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
What part of your brain can't grasp the point I'm trying to make....that is that although participation in sports at the grade, middle and even high school levels shows an increase...the amount of swimmers...specifically boys...that stay in the sport and go on to more elite levels (later part of high school/college) according to many coaches is off.
Probably the part of my brain that is saturated with basketball at present.
You have yet to provide a single shred of factual information to support your assertion, other than there being a lot of girls at an upcoming meet and you've talked to some folks. Retention and growth rates for boys are on par with girls from 12 to 19 and over.
Your argument has morphed yet again. Now, you are stating "elite." Here's yet more facts - boys swimming for 18 and 19 and over has grown faster than girls AND there are more boys than girls in these two age groups by approximately 1000 swimmers. Further, boys have a higher retention rate than girls in these two age groups.
I'd be more inclined to believe you if I saw some stats.
To Chris' point, there are not many sports played internationally where the US can claim a pretty much uninterupted streak of dominance for over a quarter of a century. I would suspect most view swimming in the USA as pretty good and getting better. That's just what my heart tells me, no facts to support that, although that's not stopping this healthy debate.
What part of your brain can't grasp the point I'm trying to make....that is that although participation in sports at the grade, middle and even high school levels shows an increase...the amount of swimmers...specifically boys...that stay in the sport and go on to more elite levels (later part of high school/college) according to many coaches is off.
Probably the part of my brain that is saturated with basketball at present.
You have yet to provide a single shred of factual information to support your assertion, other than there being a lot of girls at an upcoming meet and you've talked to some folks. Retention and growth rates for boys are on par with girls from 12 to 19 and over.
Your argument has morphed yet again. Now, you are stating "elite." Here's yet more facts - boys swimming for 18 and 19 and over has grown faster than girls AND there are more boys than girls in these two age groups by approximately 1000 swimmers. Further, boys have a higher retention rate than girls in these two age groups.
I'd be more inclined to believe you if I saw some stats.
To Chris' point, there are not many sports played internationally where the US can claim a pretty much uninterupted streak of dominance for over a quarter of a century. I would suspect most view swimming in the USA as pretty good and getting better. That's just what my heart tells me, no facts to support that, although that's not stopping this healthy debate.
