Swimming World's top 12 master swimmers!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Former Member
Let the debate begin. I have no problem with the 12 selected, but, 6 and 6 is pretty tough to pick and I have great respect for the process they use. I do think they should try to maybe add the top swim of the year,but, what they have to do, at present, is pretty overwhelming. Some of the runner-ups are pretty awesome. Pull up the Swimming World and download the magazine.What a great honor for all these great swimmers EOM
Does FINA have a Top 10 list at the end of the year? If so, I would be more than happy to take this change into consideration.
Certainly they do. They even have all-time Top 10 performers:
www.fina.org/.../index.php
I agree with Allen that the emphasis on WRs distorts things.
In the case of some swimmers that have many such records in their age group, it means that they are essentially competing against their younger selves, even if they are far ahead of their nearest competitors.
Also...it may not be a very PC thing to say, but primarily using WRs could somewhat inflate the accomplishments of older swimmers who have many WRs simply b/c there have not been many swims in that particular event. (Let me hasten to add that I have a huge admiration for such swimmers, in fact they are generally the athletes I admire most. If the purpose of the recognition is primarily to honor longevity, then so be it and I have no problem with it...but it shouldn't just happen by default.)
I think some sort of age-adjusted rating system like the one we use in Virginia:
www.vaswim.org/.../rcalc.cgi
(there are other methods too) would be good too for more objectively evaluating someone like Dennis Baker who competes in fewer events but rates extremely well in those events.
Does FINA have a Top 10 list at the end of the year? If so, I would be more than happy to take this change into consideration.
Certainly they do. They even have all-time Top 10 performers:
www.fina.org/.../index.php
I agree with Allen that the emphasis on WRs distorts things.
In the case of some swimmers that have many such records in their age group, it means that they are essentially competing against their younger selves, even if they are far ahead of their nearest competitors.
Also...it may not be a very PC thing to say, but primarily using WRs could somewhat inflate the accomplishments of older swimmers who have many WRs simply b/c there have not been many swims in that particular event. (Let me hasten to add that I have a huge admiration for such swimmers, in fact they are generally the athletes I admire most. If the purpose of the recognition is primarily to honor longevity, then so be it and I have no problem with it...but it shouldn't just happen by default.)
I think some sort of age-adjusted rating system like the one we use in Virginia:
www.vaswim.org/.../rcalc.cgi
(there are other methods too) would be good too for more objectively evaluating someone like Dennis Baker who competes in fewer events but rates extremely well in those events.
