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There are going to be bad birthdays either way, I don't think one rule is better than the other for this. For example, my son has a Feb birthday, before championship season, meaning he is always competing with kids mostly older than him in those meets. I feel his pain. When I was an age group swimmer, my birthday was always the week before our championships. I was never at the "top" of an age group for the championship. Tell your son that he will finally get revenge when he is a USMS swimmer when he will age up just before spring nationals. Internationally this rule has been the case a long time, I think. When I was 12 and we moved abroad in the late 70s, it was the rule used. I don't see it changing anytime soon. Of course, maybe your son will be incredibly unlucky and USMS will switch to the FINA rules just when he is about to start masters swimming, so he can again get sc#$%*d by his birthday. In principle, I agree with the sentiment that the FINA rule is fundamentally wrong because some people get to age-up almost a year before they really age-up biologically. On the other hand, I also know that in some countries people don't take note of the actual day of birth, so it would be difficult to apply the USMS age-up rule internationally. We are actually fortunate here is the US. If you have an early birthday, the SCY season favors you, and if you have a late birthday, the LCM & SCM seasons favor you. For this reason, it's probably best not to mess with the rules.

There are going to be bad birthdays either way, I don't think one rule is better than the other for this. For example, my son has a Feb birthday, before championship season, meaning he is always competing with kids mostly older than him in those meets. Internationally this rule has been the case a long time, I think. When I was 12 and we moved abroad in the late 70s, it was the rule used. I don't see it changing anytime soon. Yes, birthdays are just part of the game. In age group swimming, my August 2nd birthday never helped me out with qualifying for the Zone meet each year. I was never fast enough to make it at the younger age of each 2-year grouping (11-12/13-14/etc), and when I was the older age I would miss out because I had to shoot for the Zone time of the NEXT age group always. Finally I made the times at age 14 for the 15-16 age group, and got to travel all the way to ... Federal Way. :(

I think FINA does it right with regards to age. The only thing that matters is the year you were born. Nice and simple. Not really sure why it matters, anyway. In both cases you compete in an age group for five years. The only difference is when you age up. It's sort of a six of one, half a dozen the other argument. I can't fathom why Ande thinks the FINA method is either dumb or unfair. I also like the combined age for relays thing, too. Makes more sense to me than the youngest swimmers dictating the age group. I like combined ages on relays. I'd prefer 20 year gaps on add up ages instead of 40. like 200 - 219 On the FINA age rule, to compete in an age group, I think swimmers should actually BE that age. It gives swimmers born in later months in the year an advantage. Though I was born May 21st, which usually screws me for SCY Nats each time I age up, years ending in 3 & 8

Frank has some very good points as to not make relays add up ages !!

Whoa Frank, you are a swimming encyclopedia, I hope you type fast.

I believe I heard somewhere that some countries or something say that you are 1 year old at birth...I assume they're counting the entire time you're in your mother's womb as living time and rounding it up to 1 year to start out. I don't have a source for this, it's just something I think I saw somewhere. In South Korea you are one the day you are born and everyone becomes one year older on new year's day.