I wonder if USFS would think about having two separate testing tracks for adults, one for the people they REALLY want involved, those at higher levels who skated as kids and are in Masters or Gold, or headed there, and one for people like me, who started as older adults and have busted their tuchases (tuchasii?!) and spent thousands of dollars on ice, lessons, memberships, tests, dues, and competitions to get most of the way to the Silver level (Silver moves passed, free will be next test).
I know I'm not a great skater but I've worked hard under difficult circumstances (little or no ice seven months of the year) to get where I am in my fifties. If nothing else, USFS should recognize us as a source of possible income rather than devoting more and more energy encouraging the highest level and youngest adult skaters.
Changing the age ranges will not save the LOCs money at AN, from the group numbers I saw at this year's AN, and will discourage skaters in their 50's and up from competition unless they skated as kids or have fabulous genetics. The recommendations don't reflect that a large number of competitors, for example, in Bronze Free were at the oldest ranges--15 in 4 and 12 in 5, with 16 in 3, 13 in 2, and 5 in 1; or that there were 22 competitors in Silver Dramatic Showcase 4, with a number of them being at Silver rather than their freestyle Bronze level because of ice dance qualifications. Although I would benefit from this change by the next time I go to AN, as it will be when I'm in the youngest age group of the oldest group, I think it's a poor idea if there is any idea of encouraging older adults to attend AN and enjoy the competition experience.
I don't see how moving the age ranges around saves anyone money unless the hope is that fewer older adults will enter events such as Freestyle when they realize they have to compete against someone 15 years younger than they are. Ten years makes a big difference in what your body can do when you get past 40.