HOW AGE GROUPS ARE DETERMINED
Age
Group designation is particularly tricky for parents of younger walkers
as there are so many different interpretations. Let's review.
VRWC AGE
This is your
age at the start of our financial year which falls on 1st October. If your child is aged
11 at that time, then he/she remains an U12 walker from our perspective
for the following year from 1st October through to 30th September.This
follows the Little Athletics model whereby the walker may continue to
compete U12 in our various VRWC club championships throughout the year
even though that walker will have turned 12 in the meanwhile.
CANBERRA CARNIVAL AGE
The Canberra
carnival works on Age on the Day.
Personally, I think this is the fairest way to run championships and
Racewalking Australia uses this model where possible. The member clubs
must verify age for their club members when they submit their entries.
AGE ON THE WORLD SCENE
Some years
ago, the world governing body of athletics (the IAAF) promulgated that
at World Junior (U20) and World Youth (U18) championships, all athletes
must be under the age limit for the entire year. Thus World Junior
championships are only open to athletes who do not turn 20 until the
next year and World Youth Championships are only open to athletes who
do not turn 18 until the next year. At the same time, they rewrote the
U18 and U20 world records based on Age
at 31 December of the Current Year.
ATHLETICS VICTORIA
AND ATHLETICS AUSTRALIA AGES
Athletics
Australia's decision to base age, ranking and record definitions on
calendar years was not because of the above IAAF ruling but rather, to
bring consistency to the operation of the sport nationally. At the
time, the most significant area of teenage athletic activity was in
schools, and the school system used the calendar year. AA saw sense in
aligning itself with the school age groups because the two systems had
the same client group, ie 12 to 19 year olds.
The State govening bodies (like AV) followed suite for consistency.
Thus in any AV or AA competition, age is Age on 31st December of the Current Year.
IMPLICATIONS
The varied
Age related Rules do have implications for the sport of Athletics in
Australia
- Any
athlete born in the second half of the year is permanently
disadvantaged throughout his/her junior career compared to those born
in the first half of the year. Anyone born on 31st December has a lot
to be upset about! As my boys were all born in the last quarter of the
year, they had to suffer this situation throughout their under age
career.
- Athletes
often have the feeling that they are being forced to compete 'up an age
group'. For instance, a walker born on 5th October and aged 12 on 1st
October can compete in U13 in Little Athletics and VRWC races but come
the Victorian Roadwalking championships in August of the following
year, he has to compete in U16. Thus that walker is still classed as
U13 in LA but is classed as U16 for the AV/AA roadwalk championships.
This can only be fixed at the National Level if Athletics Australia and
the Australian Little Athletics Association can reach an understanding.
In the past, attempts by the two organisations to move closer together
have failed so we continue to live with the complications of different
age group rules in different organisations.
Just to complicate things even further, VRWC and VLAA have a financial
year that starts on 1st October but AV and the other AA member States
have a financial year that starts on 1st April. This is another key
area where some consensus is needed. You know the old saying – Life
wasn't meant to be easy!
Tim Erickson
Press
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Tim
Erickson
VRWC
Webmaster
Melbourne, Australia