Times for 50m freestyle (avg->good->great)?

I agree with you about the subjectiveness of the question, but I think that's what the OP wanted -- a sense of what Masters swimmers tend to think of as fast. I also agree with you that the answers will be all over the map. But when you say "I don't want anyone to think that I feel "beginner" is a dig or negative opinion of someone" -- read the post just below yours, and imagine how someone who has been training and working hard for all of those years will feel to be called a beginner. And when you say, "When i see people in my age group going 30+ in a 50free the first thing on my mind is that they haven't trained enough to step from beginner to average" again, I think it would be hard for such a person not to feel insulted (i.e., that they just haven't worked hard enough). It's great that you started early enough and had enough natural athletic ability to swim so fast after only 4 weeks of training. But that is not true of most people, and frankly, it's comments like yours that make people think that Masters (or this discussion board) is only for top competitive swimmers. I'm saying this not because I want to start an argument (I don't), but because I think you must not be aware of the vast number of people who have been swimming and working hard for many years without achieving your speeds. I think you're also not aware of how elitist your comments sound. I don't think you intended them that way, but you're not representing the majority of Masters' swimmers experiences. :applaud: Well said - I must admit my first thought was "heck I've never gone sub 30 om 50m free and I'm no beginner" But then again I am a girlie and I never did the whole USAS/college swimming thing, although did compete as a kid. So totally subjective - for me sub 30 on 50m free is very fast and sub 1.00 on 100m free likely unachievable. Sub 1.00 on 100 yds is what I'm aiming at with the right training in a couple of years time. To answer the original question though, I agree, the NQTs, motivaton charts and the event ranking listings are all good places to gauge what is fast or middling for competitive Masters swimmers in your age group.

I agree with you about the subjectiveness of the question, but I think that's what the OP wanted -- a sense of what Masters swimmers tend to think of as fast. I also agree with you that the answers will be all over the map. But when you say "I don't want anyone to think that I feel "beginner" is a dig or negative opinion of someone" -- read the post just below yours, and imagine how someone who has been training and working hard for all of those years will feel to be called a beginner. And when you say, "When i see people in my age group going 30+ in a 50free the first thing on my mind is that they haven't trained enough to step from beginner to average" again, I think it would be hard for such a person not to feel insulted (i.e., that they just haven't worked hard enough). It's great that you started early enough and had enough natural athletic ability to swim so fast after only 4 weeks of training. But that is not true of most people, and frankly, it's comments like yours that make people think that Masters (or this discussion board) is only for top competitive swimmers. I'm saying this not because I want to start an argument (I don't), but because I think you must not be aware of the vast number of people who have been swimming and working hard for many years without achieving your speeds. I think you're also not aware of how elitist your comments sound. I don't think you intended them that way, but you're not representing the majority of Masters' swimmers experiences. :applaud: Well said - I must admit my first thought was "heck I've never gone sub 30 om 50m free and I'm no beginner" But then again I am a girlie and I never did the whole USAS/college swimming thing, although did compete as a kid. So totally subjective - for me sub 30 on 50m free is very fast and sub 1.00 on 100m free likely unachievable. Sub 1.00 on 100 yds is what I'm aiming at with the right training in a couple of years time. To answer the original question though, I agree, the NQTs, motivaton charts and the event ranking listings are all good places to gauge what is fast or middling for competitive Masters swimmers in your age group.