When I started swimming masters a few years ago, I soon found myself wanting some time standards to compare myself against. Sure, tracking my own PRs is motivating, but I also wanted some sort of objective mark to measure myself against.
There is the Top 10 list, of course, but I'm not close enough to those times for them to serve as realistic motivation. Nationals qualifying times provide a slightly lower bar, but these are still out of many masters' reach. It seems like there should be some sort of time standards that are more widely applicable -- like the A, AA, ... motivational times in kids' age group swimming.
I did use those USA Swimming motivational times for a while, but I got tired of comparing myself to 12-year-olds. Eventually I decided to create my own masters' motivational time standards, using the same method that is used for the kids.
I have really enjoyed using these motivational times over the past couple of years, and I'm guessing they might be useful to others as well. Especially for those, like me, who are competitive enough to be motivated by a quantitative benchmark, but not fast enough to aspire to the Top 10 list.
I have just updated the SCY list, and figured I would post it here for others to use.
Please enjoy. I'd also love to hear any feedback.
I just looked at the SCM list for M35-39.
seems like they are on the slow side or maybe I missed something in the creation of the table.
are the AAAA times just outside the top 10 list, or does a 4A time put you in contention for getting a top 10 time.
I am by no means a freestyler or backstroker, but manage to be 3A on the spints, and 4A for 200 an longer in free and in back it was 2A, 3A, 4A from 50--> 200.
comparing my times to others in a little place like sweden I would have expected to have been in the 2A-3A in the Breat and IM events only.
but I will print this out and bring it to practice tonight.
I just looked at the SCM list for M35-39.
seems like they are on the slow side or maybe I missed something in the creation of the table.
are the AAAA times just outside the top 10 list, or does a 4A time put you in contention for getting a top 10 time.
I am by no means a freestyler or backstroker, but manage to be 3A on the spints, and 4A for 200 an longer in free and in back it was 2A, 3A, 4A from 50--> 200.
comparing my times to others in a little place like sweden I would have expected to have been in the 2A-3A in the Breat and IM events only.
but I will print this out and bring it to practice tonight.
