Open the Masters Records?

Yep, I agree too that masters records should be open to everyone in that age group, not just those who happen to swim masters meets. Right now masters records, especially in the younger few age groups, feel somewhat arbitrary. If you set a new masters record as a 20-year-old in the 50 free you are not the fastest 20-year-old to swim the 50 free ever, you are just the fastest 20-year-old to swim the 50 free who has chosen to swim in a masters meet. Worldwide this would be relatively easy to do, the same organization, FINA, keeps masters world records and "real" world records. Nationally it would be a little trickier since we have USAS and USMS which are separate organizations. Just like I'm guessing you need to be a member of USAS to set a "real" national record you should need to be a member of USMS to set a masters national record, but you shouldn't have to do it in a masters meet. To take it a step further it would make sense to me, in a perfect world, for USMS to be a subset of USAS and have a single organizing body for competitive swimming for the country. But I realize that in the real world the size of the organizations and politics and the differing needs of an age-grouper and masters swimmer would likely prevent it from all falling under one umbrella.

Yep, I agree too that masters records should be open to everyone in that age group, not just those who happen to swim masters meets. Right now masters records, especially in the younger few age groups, feel somewhat arbitrary. If you set a new masters record as a 20-year-old in the 50 free you are not the fastest 20-year-old to swim the 50 free ever, you are just the fastest 20-year-old to swim the 50 free who has chosen to swim in a masters meet. Worldwide this would be relatively easy to do, the same organization, FINA, keeps masters world records and "real" world records. Nationally it would be a little trickier since we have USAS and USMS which are separate organizations. Just like I'm guessing you need to be a member of USAS to set a "real" national record you should need to be a member of USMS to set a masters national record, but you shouldn't have to do it in a masters meet. To take it a step further it would make sense to me, in a perfect world, for USMS to be a subset of USAS and have a single organizing body for competitive swimming for the country. But I realize that in the real world the size of the organizations and politics and the differing needs of an age-grouper and masters swimmer would likely prevent it from all falling under one umbrella.