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 absolutely right, Anne.....all you have to do is look at the top ten times in 100 free for 50-54 yr-old women for the year 2000; then for the year 2004. In 2000 the 10th time was 1:06.77 but in 2004 it was 1:00.88.....almost a 6 second drop!! I think the first wave of those who swam some in college hit about then....I'm just happy that I moved up in 2005.... I continue to be amazed that we have 50 year-old women who consistently swim about 1:00.00 or under; when I was a kid I don't think anyone would have thought that "old ladies" COULD swim that fast.
There seem to be a couple of bubbles.....you're right about the 45 year old men....the 40 year-old women aren't too shabby either. In many of these age-group, aging up doesn't confer a super great advantage, time-wise!
Sally
You're absolutely right, Anne.....all you have to do is look at the top ten times in 100 free for 50-54 yr-old women for the year 2000; then for the year 2004. In 2000 the 10th time was 1:06.77 but in 2004 it was 1:00.88.....almost a 6 second drop!! I think the first wave of those who swam some in college hit about then....I'm just happy that I moved up in 2005.... I continue to be amazed that we have 50 year-old women who consistently swim about 1:00.00 or under; when I was a kid I don't think anyone would have thought that "old ladies" COULD swim that fast.
There seem to be a couple of bubbles.....you're right about the 45 year old men....the 40 year-old women aren't too shabby either. In many of these age-group, aging up doesn't confer a super great advantage, time-wise!
Sally
