there isn't a bias.


This x1000. We don’t need to hear a few blips where the general rule doesn’t apply. In general, it applies.
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2024 16:23     Subject: Why doesn’t USA Swimming use cut-off dates like every other youth sport?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was a D1 swimmer and this conversation is absurd. It will not matter AT ALL by the time it actually counts. All sports have age-related disadvantages and advantages. My daughter has a Jan 2nd bday and plays travel soccer. You could argue she has an advantage every year over kids who are born in December, since they use the calendar year to determine age cut-offs.
THIS.


Just bc it evens out when the kids are 15 (good birthdays) compared to 16 (bad birthdays) doesn’t mean it didn’t have an impact before that.


But it doesn't "even out." Hasn't everyone heard about Malcom Gladwell and relative age/ Matthew effect at this point? Researchers have looked at this as applied to swimming and found that the theory holds for swimming too (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8535716/). In other words, those with advantageous birthdays are seen as better when they are young, and they get more and better opportunities while they are young. Those opportunities accumulate over time so they end up better when they are older. That's why you see those with May birthdays widely overrepresented at meets like Sectionals, at which point you would expect things to "even out." (https://swimswam.com/brett-leader-looks-relative-age-age-group-swimming/


You realize that two of the very best male swimmers in PVS age up within a few months of the spring champs meets right? One, who just turned 17, is committed to swim at UVA, and the other slightly older one is committed to swim at NC State. Good thing they weren't dissuaded by a few anecdotes on this board.


There are always anecdotal exceptions to the general trends. Doesn't mean there isn't a bias.


And those "trends" become self-fulfilling prophecies when whiny parents impress upon their kids that life is unfair if they have to compete against someone 6 months or 6 weeks older than them.
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2024 13:52     Subject: Why doesn’t USA Swimming use cut-off dates like every other youth sport?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was a D1 swimmer and this conversation is absurd. It will not matter AT ALL by the time it actually counts. All sports have age-related disadvantages and advantages. My daughter has a Jan 2nd bday and plays travel soccer. You could argue she has an advantage every year over kids who are born in December, since they use the calendar year to determine age cut-offs.
THIS.


Just bc it evens out when the kids are 15 (good birthdays) compared to 16 (bad birthdays) doesn’t mean it didn’t have an impact before that.


But it doesn't "even out." Hasn't everyone heard about Malcom Gladwell and relative age/ Matthew effect at this point? Researchers have looked at this as applied to swimming and found that the theory holds for swimming too (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8535716/). In other words, those with advantageous birthdays are seen as better when they are young, and they get more and better opportunities while they are young. Those opportunities accumulate over time so they end up better when they are older. That's why you see those with May birthdays widely overrepresented at meets like Sectionals, at which point you would expect things to "even out." (https://swimswam.com/brett-leader-looks-relative-age-age-group-swimming/


You realize that two of the very best male swimmers in PVS age up within a few months of the spring champs meets right? One, who just turned 17, is committed to swim at UVA, and the other slightly older one is committed to swim at NC State. Good thing they weren't dissuaded by a few anecdotes on this board.


There are always anecdotal exceptions to the general trends. Doesn't mean there isn't a bias.
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2024 13:19     Subject: Why doesn’t USA Swimming use cut-off dates like every other youth sport?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was a D1 swimmer and this conversation is absurd. It will not matter AT ALL by the time it actually counts. All sports have age-related disadvantages and advantages. My daughter has a Jan 2nd bday and plays travel soccer. You could argue she has an advantage every year over kids who are born in December, since they use the calendar year to determine age cut-offs.
THIS.


Just bc it evens out when the kids are 15 (good birthdays) compared to 16 (bad birthdays) doesn’t mean it didn’t have an impact before that.


But it doesn't "even out." Hasn't everyone heard about Malcom Gladwell and relative age/ Matthew effect at this point? Researchers have looked at this as applied to swimming and found that the theory holds for swimming too (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8535716/). In other words, those with advantageous birthdays are seen as better when they are young, and they get more and better opportunities while they are young. Those opportunities accumulate over time so they end up better when they are older. That's why you see those with May birthdays widely overrepresented at meets like Sectionals, at which point you would expect things to "even out." (https://swimswam.com/brett-leader-looks-relative-age-age-group-swimming/


You realize that two of the very best male swimmers in PVS age up within a few months of the spring champs meets right? One, who just turned 17, is committed to swim at UVA, and the other slightly older one is committed to swim at NC State. Good thing they weren't dissuaded by a few anecdotes on this board.

These arguments about birthdays and cutoffs really don’t apply to the high level swimmers, they are successful and make cuts regardless of when a champs meet is in relation to their birthday. Sure, there are degrees of success that birthdays play a part in, but they are still making the meets. There is a valid point though in terms of keeping kids in swimming when they are just missing the big meets. At a certain point and age, cut times and the handful of big meets a year are the focus and what all the kids and coaches talk about at the bigger clubs, so if you are a swimmer that comes to practice every day and works hard but is never a part of that conversation I can imagine how that is discouraging. I don’t know what the solution is, but if parents are interested in fostering a love of the sport and having it be something their kids stick with they should be aware of these things when they pick a club. I imagine the slower swimmers at the more low key clubs don’t feel that same level of discouragement/pressure.


My kid is at a smaller club. They don't feel this pressure at all. They still make cuts, admittedly more so in the upper half of the age group than the lower half. As long as they are having some fun and understand the long view, the age group resets are just a bump in the road.
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2024 12:53     Subject: Why doesn’t USA Swimming use cut-off dates like every other youth sport?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was a D1 swimmer and this conversation is absurd. It will not matter AT ALL by the time it actually counts. All sports have age-related disadvantages and advantages. My daughter has a Jan 2nd bday and plays travel soccer. You could argue she has an advantage every year over kids who are born in December, since they use the calendar year to determine age cut-offs.
THIS.


Just bc it evens out when the kids are 15 (good birthdays) compared to 16 (bad birthdays) doesn’t mean it didn’t have an impact before that.


But it doesn't "even out." Hasn't everyone heard about Malcom Gladwell and relative age/ Matthew effect at this point? Researchers have looked at this as applied to swimming and found that the theory holds for swimming too (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8535716/). In other words, those with advantageous birthdays are seen as better when they are young, and they get more and better opportunities while they are young. Those opportunities accumulate over time so they end up better when they are older. That's why you see those with May birthdays widely overrepresented at meets like Sectionals, at which point you would expect things to "even out." (https://swimswam.com/brett-leader-looks-relative-age-age-group-swimming/


You realize that two of the very best male swimmers in PVS age up within a few months of the spring champs meets right? One, who just turned 17, is committed to swim at UVA, and the other slightly older one is committed to swim at NC State. Good thing they weren't dissuaded by a few anecdotes on this board.

These arguments about birthdays and cutoffs really don’t apply to the high level swimmers, they are successful and make cuts regardless of when a champs meet is in relation to their birthday. Sure, there are degrees of success that birthdays play a part in, but they are still making the meets. There is a valid point though in terms of keeping kids in swimming when they are just missing the big meets. At a certain point and age, cut times and the handful of big meets a year are the focus and what all the kids and coaches talk about at the bigger clubs, so if you are a swimmer that comes to practice every day and works hard but is never a part of that conversation I can imagine how that is discouraging. I don’t know what the solution is, but if parents are interested in fostering a love of the sport and having it be something their kids stick with they should be aware of these things when they pick a club. I imagine the slower swimmers at the more low key clubs don’t feel that same level of discouragement/pressure.
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2024 12:03     Subject: Why doesn’t USA Swimming use cut-off dates like every other youth sport?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was a D1 swimmer and this conversation is absurd. It will not matter AT ALL by the time it actually counts. All sports have age-related disadvantages and advantages. My daughter has a Jan 2nd bday and plays travel soccer. You could argue she has an advantage every year over kids who are born in December, since they use the calendar year to determine age cut-offs.
THIS.


Just bc it evens out when the kids are 15 (good birthdays) compared to 16 (bad birthdays) doesn’t mean it didn’t have an impact before that.


But it doesn't "even out." Hasn't everyone heard about Malcom Gladwell and relative age/ Matthew effect at this point? Researchers have looked at this as applied to swimming and found that the theory holds for swimming too (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8535716/). In other words, those with advantageous birthdays are seen as better when they are young, and they get more and better opportunities while they are young. Those opportunities accumulate over time so they end up better when they are older. That's why you see those with May birthdays widely overrepresented at meets like Sectionals, at which point you would expect things to "even out." (https://swimswam.com/brett-leader-looks-relative-age-age-group-swimming/


NP.
Interesting!

I am not sure which teams focus on championships vs. regular meets.

My kid is equally focused on every meet. So while they are the youngest at January/February events ( early January birthday), they are the oldest in December meets and do well there. 😀
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2024 11:01     Subject: Why doesn’t USA Swimming use cut-off dates like every other youth sport?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was a D1 swimmer and this conversation is absurd. It will not matter AT ALL by the time it actually counts. All sports have age-related disadvantages and advantages. My daughter has a Jan 2nd bday and plays travel soccer. You could argue she has an advantage every year over kids who are born in December, since they use the calendar year to determine age cut-offs.
THIS.


Just bc it evens out when the kids are 15 (good birthdays) compared to 16 (bad birthdays) doesn’t mean it didn’t have an impact before that.


But it doesn't "even out." Hasn't everyone heard about Malcom Gladwell and relative age/ Matthew effect at this point? Researchers have looked at this as applied to swimming and found that the theory holds for swimming too (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8535716/). In other words, those with advantageous birthdays are seen as better when they are young, and they get more and better opportunities while they are young. Those opportunities accumulate over time so they end up better when they are older. That's why you see those with May birthdays widely overrepresented at meets like Sectionals, at which point you would expect things to "even out." (https://swimswam.com/brett-leader-looks-relative-age-age-group-swimming/


You realize that two of the very best male swimmers in PVS age up within a few months of the spring champs meets right? One, who just turned 17, is committed to swim at UVA, and the other slightly older one is committed to swim at NC State. Good thing they weren't dissuaded by a few anecdotes on this board.
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2024 09:34     Subject: Why doesn’t USA Swimming use cut-off dates like every other youth sport?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was a D1 swimmer and this conversation is absurd. It will not matter AT ALL by the time it actually counts. All sports have age-related disadvantages and advantages. My daughter has a Jan 2nd bday and plays travel soccer. You could argue she has an advantage every year over kids who are born in December, since they use the calendar year to determine age cut-offs.
THIS.


Just bc it evens out when the kids are 15 (good birthdays) compared to 16 (bad birthdays) doesn’t mean it didn’t have an impact before that.


But it doesn't "even out." Hasn't everyone heard about Malcom Gladwell and relative age/ Matthew effect at this point? Researchers have looked at this as applied to swimming and found that the theory holds for swimming too (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8535716/). In other words, those with advantageous birthdays are seen as better when they are young, and they get more and better opportunities while they are young. Those opportunities accumulate over time so they end up better when they are older. That's why you see those with May birthdays widely overrepresented at meets like Sectionals, at which point you would expect things to "even out." (https://swimswam.com/brett-leader-looks-relative-age-age-group-swimming/
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2024 09:15     Subject: Why doesn’t USA Swimming use cut-off dates like every other youth sport?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was a D1 swimmer and this conversation is absurd. It will not matter AT ALL by the time it actually counts. All sports have age-related disadvantages and advantages. My daughter has a Jan 2nd bday and plays travel soccer. You could argue she has an advantage every year over kids who are born in December, since they use the calendar year to determine age cut-offs.
THIS.


Just bc it evens out when the kids are 15 (good birthdays) compared to 16 (bad birthdays) doesn’t mean it didn’t have an impact before that.


Only if the parents allow it to.


Yes, that's the issue. Because the parents had sex at inopportune times.
Anonymous
Post 02/06/2024 08:07     Subject: Why doesn’t USA Swimming use cut-off dates like every other youth sport?

Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I was a D1 swimmer and this conversation is absurd. It will not matter AT ALL by the time it actually counts. All sports have age-related disadvantages and advantages. My daughter has a Jan 2nd bday and plays travel soccer. You could argue she has an advantage every year over kids who are born in December, since they use the calendar year to determine age cut-offs.
THIS.


Just bc it evens out when the kids are 15 (good birthdays) compared to 16 (bad birthdays) doesn’t mean it didn’t have an impact before that.


Only if the parents allow it to.