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
Former Member
My reply is assuming that this is a USMS sanctioned event. If not, then the meet can indeed set their own rules. For instance, some senior games or other similar meets may not use the same rules, and I don't believe USA Swimming meets use the end-of-year age rule (I think it's just for Masters in FINA).
If you do swim in a recognized (not sanctioned) meet that uses different age group rules, when your results are imported to the meet results database and/or submitted for top 10, your age group should be corrected per our rules. Confusing enough yet?
It is a sanctioned meet -- the Rowdy Gaines Masters Classic in Orlando. I'll bet it's just a typo on the entry.
I didn't realize the recognized vs. sanctioned rules -- nice to know, and not so confusing anymore! Thanks! :)
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.
I'm starting to like SCY less and less (if I were faster and a serious contender in either age group, I'd probably like it more and more)!
Not sure I'm understanding you here. For USMS you age up on your birthday, but I was referring to the FINA rule. All you need to know is the year of your birth and what the current year is and then you know what age group you'll be competing in for the entire calendar year. I don't think June 1st means anything for either USMS or FINA, does it?
For LCM and SCM you are you age as of Dec 31st so once LCM starts (which is generally June 1st), add a year on to your age. So for someone like me who doesn't have a birthday until Sept, my actual age and my USMS age are different for 4 months.
For someone like me who was born in late Sept, I have to remember that USMS keeps me at my age until June 1st.
Not sure I'm understanding you here. For USMS you age up on your birthday, but I was referring to the FINA rule. All you need to know is the year of your birth and what the current year is and then you know what age group you'll be competing in for the entire calendar year. I don't think June 1st means anything for either USMS or FINA, does it?
