There is one area that is not on the poll that I think is a contributing factor to the contribution of World Records and that is the Advancement of Professional Swimming around the World.
Twelve years ago there were not swimmers like Phelps, Lochte, Hoff, Coughlin, etc, etc, that could stay in the sport and make a living as a professional. There were very few swimmers that gave up there NCAA eligibilty to turn professional. In the 1990's the first swimmer I remember doing this was Anita Nall and she did not have the success that was expected from this decision.
Today with more sponsorships, professional swimmers can stay in the sport and earn a living where they could not 20 years ago. You had trail blazers like Matt Biondi and Tom Jager that stayed in the sport, but that was about it and they did not have the opportunties that the swimmers today have. Also more Universities and Clubs are welcoming professional swimmers to train and belong with actual meets set up to monitor the progress. There was none of this back in the early 1990's.
Swimmers can stay in the sport longer and reach a potential that years ago they couldn't do because of the rules of professional vs amateur in the sport of swimming. In the future I see this area growing and I see the sport becoming better with faster times by swimmers and World Records being broken.
Question though-Does your theory apply to the US only?
Most foreign swimmers do not have the training system set up(HS/College/Elite swimming)or the financial support like the US does and are much more limited in what they can do long term.I'm thinking here in particular about german swimmers and the decline of their swim program.
There is one area that is not on the poll that I think is a contributing factor to the contribution of World Records and that is the Advancement of Professional Swimming around the World.
Twelve years ago there were not swimmers like Phelps, Lochte, Hoff, Coughlin, etc, etc, that could stay in the sport and make a living as a professional. There were very few swimmers that gave up there NCAA eligibilty to turn professional. In the 1990's the first swimmer I remember doing this was Anita Nall and she did not have the success that was expected from this decision.
Today with more sponsorships, professional swimmers can stay in the sport and earn a living where they could not 20 years ago. You had trail blazers like Matt Biondi and Tom Jager that stayed in the sport, but that was about it and they did not have the opportunties that the swimmers today have. Also more Universities and Clubs are welcoming professional swimmers to train and belong with actual meets set up to monitor the progress. There was none of this back in the early 1990's.
Swimmers can stay in the sport longer and reach a potential that years ago they couldn't do because of the rules of professional vs amateur in the sport of swimming. In the future I see this area growing and I see the sport becoming better with faster times by swimmers and World Records being broken.
Question though-Does your theory apply to the US only?
Most foreign swimmers do not have the training system set up(HS/College/Elite swimming)or the financial support like the US does and are much more limited in what they can do long term.I'm thinking here in particular about german swimmers and the decline of their swim program.
