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
Seriously - following your ever changing arguments is really hard. First you said that boys swimming is decreasing. Well, that was disproven by your own facts. Then, you said participation is down ON ALL LEVELS, which, again, is completely incorrect with participation at an all time high. Toss in the video game theory (btw - video game systems have been around since the early to mid 80s), the fat kid theory, and it all becomes too hard to keep up with.
I totally agree on the baseball thing. Even a cruddy left handed pitcher is gonna be a zillionare in MLB. My daughter is a lefty but I can't stand baseball parents so it's swimming for us. Girls can't play baseball allegedly, have to play softball (and there's a stigma with that sport).
USA Swimming has retention rate information as well. Again, you are dead wrong. Boys and girls retain at about the same percentage over 5 years (70.4% (g) to 69.2% (b)). So, turnouver really isn't that high and certainly no noticeable difference between the sexes.
If you walk into a ball room and see 90 boys and 10 girls in 1975 and then walk into that same ballroom in 2007 and see 150 girls and 135 boys you naturally might think there are fewer boys. Don't confuse perception with reality. Course, as a boy, I'd be happy with more girls. You, conversely, seem to find it a problem.
Heart versus head debates are always interesting.
Seriously - following your ever changing arguments is really hard. First you said that boys swimming is decreasing. Well, that was disproven by your own facts. Then, you said participation is down ON ALL LEVELS, which, again, is completely incorrect with participation at an all time high. Toss in the video game theory (btw - video game systems have been around since the early to mid 80s), the fat kid theory, and it all becomes too hard to keep up with.
I totally agree on the baseball thing. Even a cruddy left handed pitcher is gonna be a zillionare in MLB. My daughter is a lefty but I can't stand baseball parents so it's swimming for us. Girls can't play baseball allegedly, have to play softball (and there's a stigma with that sport).
USA Swimming has retention rate information as well. Again, you are dead wrong. Boys and girls retain at about the same percentage over 5 years (70.4% (g) to 69.2% (b)). So, turnouver really isn't that high and certainly no noticeable difference between the sexes.
If you walk into a ball room and see 90 boys and 10 girls in 1975 and then walk into that same ballroom in 2007 and see 150 girls and 135 boys you naturally might think there are fewer boys. Don't confuse perception with reality. Course, as a boy, I'd be happy with more girls. You, conversely, seem to find it a problem.
Heart versus head debates are always interesting.
