How SwimStandards Ranks Club Swimmers

[adam]

A user recently asked:

"I was just curious about what criteria you use to rank club swimmers and list the AA+ athletes."

This is a great question! Here’s an explanation of how we determine our rankings:

Performance Standards and Club Size

We use USA Swimming’s motivational time standards (e.g., “B”, “BB”, “A”, “AA”, “AAA”, “AAAA”) to evaluate swimmers. The size of the club plays a role in determining which standards are considered:

• Smaller Teams: We evaluate swimmers across a wider range of standards, from “B” to “AAAA”.
• Larger Teams: The focus shifts towards top performers, particularly swimmers who meet the higher “AAA” and “AAAA” standards.

The range of standards used is determined by the number of members in the club:

• 25 or fewer members: All swimmers are listed.
• 100 or fewer members: All standards, from "B" to "AAAA", are considered.
• 101 to 150 members: Standards from "BB" to "AAAA" are used.
• 151 to 250 members: Only "A" through "AAAA" standards are considered.
• 251 to 400 members: The range is narrowed to "AA" through "AAAA".
• 401 to 650 members: The focus is on "AAA" and "AAAA" swimmers.
• More than 650 members: Only swimmers who achieve the highest standard, "AAAA", are evaluated.

By adjusting the range of standards based on club size, we ensure that top performers are highlighted while still recognizing a broader range of swimmers in smaller clubs.

Event Performance
Swimmers are ranked based on the number of events in which they meet the relevant standards for the season being checked. Only a swimmer’s best performance in each event is considered. Comparable Short Course Yards (SCY) and Long Course Meters (LCM) events (e.g., 100 SCY Freestyle and 100 LCM Freestyle) are considered separate events. The more events they make, the higher they rank.

This ensures that a swimmer's consistent performance across multiple events is rewarded.

Seasonal Evaluation
The event performance evaluation is based on the specific season being checked. Rankings reflect how swimmers performed during that season, keeping the results accurate and timely. Each season can have significant differences in a swimmer’s performance, so we ensure that the rankings reflect the most recent data.

Open to Improvement
While this method helps us recognize top swimmers, we’re always open to feedback! If you have any ideas on how to improve the ranking system, feel free to share your suggestions.

Check the top swimmers in your club by visiting: https://swimstandards.com/clubs and searching your club by name or abbreviation.