why doesn't masters apply the same age rule for short course as it does for long course?
In long course meets a persons age is determined by their age by the end of the year.
so at worlds there were 24, 29 , 34, 39, 44, ... year olds
who competed in the next age group up because they aged up later in the year.
In short course competitions a persons age is determined by their age at either the end or beginning of the competition.
I encourage USMS to be consistent and
consider adopting the same rules for short course competitions
Ande
Former Member
OK, so the US uses exact age and FINA uses a Year of Birth rule.
The US system is clearly more "fair" if you agree that it matters whether you are 44 years 364 days or 45 years old on a given performance date. I do, but I was raised that way, except for my childhood summer swim league.
FINA is easier to implement (all you need is YOB). Arguably the calendar effect at Masters ages is irrelevant, but I don't like it. You are always in the same age group as people born in the same year.
We only use the FINA rule for meters as they don't recognize yards events.
I think we are stuck with both.
Originally posted by ande
I turn 45 on May 21 2008...
Another reason I am excited about turning 50 (February 9, 2008) and getting out of this age group (not that 50-54 will be that much easier).
maybe dates are too tricky for fina - is it mm/dd/yyyy or dd/mm/yyyy? i like the fina rule - i have a november birthday and got to swim up at worlds this year. i'd like to swim up in scy too!
my reason for posting this is selfish
I turn 45 on May 21 2008
Austin Nats in 2008 are likely to happen the month before my BD
I'd like to see USMS apply consistent rules to determine age
how does one go about proposing the to the USMS rule making body?
I'd also like to see USMS allow backstrokers to curl their toes over the edge of the pool on starts.
ande
Originally posted by newmastersswimmer
Ande- you are trying to apply logic and common sense to an issue that is very sensitive: we foreigners trying to take away your precious...yards. To change the birthdate would be yet another of the insidious, perhaps even invidious steps along the long slippery slope of sameness that the world wants to impose upon the ruggedly individualistic American swimmer...
originally posted by the Northern Bookman
Uh....yaeh...whatever he said!
I wonder if itis because so many nonwestern cultures don't mark individual birthdays but birthyears. That is everyone bvorn in 1975 is considered the same age regardless of where their actual birthday falls with in that year. thisis the same way horses' ages are tracked.
