🧭 Why Two Systems? – Power Points vs. Motivational Standards

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Both Motivational Time Standards (B–AAAA) and Power Points are age-based systems created by USA Swimming, but they serve very different purposes.
Together, they give swimmers and coaches two complementary ways to measure progress — one based on percentiles, the other on performance quality.

💡 Scope note: USA Swimming Power Points apply only to Short Course Yards (SCY) and Long Course Meters (LCM) swims recorded in the SWIMS database.
Power Points are not calculated for Short Course Meters (SCM) events.

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🎯 Different Goals

System	What It Tells You
Motivational Standards (B–AAAA)	“How does this swimmer rank among others right now in their age group?”
Power Points	“How close is this swim to the best performances ever recorded for swimmers of the same age and gender?”

• Time Standards are percentile-based — goal-setting tools that define levels like B, A, AA, AAA, and AAAA.
• Power Points are algorithm-based — scoring tools that quantify performance strength across events and ages.

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🧮 How Each System Is Built

🔹 Motivational Time Standards

• Derived from percentiles of USA Swimming’s database every four years.
• Represent where a swimmer ranks relative to peers in the current era.
• AAAA ≈ top 2%, AAA ≈ top 6%, etc.
• Used mainly for goal-setting and meet qualification.

🔹 Power Points

• Calculated from mathematical models of the fastest historical times ever recorded for each age, gender, and event.
• Age-adjusted so that a 500-point swim at age 11 is equivalent in quality to a 500-point swim at age 16.
• Updated only when rule or record changes affect the benchmarks.
• Used mainly for performance analysis and national programs such as IMX, IMR, and VCC.

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⚙️ Why USA Swimming Uses Both

Audience	Motivational Standards	Power Points
Swimmers & Parents	Simple milestones (A, AA, AAA)	Numeric performance scoring
Coaches	Group swimmers by level	Evaluate improvement & balance
Meet Hosts / LSCs	Control meet qualification	Rank “Swim of the Meet” or “Most Improved”
USA Swimming Programs	Age-group standards & recognition	IMR, IMX, and Virtual Club Championships

The two systems complement each other:

• Standards are categorical — easy to understand and track over time.
• Power Points are continuous — detailed and quantitative.

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🧠 An Easy Analogy

Think of them like school grades vs. test scores:

• Motivational Standards → “You’re in the top 10% of your class.”
• Power Points → “You scored 720 out of 800 on a national scale.”

Both measure success — one relative to peers, the other relative to excellence.

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🏁 How They Work Together

Used together, they offer a complete view of development:

A 12-year-old might have AAA times (top 6%) and a 610-point average.
At 13, they may still hold AAA times but now average 670 points — showing real improvement even if their letter level didn’t change.

• Time Standards show where a swimmer stands today among peers.
• Power Points show how close that swim is to the best ever for that age.

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✅ Summary

Aspect	Motivational Standards	Power Points
Basis	Percentiles of current swimmers	Historical best performances
Updates	Every 4 years	Only for rule or record changes
Scale	B–AAAA categories	1–1100 numeric scale
Purpose	Goals, meet cuts, motivation	Analytics, rankings, consistency
Age Handling	Broad age groups (10&U, 11–12, 13–14…), though single-age tables exist	Single-age curves (9, 10, 11…)
Courses	SCY, SCM & LCM	SCY & LCM (no SCM)
Focus	Relative placement	Relative quality

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🏆 In Summary

Motivational Standards inspire. Power Points quantify.
Both systems together help swimmers set goals, measure growth, and celebrate steady progress at every level of the sport.

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Related Reading:
🏊 USA Swimming Power Points Explained
🕓 USA Swimming Motivational Time Standards Explained