This hasn't affected me as of yet, so I really haven't been paying attention up until now. :) I'm thinking of entering a SCM meet in October. My birthday is in December, and I age up this year. I have already swum two LCM meets in my new age group. I was under the impression that SCM meets had the same age-up rule as LCM meets; i.e., you swim the age you will be as of December 31. However, the SCM meet entry asks the age you will be as of the first day of the meet. Which is correct? I want to make sure I'm swimming in the correct age group (not that it's any easier in the older one!).
Thanks!
Kristin
I agree -- it can be confusing!!
It should not be.
USMS follows FINA rules for metric events (LCM, SCM), where everyone has a birthday on Jan 01 every year and competes in the same age group all year long.
SCY is a different story, only because we are the only country that uses yards pools. You age up on your real birthday. Easy for you, not so easy for the people who keep track of records. Depending on your birthday, it is possible to set records in two different age groups in SCY during one season.
For someone like me who was born in late Sept, I have to remember that USMS keeps me at my age until June 1st. Then I have to remember to "age myself up" after that. It would just be easier to be 1 age all year long. People who aren't swimmers ask me my age now and I have to stop and think "USMS age or real age?" And this year, the new age is a BIG ONE!:cane:
30?
I wish USMS would go the USAT route and age everyone up as of Jan 1st. It would make things less confusing.
Not until 2012!!!! I still have some unfinished SCY business in 40-44 next year!!!
While they're at it they should change the SCY relay rules to be the same as FINA's (i.e., combined age). The youngest swimmer determining the age is just silly.
Well - I just learned something new - I thought all masters aged up on 1 Jan!
I know that UK Masters follows FINA with a 1 Jan "birthday" and combined ages for relay swims. Perhaps urge USMS to fall in line with Europe? Then again the US still has those pesky 25yd pools:bolt:
