I have been swimming Masters for two years and am 47 years old. I graduated from high school in 1976 and college in 1980. In South Texas the 45-49 age group has consistently had more swimmers at meets and perhaps the closest competition of any male age group. Why does 45-49 have more swimmers than 40-44 and 50-54, the two neighboring age groups? There are some very fast guys in this age group, who obviously have not taken long breaks (e.g. decades) from swimming. They swim modern breastroke, not legacy breastroke.
Are we 45-49 guys just a demographic phenomenum? Our kids are a certain age, we got a bit fat, and decided to get active again? Or was there a swimmer population bubble in the late 70s and early 80s?
Is this bubble going to follow me when I age up or does some percentage of swimmers retire at 49?
Just an inquiring mind.....
You're in the baby boomer group, a very large population in itself. That age group must have been during the biggest waves of births.
I guess the "free love" push of the early 1960s was really started in the late 1950s.
I agree that the Mexico Olympics on TV was probably a big boost for swimming, as is being at a certain point of life that offers motivation and available time.
Is there a breakdown of USMS membership by age group available somewhere? Is there another bubble for women that was caused by Title IX?
I too am in the same age group and this is just conjecture: for those of us that started in the mid to late 60s, I think there was a Mexico City/Counsilman/Spitz/Hall Sr. bounce that got us attracted to the sport, secondly--the invention of goggles (we were the first age group that raced in them--or could race dive rather), suit and pool technology improved greatly, all which added up to some incredible racing and time drops especially in the 70s. Go back and look at times from 1970 and then compare them to 1979. You won't see those kind of time drops in any other decade, which I believe can be credited to the better pools, equipment, and sheer number of competitors.
Any other thoughts on this?
"Is there a breakdown of USMS membership by age group available somewhere? Is there another bubble for women that was caused by Title IX?"
I don't know if there are MORE swimmers in the ages of women who swam with 4 years of college under Title IV, but I do know that the overall times get much faster just after I age up each time. I am "safe" for a couple years (top 10-wise) then I get slaughtered for 3 years until I move up an age group again. I was born in '53 so women born after about 1955 have the advantage of having been coached/trained for 4 years during college after Title IV went through, giving a little time for things to get in place after the passage of it.
If you are 45-49 and you have family, your children may now be around 15-25 years old, and they do not depend on you as in their childhood, may be they already moved, so you can now spend time on yourself. Not that you forget about them but now they are more independent than before.
Regrding other sports, it is unlike that at that age you join a basketball, baseball or football master team, so sports like golf, tennis and swimming got a lot of new comers or returners at that age group.
Thats my point of view.:o
Originally posted by GoRedFoxes
I thought it was midlife crisis. One last shot at, "hey, I can still do it!"
I agree. I think's it more this than anything else.
At 45, if you have kids, they will be moderately self sufficient and you can do things you enjoy again. Plus, you get the mid life thing going.
