Below are the number of entrants for each event at the Junior Nationals for 2008. What do these figures mean for men's swimming long term? The number of boys in the sport trails girls quite siginficantly in many events. In relays where a team tends to show its depth, boys are out numbered by girls nearly 2:1
If things continue or get worse we've got problems ahead of us in 2 Olympics.
It's a good thing collegiate budgets aren't cutting mens swimming these days.... :-)
ncsassociation.homestead.com/PsychFINAL.htm
.............Women Men
1650/1000... 78.. 75
Med. Relay... 97.. 51
100 free... 264.. 140
100 ***... 179.. 102
200 back... 173.. 111
200 fly... 149.. 91
800 fr rly... 81.. 43
50 fly... 170.. 106
50 ***... 151.. 82
200 free... 252.. 159
400 IM... 183.. 106
400 free rly... 84.. 45
100 back... 194.. 152
500 free... 188.. 112
200 ***... 152.. 82
100 fly... 242.. 161
200 fr rly... 84.. 45
50 back... 135.. 115
200 IM... 268.. 169
50 free... 282.. 153
800/1500 fr... 98.. 67
400 med rly... 105.. 54
Woodstock was in 1969 but given your love of the worst band ever, that being Fleetwood Mac, I don't fault you for your mistake here.
It's very difficult to reconcile the facts that say swimming participation by boys is at an all time high coupled with your own stated fact that boys overall sports participation is at an all time high level (in the past 29 years) and then predict the demise of men's swimming. Most would call that assertion completely unsupported by fact. But, never let facts get in the way of a good internet argument!
Also, what in the world do you have against women in athletics?
Our club is probably not representative of most nationwide but we have a large group of very fast boys, along with the girls as well.
So i guess we should live and die strictly based on "statistics"? Forget the observations of the people on the front lines of development of the next generation of elite swimmers in the US...college coaches? I can't explain why the numbers part way with what people I respect and trust are telling me...but they do. Maybe, just maybe more people are getting involved as "posers" at the high school level, and possibly young, fat kids are bing pushed to sign up for sports by parents finally recognizing the epidemic of obesity in this country..only to both quit when the demands and accountability of a Div I program come their way....I don't know but to ignore it is to risk losing a generation of world class athletes.
And give me a friggin break on the Title IX BS, I have NEVER said anything remotely that would lead someone to think i was against women in sports...but policies like is and affirmative action..or anything our government does to "level the playing field" almost always have an unintended and reverse effect...because some of us feel that should be discussed and evaluated does not make us sexists or racists!
Woodstock was in 1969 but given your love of the worst band ever, that being Fleetwood Mac, I don't fault you for your mistake here.
It's very difficult to reconcile the facts that say swimming participation by boys is at an all time high coupled with your own stated fact that boys overall sports participation is at an all time high level (in the past 29 years) and then predict the demise of men's swimming. Most would call that assertion completely unsupported by fact. But, never let facts get in the way of a good internet argument!
Also, what in the world do you have against women in athletics?
Our club is probably not representative of most nationwide but we have a large group of very fast boys, along with the girls as well.
So i guess we should live and die strictly based on "statistics"? Forget the observations of the people on the front lines of development of the next generation of elite swimmers in the US...college coaches? I can't explain why the numbers part way with what people I respect and trust are telling me...but they do. Maybe, just maybe more people are getting involved as "posers" at the high school level, and possibly young, fat kids are bing pushed to sign up for sports by parents finally recognizing the epidemic of obesity in this country..only to both quit when the demands and accountability of a Div I program come their way....I don't know but to ignore it is to risk losing a generation of world class athletes.
And give me a friggin break on the Title IX BS, I have NEVER said anything remotely that would lead someone to think i was against women in sports...but policies like is and affirmative action..or anything our government does to "level the playing field" almost always have an unintended and reverse effect...because some of us feel that should be discussed and evaluated does not make us sexists or racists!
