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.....
Parents
Former Member
I've read everything all of you wrote. It may be up for grabs as to why. All I know is when I was swimming early in the 60's, there was no high school swimming, nor even college swimming for women. And, there wasn't so much of a selection for us females wanting to try a sport. Soccer was unheard of, baseball was for men, but there was basketball and gymnastics and tennis. The YMCA really promoted swimming for both men and women. Of course that led to AAU where we could train and swim our hearts out. This is how my swimming journey started. The YMCA held tons of little swim meets, as well as big ones. It was a haven for us to find out how we were faring. Then, onto AAU, the big fish.
Those of us who were considered ELITE swimmers in Texas, did workout with the collegiate men swimmers (for me: Don Easterling--brutal workouts). Also George Haines and his Santa Clara dream teams.
I was envious when Title IX hit. It opened up the field to women in sports. Now I am almost 59 and I have been swimming my entire life. I just found it to be "me". I found what I do best, then and now.
All I know is people are either swimmers or they are not. And most swimmers who started young, are still swimmers. Great pleasure is derived from it and it is familiar, it is our best friend. We don't want to know much of any other sport. Especially when we reach late 30s, early 40s, middle age because it is the thing we have developed to its fullest over years of enjoying the sport. And we have become more proficient at this sport because of the years we put into it. Changing to a sport that pounds our bodies isn't very attractive.
I know, I know, people swim to maintain weight and sometimes it is superficial. But I know many thin people who are unfit. I swim because I love it, I swim because it keeps my "lab" numbers low, I swim to get rid of life's daily problems.
But many women also are intrigued with the "beauty" of elite swimmers; beauty in how they swim and the times they deliver. But also, women swimmers, many of them, take time off to bear children. This could account for "gaps."
Anyway, I am no expert nor will I ever claim to be. This is my experience and my thoughts overall.
Happy swimming!!!
Donna
:groovy:
I've read everything all of you wrote. It may be up for grabs as to why. All I know is when I was swimming early in the 60's, there was no high school swimming, nor even college swimming for women. And, there wasn't so much of a selection for us females wanting to try a sport. Soccer was unheard of, baseball was for men, but there was basketball and gymnastics and tennis. The YMCA really promoted swimming for both men and women. Of course that led to AAU where we could train and swim our hearts out. This is how my swimming journey started. The YMCA held tons of little swim meets, as well as big ones. It was a haven for us to find out how we were faring. Then, onto AAU, the big fish.
Those of us who were considered ELITE swimmers in Texas, did workout with the collegiate men swimmers (for me: Don Easterling--brutal workouts). Also George Haines and his Santa Clara dream teams.
I was envious when Title IX hit. It opened up the field to women in sports. Now I am almost 59 and I have been swimming my entire life. I just found it to be "me". I found what I do best, then and now.
All I know is people are either swimmers or they are not. And most swimmers who started young, are still swimmers. Great pleasure is derived from it and it is familiar, it is our best friend. We don't want to know much of any other sport. Especially when we reach late 30s, early 40s, middle age because it is the thing we have developed to its fullest over years of enjoying the sport. And we have become more proficient at this sport because of the years we put into it. Changing to a sport that pounds our bodies isn't very attractive.
I know, I know, people swim to maintain weight and sometimes it is superficial. But I know many thin people who are unfit. I swim because I love it, I swim because it keeps my "lab" numbers low, I swim to get rid of life's daily problems.
But many women also are intrigued with the "beauty" of elite swimmers; beauty in how they swim and the times they deliver. But also, women swimmers, many of them, take time off to bear children. This could account for "gaps."
Anyway, I am no expert nor will I ever claim to be. This is my experience and my thoughts overall.
Happy swimming!!!
Donna
:groovy:
