Is it my imagination or is the smarter gender under represented in masters swimming. I would like to get some real numbers to confirm my observations. Forumites like Rick Osterberg, can you give some data about the ratio of men to women at USMS meets? Perhaps we could break it down by age group (I can hear the CPUs humming at Chris Stevenson's place all the way from up here in Mass).
If women are under represented, then I would like to discuss the causes of the imbalance and begin to work on improving the ratio.
Good point ourswimmer, but I just feel like I don't see very many women swimmers with whom I went to college coming back into the sport and I thought those numbers were more equitable. Perhaps that belief is wrong.
I see what you mean. You seem to be asking a narrower question than the one I was addressing with my remark about history. Across the entire population of people who are now 40-ish, more men than women have childhood swimming experience (I think). But there ought to be about equal numbers of men and women who are now 40-ish and who competed in D1 20-ish years ago. So among those people, if more men than women return to serious swimming, the explanation for that imbalance can't be historical.
Good point ourswimmer, but I just feel like I don't see very many women swimmers with whom I went to college coming back into the sport and I thought those numbers were more equitable. Perhaps that belief is wrong.
I see what you mean. You seem to be asking a narrower question than the one I was addressing with my remark about history. Across the entire population of people who are now 40-ish, more men than women have childhood swimming experience (I think). But there ought to be about equal numbers of men and women who are now 40-ish and who competed in D1 20-ish years ago. So among those people, if more men than women return to serious swimming, the explanation for that imbalance can't be historical.
