Posted on 02/11/2022 8:25:28 AM PST by CondoleezzaProtege
It’s not just the communist countries that are like that. Canada was notorious for that age/month factor you describe there. A disproportionate number of top NHL players over the last 40+ years were born early in the year, including Wayne Gretzky (January), Mark Messier (January), Gordie Howe (March), and Bobby Orr (March).
I think it was a chapter in Malcolm Gladwell Freakenomics where he pointed out the birthdates of pro level hockey players in these types of countries. Birthdates were always heavily stacked to January. It was concluded that the skills development at the young ages of children made a huge difference in who was selected for more advanced training. When the kids started out, they were put in age groups. A 5 year old born in Jan has a HUGE developmental advantage over a 5 year old born in Dec. when comparing them for athletics.
I listened to one of Rafael Arutyunyan’s interviews.....He said Russia put out athletes like a production factory. That they were in the business of producing skaters when he worked there for 25 years.
He further stated US has a defined and focused approach. That they look for kids with passion and desire for the sport which you can’t get in an assembly line approach.
I’m sure you’re right. My memory and perception of the match was, however, as I described.
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