I have a theory that Masters has more males than females is because high school and college programs in the past spent their time on male swimmers. I remember my high school having only distances like 25 yard butterfly and the 50's of the other strokes and only the 100 for freestyle and IM. This was up to my sophmore year. And at the Jr year, the girls finally had 200 yard Im and 500 yard freestyle and the 100's of the other strokes like the boys. Also, I remember that the community college workout for women was a lot less yardage than that for guys. The California community college had the 100 and 50 distances for women and the 100 and 200 yard distances for men. The women did vote to keep the sprints and California community college is the only college system with the 50 sprints for other strokes besides freestyle. Anyways, college scohlorships for women came available starting mainly with the 1970's in swimming. Now at the age group level for USA Swimming girls outnumber boys. So in the future masters swimming will probably end up with more women.
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Former Member
I think that when they started swimming events for women they did think that on average they were weaker than men in regards to handing distance. But in this era back in the 1920's, there were women who had swam the english channel. Now days, I think they just keep the 800 meter for women and the 1500 for men because of time and schedule. They want to keep it short as possible and men happen to swim a little faster. However, great swimming distances some world records are held by women, fatty tissue protects them more from colder water and gives them more energy to draw from their extra fatty tissue. I think Lynn Cox still holds the world record for the english channel swim. As for as age group swimming, more girls go out for swimming, its only now in masters where there is still more men. But the average master age is in the forties, they swam in a period in their youth when their were more high school and college programs for boys and men. Now there are more college programs for women. In the past 30 years top women times have had greater drops then men. Karen Moe won the 200 meter butterfly in 2:15 in 1972 and Misty Hyman a 2:05.8. Mark Spitz swam a 2:00 200 meter butterfly and Michael Phelps holds the world record in a 1:54.7. Ladies times have drop more than men times in the past 30 years. Maybe, because swimming has change from being more of a guy sport to more of a female sport. More competition for the ladies.
I think that when they started swimming events for women they did think that on average they were weaker than men in regards to handing distance. But in this era back in the 1920's, there were women who had swam the english channel. Now days, I think they just keep the 800 meter for women and the 1500 for men because of time and schedule. They want to keep it short as possible and men happen to swim a little faster. However, great swimming distances some world records are held by women, fatty tissue protects them more from colder water and gives them more energy to draw from their extra fatty tissue. I think Lynn Cox still holds the world record for the english channel swim. As for as age group swimming, more girls go out for swimming, its only now in masters where there is still more men. But the average master age is in the forties, they swam in a period in their youth when their were more high school and college programs for boys and men. Now there are more college programs for women. In the past 30 years top women times have had greater drops then men. Karen Moe won the 200 meter butterfly in 2:15 in 1972 and Misty Hyman a 2:05.8. Mark Spitz swam a 2:00 200 meter butterfly and Michael Phelps holds the world record in a 1:54.7. Ladies times have drop more than men times in the past 30 years. Maybe, because swimming has change from being more of a guy sport to more of a female sport. More competition for the ladies.
