FINA says Dubai Charter doesn't apply to Masters

The home run record set by Roger Maris was designated by an asterisk for many years. Maris hit 61* in a 162 game season, Ruth hit 60 in a 154 game season. This is incorrect. There was never an asterisk applied to Maris' record. In fact MLB never even had an official record book until recently. Here's a link that explains it. What's wrong with having two sets of WR's? I'd say because it goes against the very nature of what a record is supposed to mean--the fastest official time swum. Some of the 160 plus WR's swum in flotation suits, will probably not be broken for decades, when we go back to regular tech suits. In my opinion this won't be the case. Once that bar has been set swimmers will continue to swim close to that fast. There won't be the record assault we've had in the last year or two, but I doubt it will take "decades" for any of the current records to fall even if FINA decides to return to no tech suits whatsoever.

Kirk, I don't know how accurate that article is, but it does say that for many years they kept both records as official. I don't agree that the majority of the current WR's will be broken anytime soon. If the current Tech suits are in fact 1 second faster per 100 yards, that is a hugh advantage in elite competition. In the next few years there will probably be swimmers who would be capable of breaking the existing WR's if they were able to use the current generation of tech suits. Some will fall short simply because they will not have that advantage. I think that FINA made a mistake by allowing the LZR and other flotation suits.

Let me propose a modest solution to this records business, at least as it applies to masters swimming. Adopt the boxing model whereby different boxing commissions will allow all sorts of different people to simultaneously claim to be the current champion of the world Throw away medals as a token of victory and adopt instead ludicrously oversized belts with what appear to be turkey platter sized belt buckles made out of heavy metals Require all claimants to "fastest masters swimmer" in the different male and female age groups, swim distances, strokes, and masters swimming sanctioning commissions to wear, in addition to whatever speed suits their respective officiating bodies allow, their championship belts whenever they race It's a win-win. The more a person wins, the more ludicrous the assortment of heavy metal championship belts they must wear, in addition to whatever cheating suit is permitted. This will gradually segue our sport from the boxing model into the horse racing model, where certain jockeys and horses must carry additional weight during sweepstakes. Granted, we may lose a few of our best swimmers to freak drowning accidents. This is probably inevitable in masters water polo especially, where the tangling up of heavy belts is practically inevitable, and rat's nests of entangled players will sink to the bottom of the pool, beyond timely salvation. However, it is a small price to pay to allow more than just the "good" swimmers to hog all the records for themselves? On this note, having come up with the definitive solution to the problem--not unlike the senate's use of agricultural co-ops to solve, once and for all, the US healthcare monstrosity--I am confident we can at last all agree: THIS is the perfect answer. Not a word more need be added. Perfect!

A world record is a world record, why do we have to have world records recorded by the old age groupies. No 60 year old sets a true world's record. Old timers would never be able to compete with the likes of Phelps. You oldsters are trying to prove something you are not. There should only be one set of worlds records. There is a true set of world records everything else is a fantasy. Well, since most world records are set by men, are you saying that there shouldn't be "world records" for women?

Until the adoption goes through, I am not going to rock the boat in any way regarding my wise Canadian father. Just accept that George knows more than you do. The idea of 8 and unders competing against Michael Phelps actually appeals to me. It will wipe the smug little smiles off their faces pretty quick, and prepare them for future life with the American Healthcare system the moment they are no longer eligible for that subsidized Chip program, whatever it's called. I think that we should find the best person in every single field of human endeavor--Tiger Woods for golf, Harry Reems for male sexuality, George Park for standards, and so forth--then actively discourage anyone else from wasting their time in that particular endeavor. That's the last thing we need is a bunch of wannabee Michael Phelps's, clogging up pool time! To be honest, I no longer have the faintest idea where I am going with this reply. It makes very little, if any, sense. I think we need to find the absolute best poster and let him or her write all the posts in the future, and actively discourage anyone else from wasting their time in this particular endeavor. That's the last thing we need is a bunch of Optimum Poster wannabes clogging up the Internet with nonsense. What day is this? Who am I? Huh?

Who is Harry Reems and how do you know about him? Wasn't he a pioneering sexologist at Johns Hopkins here in the enlightened if prim East? Or was he a Southern California porn star who died of AIDS? One or the other, I think. George, do you think Harry's records should stand?

I swam in the SCM Nationals in Toronto and I don't rememeber many swimmers in high tech suits, but there were a few.......I didn't wear one for my swims this year, some would call me foolish. My consience is clear.

A world record is a world record, why do we have to have world records recorded by the old age groupies. No 60 year old sets a true world's record. Old timers would never be able to compete with the likes of Phelps. You oldsters are trying to prove something you are not. There should only be one set of worlds records. There is a true set of world records everything else is a fantasy.

My consience is clear. Mine is too.

Jim you are taking my words out of context, men are men a should be able to set world records for males. One set of records for males. Women are women and should also be able to set female world records. And yes she/men should also be able to set world records within their group.