USA Swimming announced new selection criteria for it’s Nationa Youth Team (which has been officially renamed the National Junior Team, which is more in line with National Federations around the world). After the confusion, chaos, and resentment that surrounded last year’s selection process (both at the senior and junior levels), USA Swimming has delcared the 2011 ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships in Palo Alto as its only selection meet for the 2011-2012 team.
The top 6 times in each event (from prelims and finals) will be named to the squad. Swimmers like Missy Franklin, who will be representing the US at a major senior competition (aka World Championships, Olympics, Pan Am Games -aside from the 2011 event-Pan Pac Games, etc.) won’t be eligible to be on the team.
The National Junior Team is usually considerably larger than the Senior squad (the 2010-2011 team has 102 athletes on it) and provides great experience to the future stars of USA Swimming.
Below is the release from USA Swimming, in its entirety.
A number of changes have been made to the operational plan for the USA Swimming National Junior Team. The changes are as follows:
- The program, formerly known as the National Youth Team, will now be called the National Junior Team to fall in line with the naming standards recently instituted by FINA and other countries.
- The selection process for the National Junior Team has changed. The top six times swum in Olympic Events at the 2011 ConocoPhillips National Championships by males and females aged 18 and under at the start date of the qualifying competition will be selected for the 2011-2012 National Junior Team. The 2011 ConocoPhillips National Championships is the only qualifying competition for the 2011-2012 National Junior Team. Relay lead offs and time trials will not be included. Times from Prelims and Finals (A, B and C) only will be used. Athletes who have attended a higher level competition as part of a USA Swimming National Team (Olympic Games, Long Course and Short Course World Championships, Japan Grand Prix, World University Games, Pan American Games [not including 2011] and Pac Pacs) are not eligible.
- Those who are selected for the National Junior Team at this summer’s Nationals and satisfy the age requirement set forth by FINA qualify to compete in the FINA World Junior Championships, Aug. 13-21 in Lima, Peru. (The complete qualifying criteria for the FINA World Junior Championships can be viewed here). Athletes starting University in Fall 2011 are eligible to make the FINA World Junior Championship Team.
- The top three finishers at the 2011 USA Swimming Open Water 10K National Championships, held June 10 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will be considered for the National Junior Team.
- The top three place finishers at the 2011 USA Swimming Open Water 10K National Championships held June 10, 2011 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., by males and females under the age of 18 at the start date of the qualifying competition will be named to the Open Water National Junior Team, provided that they finish within 15 minutes of the first-place overall finisher. Athletes entering university in Fall 2011 are eligible to make the Junior Team.
- Other opportunities will be announced.
DT15- I’m not a part of a very big club with any JR/SR Qualifiers at the moment, but I can’t imagine that many clubs are really truly worried about being deemed the best club in the nation. I might think about something like that if I had the team to compete, but I would seriously question my own motivations if it was really that big of deal to me. I’m not trying to make excuses or avoiding putting in the work to get to that level, but I’ve been witness to coaches taking things like that way to seriously and losing sight of what is important. I see it all the time at the LSC level, I can only assume… Read more »
Win the Junior meet in December if you are into winning juniors. There are many good club teams that can score big at Seniors. I believe if you set your standards higher, you will succeed at a higher level….if you think juniors is it, then you won’t be good at seniors ever!!!
“Agree. In the past it was the top six times coming from both Senior Nats and Junior Nats. Everyone knows that Junior Nats is a much less high pressure meet where 17 and 18 year olds can dominate without the pressure of standing on the blocks next to the likes of Lochte and Phelps, Coughlin and Soni.”
“What I would like to see USA Swimming go back to though is if you have a Senior Cut, you don’t get to swim that at Juniors Nationals. Maybe this ruling will deter those kids from doing both meets, since now a faster time a week later at JR Nats won’t qualify.”
I don’t know if I agree with either of you. Junior… Read more »
Only problem they might run into, if it exists, if the top 6 18 & unders don’t all have SR cuts. Doubtful..
What I would like to see USA Swimming go back to though is if you have a Senior Cut, you don’t get to swim that at Juniors Nationals. Maybe this ruling will deter those kids from doing both meets, since now a faster time a week later at JR Nats won’t qualify.
Agree. In the past it was the top six times coming from both Senior Nats and Junior Nats. Everyone knows that Junior Nats is a much less high pressure meet where 17 and 18 year olds can dominate without the pressure of standing on the blocks next to the likes of Lochte and Phelps, Coughlin and Soni.
Put them all in the same meet and level the playing field.
good changes. it doesn’t say if they can only be on the junior team once or multiple times. i personally would like to see someone make the squad only once, but not a huge deal. i like making them attend senior nationals to qualify. that is a big budget if all top 6 go in every event!