This all changed coming out of the pandemic. | Privacy SettingsDo Not Sell My Personal Information, WATCH: Sam Stewart Blast 1:56.91 200 IM at College Station Futures, 15 Year Old Lily King Swims 25.62 50 Free on Final Day of Geneva Futures, Gracie Weyant Swims 2:14.93 200 IM on Final Night of Cary Sectionals, 14 YO Abby King Swims 2:32.75 200 Breast on Night 3 of Geneva Futures, Jorge Murillo Wins Mens 200 Breast in 2:12.74 at Cary Futures on Night 3, Bluefish Shines on Day 2 of Geneva Futures Winning 3 Events, 16-Year Old Michael Mullen Swims 4:21 in 400 IM at Cary Sectionals, #13 All-Time, Macguire McDuff Wins Mens 100 Free in 49.06 on Night 2 of Cary Futures, Share Are Elite Swimmers at Futures Championships a Problem? There were many HS swimmers who made the older swimmers work hard for their spots in College Station. In the first year, athletes with one or more Nationals cuts could not attend. Last weekends USA Swimming Futures Championships were arguably the best those meets have ever been. The difference-of-opinion could be a recency bias, because Futures meets were created in my lifetime, and Sectionals were not. In 2016, that was changed to swimmers with one or more US Open standard swims, which at the time were usually the same at Olympic Trials standards in long course, but with a matching short course standard. Should You Be Worried If You Bleed After Sex? Could the imbalanced regions be contributing to this problem? The meets purpose was never stated as a stepping stone for junior athletes, but rather a stepping stone between local and national championships. Overlapping the meets with Nationals also disincentivized elite national-caliber swimmers from attending, because they had *another meet* to race at. Summer Nationals should absolutely be the last meet of the year, with all pre nationals meets being in the last 20 days of July. My teammates and I swam at Futures knowing that it would take significant lifetime bests to make finals, versus if we had rested for an LSC or sectionals meet, we couldve been getting second swims in all of our events. Maybe I would feel more strongly if I had a swimmer who was negatively-disadvantaged by the presence of currents at the Futures meets, but so long as those elites are showing up and taking the event seriously as a championship event (Sam Stewart, for one, clearly was), I dont really mind it at the current level. They shouldve had that choice. on Pinterest, Share Are Elite Swimmers at Futures Championships a Problem? It would be interesting to get the perspective of those elite athletes in College Station. Also highlighting the night was UNC commit (2022) Aislin Farris of Bluefish picking up a win in the womens 200 IM with a 2:18.10 pictured above. But I agree that the optics of it are not great, and that was not the purpose of these meets when they were created. This season shouldve been prep for US trials or other international LCM trials and competition, so they should be racing against top athletes from all over the US & the world in the few LCM seasons they have. When these Futures Championships were created, they were created with a very specific goal in mind: to create a meet for swimmers to bridge the gap from Sectionals meets to National meets. Are Elite Swimmers at Futures Championships a Problem? I think even the stars of the meet were hitting PBs to win, rather than being national-teamers just getting reps in. I agree with this. That includes US National Team member Sam Stewart, who has trained there for two months, and Olympian Sydney Pickrem, who pulled out of the Commonwealth Games meet for Canada this weekend but raced at Futures instead. If there was a problem, it was probably that many events had too few swimmers, and therefore couldnt fill the C and D finals. POPSUGAR editors are taking the latest and greatest beauty trends to trial. Then, swimmers could not have standards for Nationals and swim Futures, except in one specific case: Futures meets began on August 1, and if a swimmer hit their first Nationals cut after June 3, they could still swim Futures, but not that event where they had a Nationals cut. After Breakthrough at Senior Nationals, Norvy Clontz Drops 1500 Free at Juniors, Olympic Champ Bobby Finke Going Pro, Foregoing Final Season of NCAA Eligibility. There are about a dozen Sectionals meets each season, and just two national meets: Junior Nationals and Senior Nationals. I think that Sam Stewarts breakout swim in the 200 IM in College Station was great, but I would have loved to have seen it against Shaine Casas breakout in the 200 IM in Irvine. I dont think having swimmers with Junior Nationals cuts is really a problem theres more value, from a Future standpoint, to an athlete getting a prelims/finals swim at Futures than finishing 98th at Junior Nationals. FTC Disclaimer | Terms of Use & Privacy Policy Weve heard similar complaints about Sectionals in the past, and that bothers me less. Some of the people bothered by this are club coaches or parents of young swimmers who are getting bumped down a spot or two by the elites. We always talk in swimming about how youre only racing the clock, but it becomes increasingly-clear year-after-year that this is not really true. Scheduling on an overlap with Nationals is a great idea, and probably solves a big piece of the problem. Lots of time-drops from morning to night, and lots of swimmers in the mix. Tweet Are Elite Swimmers at Futures Championships a Problem? 2022 Swim Swam Partners, LLC. When Futures resumed in 2021, the time ceiling rules were gone. I also agree that having an elite level swimmer brings the energy up for a race or event. Allow them to bring in a small handful of local names, who might not want to go to Nationals, to pose for photos or sign autographs or whatever other arrangements the meet host might make. For one, we have to give elitessomewhere to compete there arent enough National Championship meets to go around. The swimmers making A finals were very fast, but mostly not national class. Shop the items our editors are giving their seal of approval. This increase suspense and intensity for Nationals, while giving everyone and anyone a chance to have qualified in every event they possibly can, with the culmination meet being Nationals, period. Picture a 19-year old swimmer, a late bloomer, and the size of the chasm between Sectionals and Nationals (because they no longer have a Junior Nationals option). Ive heard some people propose an age-limit for Futures, and that is something I am adamantly opposed to. I think 19&Os should only get 1 finals heat opportunity and cannot score for their club team (idk how to make that happen). But I do recognize that the slope could be a slippery one, especially in the current atmosphere where elites are increasingly-often looking at ways to avoid pressure while racing. I have no problem with College swimmers at Futures, as long as they dont have Junior or Senior National cuts. Afterall, young swimmers love racing against their heroes the kind of opportunity that doesnt come often in most sports. Copyright 1995-2022 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. In part, the results were a success thanks to big swims by true future qualifiers for the next-level meets, like Gracie Weyant, and 15-year old Lily King (not to be confused with Lilly King). Watch Sam Stewart swim 1:56.91 in the 200 IM, becoming the ninth-fastest American of all time at College Station Futures. He first got his feet wet by building The Swimmers' Circle beginning in January 2010, and now comes to SwimSwam to use that experience and help build a new leader in the sport of swimming. We pulled out of the Geneva meet (flights & travel into Cleveland) to drive to Pittsburgh because it was going to be more reliable and cost effective for our team. Junior Nationals should be the following week. Its a give-and-take that each swimmer must face: am I ok with probably only getting one swim at this higher level meet, or should I go to a lower level meet for two chances? The 30 year old Jorge Murillo swam the event at both the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Olympics as he competed for Colombia. Instead they got to race their teammates (again) and HS swimmers. I would be okay with some kind of a sliding scale on the time ceiling, however. I think some of these older swimmers should get opportunities to race but it should be meets like Speedo Grand Challenge (hosted by NOVA- Irvine) or Ultraswim (by swim mac). That was especially true at the College Station site, where several undergrads and post-grads that are part of the Texas A&M University group made appearances. The majority of the races were close, and only a few of them had an overwhelming favorite. In part, the meets were fast because we saw more-than-usual senior-aged swimmers, especially those who we would normally see at the US National Championships, racing at the meets. I would love to see USA Swimming go back to a time ceiling program at Futures meets. Several swimmers and their families were not happy that their championship meet was just against their teammates in their home pool. The Futures Championships in College Station last weekend wound up being an important meet for Sam Stewart, but do National Teamers belong at these events? Michael Mullen of the Bolles School Sharks won a Futures title in the 400 IM for the second-straight year, this time moving to 12th-place all-time in his age group. Those with trial cuts shouldve been in Irvine. Futures was meant to be part of the progression to Nationals. On some level, these moves make sense. Archive photo via Jack Spitser/Spitser Photography. I could even be okay with a ceiling that said, maybe, if you only have a Nationals cut in one event, you can still swim at Futures. Allowing a developing swimmer to race six events at Futures could again be a superior experience than racing one event at Nationals. Thats huge. Subscribe to our newsletter and receive our latest updates! There seems to be a problem serving the request at this time, VIKTORIA & AND WOODS Beige Cream White Mini Top Shirt Jacket Blazer Dress Coat, ViNTaGe Black Red Lace Spanish Lolita Hi-Lo Train Gown! Nationals should be August 13th or later. I dontlove it, but with just a handful of these elites showing up at any one meet, I do think the problem has been overblown. All rights reserved. Futures should be the Come One Come All Championships. Please select the topics you're interested in: Would you like to turn on POPSUGAR desktop notifications to get breaking news ASAP? I think it could also be cool to give each Futures meet host a few wildcard entries, similar to a sponsors exemption in golf or tennis. Kings time was a best time by almost two seconds and now puts her at #38 in the 13-14 age group in the event all-time. on LinkedIn, because he went a new best time in the 200 IM, 2022 Commonwealth Games: Day 4 Finals Live Recap, NCAA Publishes Division I 2022-2023 National Championship Standards. It is an opportunity for high-level, prelims-finals racing without leaving home. Weyants time would have finished fifth at US International Team Trials in April, an event she finished 12th in there. These meets strategically placed is where they should be instead of flooding these Sectionals and Futures meets that are geared toward the 18&U and taking opportunities away from them. Aside from his life on the InterWet, . I watched the Minneapolis meet, and I would say it lived up to the goal youre aiming for. Florida commit Josh Parent swam a 4:22.51 to win the mens 400 IM. View cart for details. 9 Convincing Fan Theories, Quinta Brunson Loves Drugstore Shopping Just Like the Rest of Us, North West Gives Kim Kardashian an Impressive "Minions" Makeover on TikTok, Reminder: Kristen Bell Isn't Actually Covered in Tattoos, The Revival of Goth Makeup Plus How to Create the Look, 25 Old Navy New Arrivals That Will Get You Excited for Fall Fashion, Dua Lipa's Catsuit, Tinashe's Low-Rise Pants, and More Lollapalooza Looks, Target's Joanna Gaines Fall Collection Is Here! Something went wrong. Most notably, the mensRead more , Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and a co-founder/co-owner of SwimSwam.com. on Facebook. Or since the LSCs have a SR travel fund they need toRead more . The rule didnt return this year either, though the meet was expanded to 5 sites (it began with 3), providing more opportunities. Plus, those meets are more of a regional designation (Sectionals) than a purpose designation (Futures), even in name. Thats what we want of all professional and elite level sports, right? The best racing the best at their best. Shop Our 13 Favorite New Arrivals, 15 New Products on Amazon You'll Want This Month, Your August 2022 Horoscope Wants You to Get Your Life in Order, TikTok's "Internal Shower" Drink Is Just a Fiber Bomb and That's Not Great, 7 Rules to Remember to Become a Better Recycler, Whatever You're Craving This Summer, We've Got the Ideal Activity for You, I Get Why the Internet Is Obsessed With This $89 Carry-On From Walmart, These Home Products From Urban Outfitters Are Making Us Want to Redecorate, 10 Spell Candles Crafted to Bring You Love, Prosperity, and More. But ultimately, we want the best swimmers racing at the biggest championship to end their season. But this raised a lot of eyebrows about whether opportunities were being taken away from swimmers for whom the Futures Championships were designed: athletes looking to make the leap from Sectionals meets to National meets. Get your daily life hack right in your inbox. But I still think I agree with that dichotomy in my mind, even though theres a ladder of sorts that USA Swimming has developed. But, at the same time, traveling in this country at the moment is utterly insane. Futures Championships originally were restricted from swimmers with times for bigger national meets. For Stewart, the opportunity was a good one, because he went a new best time in the 200 IM. Now, its just another money marker meet. McDuff is a rising sophomore at Florida and has now dropped almost a full two seconds in the 100 free over the last year. While they saved costs, some wouldve preferred to test themselves against elite swimmers that they dont train with every day. You said it best that the optics arent good when elite swimmers are at Futures. I have complained about the college swimmers at the Futures meet selfishly because I know its hard for swimmers aged 15 to 18 years old to be successful at this level. So I think USA Swimming should continue to make these Futures meets unattractive to true elites. Perhaps if a swimmer is over a certain age, like 21 (the age when most are wrapping their college careers), a one-Nationals-standard cap could be put in place. Flamenco Tango Prom, Louis Vuitton dress in navy woolcashmere blend with silk and sequin trim, Halpern Sequined Tulle Turtleneck Mini Dress in Silver Polyester, Halpern Asymmetric Cutout Sequined Mini Dress in Red Polyester, Marchesa Notte Sequined Gown in Black Polyester, Alexander Wang Square Neck Fitted Sequin Dress in Black Nylon. Marilyn Monroe's Estate Addresses Outrage Over Ana de Armas's Accent in "Blonde", Kobe Bryant Hits the Court in the Trailer For Hulu's LA Lakers Docuseries, If You Haven't Been Taking Monkeypox Seriously, It's Time to Start, Peloton Loyalists Are Not Happy About SoulCycle's New PR Campaign, Beanie Feldstein Takes Her Final Curtain Call in Broadway's "Funny Girl" Revival, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo Tease "Wicked" Movie With Behind-the-Scenes Photo, Pineapples, Fishing Nets, and More Sustainable Materials Landing in Your Closet, Beyonces "Renaissance" Wants Us to Dance Our Troubles Away, J Lo Covers "I Will Survive" For Choreography-Filled Charity Performance, Everything to Know About Fast Fashion and How to Avoid It, 12 of Our Favorite New Workout Clothes Launching This August, Olympia Ohanian Schools Her Dad in Soccer, and Serena Williams Jokes, "My Genes", 24 Women Accuse Quarterback Deshaun Watson of Sexual Misconduct, and He Gets 6 Games Off, Shop Free People's Best Workout Pieces, From Leggings to Sports Bras, Get Your Heart Rate Up With This 30-Minute Cardio HIIT Workout. If swimmers are bothered by the fact that they are not making finals, they can either swim faster or target slower meets. 8 Transitional Dresses That Are as Stylish as They Are Affordable, My Apple AirTags Gave Me Peace of Mind Throughout My European Vacation, Parade and Urban Outfitters Just Launched the Intimates Collab of Our Dreams, 26 DIY Taylor Swift Halloween Costumes That Are Super Easy to Recreate, The Real Reason Noa Went to Juvie in "Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin", Double the Trouble This Halloween With These Pop Culture Costumes For Best Friends, 44 of the Sexiest Horror Movies of All Time, 6 Connections Between "Pretty Little Liars" and "PLL: Original Sin" You May Have Missed, The Harrowing True Story of the Cave Rescue That Inspired "Thirteen Lives", Sandra Bullock Doesn't Need "Paper" to Be "Devoted" to Boyfriend Bryan Randall, Beyonc Confirms She's Removing Criticized Lyric From New Song "Heated", Bindi Irwin's Daughter Can't Hold Back Excitement Over Photo of "Grandpa Crocodile" Steve Irwin, Who Is "A" in "Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin"?
Pink Plus Size Dresses For Special Occasions, Jacquemus 24/24 Pop Up London, Black Hanging Planter Outdoor, Best Laser Projector 2022, Leather Espadrille Wedges Closed Toe, Washable Flats With Arch Support, Food Packaging Bags Near Berlin, Paper Placemats Disposable, Glue For Plastic Lawn Chairs, Palatino Upright Piano, Napco Technical Library,
