Records

You sure you are looking at the records for the same course? I'm guessing you're comparing short course yards records to long course meters records.

I double checked for the course length bc that's what I figured as well. By all means, please check behind me though. Give us an example where a USMS record is faster than an Olympic record. I'd be absolutely shocked if there is one. edit: I checked the list of men's Olympic records here: en.wikipedia.org/.../List_of_Olympic_records_in_swimming against the fastest USMS record in long course and every Olympic record is faster. Not surprisingly, the closest one is the 50 free. Olympic record is 21.30 (Cielo) versus Anthony Ervin's 30-34 USMS record of 21.55. I didn't check the women's records.

I double checked for the course length bc that's what I figured as well. By all means, please check behind me though. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Why are the USMS records faster than the records for Olympics and world records listed on other websites? In several instances, it's not even close. I have provided a link that will answer most of your questions here: forums.usms.org/showthread.php I am not sure what reference you are referring to about the Olympics because USMS members as USMS swimmers do not represent USMS in the Olympics and therefore could not get any records their because its not Recognized by USMS but is sanctioned by FINA and therefore if a masters swimmer was eligible for a record it would not count for those purposes even if all legal requirements such as pool measurement, timing printouts, and Meet Referee were completed. USMS allows swimmers who compete in USA-S events as members of USMS times to count for USMS Top Ten and Records and long as all the legal requirements and USMS Rules are followed. FINA will only count times in USMS Sanctioned events and USA/USMS Dual Sanction events. So a lot of swims that you observe where events that were not sanctioned by USMS but only USA-S where USMS members have to be USA-S members is where those faster times for records come from. Hope this helps.

That explains a lot. Thanks Frank.

The Olympics only take 2 swimmers per event. Very few USMS members can even make the team. In the 2016 Olympics, Tom Shields and Katie Meili were the only current 2016 members that I know making the team. Past members such as Dana Vollmer, Dara Torres, Nathan Adrian, Anthony Ervin, Darian Townsend, and many more competed in masters swimming and swam in the Olympics during the Professional era which started in 1992. Their is no such term as amateur status as applied to the Olympics since the 1992 Olympics when the IOC opened up the Olympic Games to all athletes including Professionals. Amateur status only applies to the NCAA competition and that have to maintain that to be eligible in their competitions.

Knelson, I know what you mean. I'm trying not to sound like an idiot here but when I went back today to put links for what I found yesterday, I couldn't find it. Matter of fact, everything I found today supports what you are saying. I swear I know how to read and I saw it yesterday but I must have been in some twilight zone or something because it wasn't there today! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If these swimmers are so fast and breaking so many records, why aren't they in the Olympics? Have they lost amateur status somehow making them ineligible? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk