SwimSwam Pulse is a recurring feature tracking and analyzing the results of our periodic A3 Performance Polls. You can cast your vote in our newest poll on the SwimSwam homepage, about halfway down the page on the right side, or you can find the poll embedded at the bottom of this post.
Our most recent poll asked SwimSwam readers to pick the toughest among four potential back-to-back event combos in the high school meet format:
RESULTS
Question: Which high school event combo is toughest?
- 500 free / 200 free relay – 40.0%
- 100 breast / 400 free relay – 29.4%
- 200 medley relay / 200 free – 22.5%
- 200 free relay / 100 back – 8.1%
40% of voters selected the 500 free into the 200 free relay as the toughest among four of high school swimming’s more-common back-to-back event combos.
That’s a bit of a surprising result in that the 500 free/200 free relay combination is by far the most common of the four we listed. In the high school event format, swimmers can swim up to four events total, with up to two individual events and up to two relays. In most cases, that means two individual events and two relays, though occasionally athletes will swim three relays and one individual race.
High School Event Format
- 200 medley relay
- 200 free
- 200 IM
- 50 free
- Diving
- 100 fly
- 100 free
- 500 free
- 200 free relay
- 100 back
- 100 breast
- 400 free relay
Astute observers will notice that for an athlete who specializes in the 200 and 500 free, a four-event meet schedule will have to feature at least one back-to-back combo. That’s why the 500 free into the 200 free relay is an extremely common double.
Granted, the 500 free is the longest event in the high school setting, and for many of our poll respondents, that was clearly a major factor in evaluating the combinations. On the flip side, a good number of coaches and athletes view that combination as very do-able, in part because the second half of the combination is much shorter than the other three options.
Sure, the 500 free is tough. But the toughest part of any of these doubles is the event one swims while fatigued. Swimming a 50 free while tired is one thing. Swimming a 200 free while tired is a completely different ball game. Just 22.5% of respondents said the hardest combination was coming off of the 200 medley relay into a 200 freestyle. (When the author looks back on his high school days, this would be his choice for the hardest combination, and it’s not close).
About 29.4% picked the 100 breast into the 400 free relay as the toughest combo. That one is somewhat common, though not as common as the 500 free/200 free relay. The frequency of these combinations suggest that perhaps poll respondents were thinking of specific painful swimming memories when voting, with more readers picking an event double they had actually swum and experienced.
Only 8.1% picked the 200 free relay into the 100 back – that one can be a real leg-burner, though the total distance swum is the lowest of the four choices.
Below, vote in our new A3 Performance Poll, which asks voters whether any athlete will be able to win a medal in both pool swimming and the open water 10K at the Tokyo Olympics this summer:
Loading ...
ABOUT A3 PERFORMANCE
The A3 Performance Poll is courtesy of A3 Performance, a SwimSwam partner
Another one that’s not quite back to back, but I did 100 fly into 500 free a few times and good GOD
I believe it is also possible to swim one individual and three relays.
Autumn Haebig did the 500 free, 200 free relay, and 100 back her senior year of high school in Wisconsin
It aint bad. 50s are easy
Had a guy on our team in 1993 Go a 4:29 500 free and then turn around and lead off the relay in 21.4 10 minutes later
We thought he wasn’t human
Last year Jake Mitchell from Carmel High School (Now U of Michigan,) broke the National high school record in the 500 free in a 4:14 then swam a 20.19 anchor for the 200 free relay.
Week 4 of asking swimswam to use ranked choice voting
Nobody picked the 200free 200IM double because that would be CRAzY!!!
I feel like the 50 free 100 fly and 100 free being so close together has shown some strange results. Those 3 events seem to have the most overlap it would seem, so swimmers either go 50/100 free or 50 free 100 fly. There aren’t many who go 100 fly and 100 free. I know diving is typically after the 50, but my area never had diving so swimmers would have to go with a lineup that wasn’t where they were best suited.