To all Senior Team Coaches,

I have contacted various IDBF officials in the past 6 months and recieved no response but here is my objection to the January 1st age requirement for Seniors. The January 1st concept evolved for "maximum age" categories (must be "younger than") so that someone who starts a season in an age group can complete for the whole season even if their birthday occurs part way through. (they can finish the season in the category in which they started).

As the Senior rule reads now, there are people who are already 40 years old but will not be eligible to compete as Seniors at World's this year because they turned 40 after January 1st. For Seniors, I think this rule concept should be applied in the opposite manor. ie. if you turn 40 at any time during the year of the event (by December 31st) then you should be eligible.

Is there any hope that we can get this rule changed some day?

In any other area of life, people don't want to be viewed as "seniors." A rule has been made. You may just have to wait a year to play. This one is hardly worth fussing about, unless of course you REALLY want to go to Australia and just turned 38.

(If so, enjoy your youth. 40 happens soon enough ... and 45 ... and 50 ... and ...)

nice reply!
All in a good way.

Unfortunately the worlds are every 2 years not every year.

I missed it by only 10 days.

We wish to try to qualify for the CC's as a senior team. One of our regular paddlers turns 40 this year so he is not a senior this year. He will be senior when the world CC happen in 2006.
So : I think he should be able to race with us when we try to qualify.

Answer - Yes

to the fact that someone who will be 40 by the end of this year (Say Dec 31st) can compete as a Senior this year because they would be eligable to race next year?

I find that hard to believe. Has anyone confirmed this?

That definition is only true for World Qualifiers, so they
are eligible for the Worlds the following year.

Stop trying to bend the rules to suit your own needs.
What happens after this...change the rule to 35 yrs old ?

I am not trying to bend any rules. I am just wondering what the actual rules are. I know people who this may effect.

Doesn't seem likely to me that anyone who was not 40 by last December 31st would be allowed to race this year in the qualifiers because they would be eligible to race in the actual WCCC next year which is why I questioned the previous posters "Yes" answer.

Hmmm, and if you weren't talking to me then ahhh, never mind.

If you're 40 before the race date you should be able to race Seniors. This rule is ridiculous!

Somebody arbitrarily decided Jan. 1st was the cut off, so change it!

There's no advantage to turning 40 6 months later, all it means is you're 40 on race day & can't race other 40 year olds!

This makes absolutely no sense at all!

By what "race day"?

The CCWC selection race day, the National Team Trial race day, the CCWC race day, or the WC race day?

How about we let anyone who is already 40 race, and also anyone who is going to be 40 sometime? That should narrow it down. The people who are over 40 in premier teams must be laughing a lot at this discussion.

CU at races with other old paddlers.

The date of the race changes from year to year. The Jan 1 date was probably chosen so that a country couldn't be accused of trying to gain an advantage for themselves by, for example, scheduling the race date to coincide with the birthdays of a few 39-year-old paddlers that might not otherwise be elligible until the next year. Jan 1 makes it fair for everyone. Get over it, wait till next time to race.

The cut off should be whenever the date of world's is. If you're 40 the day of the race... you are a senior paddler! How simple is that?

Bending the rules? 39 & 364 days or 50 years old, who cares? With that logic the team that has the 50 year olds that are better than another teams 40 year olds shouldn't be able to race either.

Everyone tries to bend the rules to suit them.
I'm 40 on this date, switch the dates.

Agreed the date selction is perhaps random (Jan 1) as is in most sports. Oh well....
deal with it

X don't even try to go ther

Shro

If you are 40 and over this year, you qualify, if you turn 40 this year, you don't. This is so simple yet everyone on the latter half whines and wants the rules changed. What then change them back next year, to stroke your ego. Go slap your parents for not having you 1 year earlier. Those are the rules, live with it, deal with it, shut up and paddle.

Hey don't go dragging me into this.

I don't see any issues with the age rules. As someone else said they gotta pick a date and the one they picked seems as good as any other.

Derek usually posts under "Derek", and is more coherent and reasonable.

So who is this "Shro" guy?

X, Just because someone mentions your name in a post, doesn't mean you have to respond to it. Let it die man. and you really should just use your reel name, since most of us know who you are.

I love it when anonymous posters call out someone for using a pseudonym.

"Hello Pot, this is the kettle..."

Besides, what an insidious little trap that was. Post someone's name, or pseudonym, then jump on their back when they respond. Just plain dumb.