Timeliness of Records

It's the same every year - FINA updates its records in Nov. and May - what doesn't get in by the deadline waits until the next time. SC/meter time frame ends Dec. 31st - since this course may be submitted by individual meet, many SC/meter records get in before the official end of the season. Final date for submission of SC/meter times to Pieter Cath is Jan. 26th - after compilation the draft is circulated, final TT comes out about the end of March. So for this course USMS is frequently "behind the times" for records publications. The rule book info has to be in by early November, so that listing for SC/M is also a year behind.

Premature rankings are a bad idea. No way of knowing if you're playing with a full deck - there are several heavily attended SC/Meter meets in December - prudence suggests one waits until all the information is in.

On the subject of "rankings" - comparisons that go outside the bounds of our official USMS age groups do not belong in the Archives. After much consideration and several changes in the early days, USMS operates on comparisons within five year age groups. Gus Langner should not be compared with Laura Val, or, indeed, anyone in their 80s. Within an age group is where the records are set - that's the comparison. Any work that we do outside of these parameters may be of value to other aspects of USMS program, but not to the Archives - which are concerned with true and uncomplicated history.

Dot Donnelly - 2/1/00

P.S. Archives should not be controversial and thus we should be very cautious about being experimental with archives. If we're going to call them archives, they have to be something that everybody believes in.

Carl House - 2/1/00