With event details started to appear on USA Swimming’s website, the specifics of this year’s changes to the Pro Swim Series are starting to come into focus. Perhaps most notable: the stroke 50 shootouts will run in three straight rounds without events in between beyond other rounds of 50s.
That’s per the meet information for the Austin and Mesa Pro Swim Series stops. Only the odd stops will feature the 50 shootouts, and meet information for the fifth stop (Santa Clara) is not yet posted.
Here’s what the meet order will look like for the 2018 Pro Swim Series at both the even and odd stops:
Odd Stops
- Austin – January 11-14
- Atlanta – March 1-4
- Mesa – April 12-15
- Indianapolis – May 17-20
- Santa Clara – June 7-10*
- Columbus – July 6-8*
*No official meet information yet
The odd stops will include three new event features. Day 1 ends with the 4×100 mixed medley relay, swum by U.S. National Teamers in teams drafted by Olympic alums last year. Day 2 will be a traditional meet format, ending with the 200 IM. The top 8 from that race will swim the ‘mystery’ 200 IM the following day, an event where the stroke order is determined on the day of the race. Day 3 will also feature the stroke 50 shootouts, which will be three rounds each done consecutively between the men’s and women’s 400 frees.
Event Order
All events feature women and men back-to-back except where otherwise noted. New events are bolded.
Day 1:
- 400 IM
- 100 fly
- 200 back
- 200 breast
- 200 free
- Mixed Medley Relay
Day 2:
- 800 free
- 100 back
- 200 fly
- 100 breast
- 100 free
- 200 IM
Day 3:
- Men’s 400 free
- 50 free Round of 8
- 50 back Round of 8
- 50 free Round of 4
- 50 back Round of 4
- 50 free Round of 2
- 50 back Round of 2
- Women’s 400 free
- 50 breast Round of 8
- 50 fly Round of 8
- 50 breast Round of 4
- 50 fly Round of 4
- 50 breast Round of 2
- 50 fly Round of 2
- Mystery 200 IM
Day 4:
- 1500 free
The new order does pretty well quell questions about whether athletes will be willing to play along with 50 shootouts and a mystery IM while already swimming busy event schedules. Day 3 is now almost entirely new events, and it feels relatively unlikely that any 400 freestylers will be major potential players in the 50 stroke shootouts. Day 4 is reduced to just the longest distance event, which should make the rest of the meet a bit more inviting for spectators.
There will be no prelims for the mystery 200 IM, and the stroke 50s will have prelims in the morning to determine the top 8 and their seeds for the bracket-style finals shootout.
Even Stops
- Austin – January 11-14
- Atlanta – March 1-4
- Mesa – April 12-15
- Indianapolis – May 17-20
- Santa Clara – June 7-10*
- Columbus – July 6-8*
*No official meet information yet
Day 1:
- 100 fly
- 200 breast
- 100 free
- 800 free
Day 2:
- 400 IM
- 50 free
- 200 back
- 200 free
Day 3:
- 200 fly
- 100 breast
- 100 back
- 200 IM
- 400 free
Day 4:
- 1500 free
The even stops are a more traditional meet lineup, again with the miles pushed to the final day.
Does anyone know why they designed the schedule this way (all 50s on same day and only the mile on the last day)? It doesn’t seem ideal for anyone, really.
I’d love to see Michael Andrew pull a Hosszu and enter all four 50s. Wonder how far he could get in each…
I do not understand leaving the 1500 all by itself on the last day. Maybe on the first day, but not the last.
Day 4 just with the 1500 free. 😆
Anyway I can’t watch these meets live anymore since last year because of USA swimming webcasts’ changes. 😥
I miss the time when viewers from all over the world could watch all the USA swimming meets live and free. The Grand Prix meets lasted 3 days with C, B and A-Finals and a podium after each A-Final. It was simple. You could have just added a DJ and lights effects to make it more fun.
Unfortunately TV and money have once again destroyed everything.
GET A VPN!!!!!
Bobo there are ways around it if you do some research. Tammy below has one suggestion of connecting to a VPN to watch the webcast.
This is so ridiculous. TV and money are very very GOOD things for swimming. The more TV and money are poured into the sport, the more it will grow. People on this site that want swimming to stay a niche sport are short-sighted and not considering the athletes that probably love the idea of being able to make more money from swimming.
Wont alot of swimmers just swim the 50 once and then scratch even if they advance?
Not if you’re pro.
Top 4 in the first round get $200 each
Top 2 in the round of 4 get $400 each
Winner in the head-to-head gets $600
It’s cumulative, so the overall winner gets $1200.
Source: meet info document
OK Kantika Hosszu, I’m sure pros love this
Not a fan of the shootout, but that mystery IM looks fun. Imagine having the fly on the last 50, oh nelly!
I think this is actually good for milers. Most mile heats are done during the break, distance swimmers always get the shaft if they are in finals with another event. Short break and dead tired going into finals. So I like this if I’m a distance swimmer
And hasn’t the mile always been the last day? They should be used to this, they won’t be tired. As for teams wanting to leave because they don’t want to stay for one event, that’s a valid problem.
The event sheet for the Austin PSS shows the ‘shootout 50’s’ as alternating from the 50 free to 50 back and 50 fly to 50 breast where athletes will have one heat of 50’s in between their first and second swims and in between their second and third swims as follows:
Top 8 heat: 50 back
Top 8 heat: 50 free
Top 4 heat: 50 back
Top 4 heat: 50 free
Top 2 heat: 50 back
Top 2 heat: 50 free
Same process for the 50’s of fly and 50’s of breaststroke. However, above, it shows that backstroke sprinters (as well as the other strokes) will swim three consecutive 50’s with their only rest… Read more »