USA Swimming Alters Scholastic All-America Requirements

USA Swimming, who each year selects a Scholastic All-America team based on GPA and swimming performances, has announced they will be altering the requirements for the 2020 team, which is traditionally announced in the fall. USA Swimming has chosen to alter the GPA requirement, changing it from the entire academic year to only the fall semester due to the impact of COVID-19.

In the past, athletes were required to have both achieved a 3.5 GPA during the current academic year as well as having swum a Winter Junior Nationals qualifying time within the year-long qualification window.

Under the USA Swimming GPA calculation process, advanced classes are rewarded an extra half-point GPA boost, while non-academic courses, such as are, band, choir, orchestra, driver’s ed, physical education, and other similar classes are not factored into the calculation.

Previously, the academic requirements were based upon an athletes GPA during the entire academic year, meaning that this year it would be based on 2019-2020. With the new requirements, the GPA criteria is based on “the first reportable semester (term)”. With this new selection criteria, the selection process is based solely on the fall term, instead of taking into account the spring term which was altered by the coronavirus. Some schools went to pass/fail grading, and almost every school had its learning environment disrupted.

This change will potentially cause a fluctuation in the numbers of qualifying high school athletes. Athletes who may have potentially raised their GPA to meet the requirements or lowered their GPA below the 3.5 that is required during the spring semester will instead only be judged based on their first term.

2019-2020 Selection Criteria

Academic Requirements

  • Grade completion requirement – applicant must have completed 9th, 10th 11th or 12th grade
  • GPA Requirement – minimum 3.5 GPA for the current academic year
    • A=4, B=3, C=2. If numerical grades are used, the following scale will be used unless the school’s letter grade conversion is given on the transcript: A=90-100; B=80-89; C=70-79. In calculating the GPA no rounding will be used – one decimal place only.
    • Honors, Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and dual credit college-level academic courses will earn one half (.5) extra Grade Point. Grades for academic subjects only are calculated – history/social studies, English, mathematics, sciences, foreign languages, computer sciences, visual and performing arts if indicated as academicA grade lower than a C in an academic subject will mean automatic rejection of the applicant. Grades for non-academic courses will NOT be calculated – art, band, orchestra, choir, home economics, health, driver education, physical education, shop, etc. and any other class marked as non-academic will not be included in the GPA calculation (unless transcript indicates ‘academic’ or AP or IB).
    • There will be no special status designation for a 4.0 GPA other than for a national champion who also has a 4.0 GPA.

Pool Requirements

  • Applicants must have swum an individual pool time equal to a 2019 Winter Junior qualifying time in any individual event during the SAA qualifying period (August 16, 2019 – August 16, 2020) with qualifying times in SWIMS – list of times are posted on the USA Swimming website. A qualifying time will be available for selection from the SWIMS database during the application process. Only ONE time is necessary and only ONE application is necessary.
  • Disability/Para or Open Water Requirements (for athletes without pool requirements)
    • Applicants must have competed in one of the following meets:
    • 2019 USA Paralympic Swimming Nationals – December 6-8, 2019, Lewisville TX
    • 2020 World Para World Series:
      • February 14-16, 2020, Melbourne, Australia
      • 2020 Jimi Flowers Classic, Jan 18-19, 2020, Colorado Springs

       

(Open Water Juniors is NOT a qualifying meet for SAA)

 

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SwimDadandMomof2
3 years ago

The problem with this award is grade inflation and virtual schools like Epic where it is SO easy to cheat and get straight As. USA swimming should rethink the criteria. I know of one situation where the swimmer’s teacher at a virtual school is also their parent. The swimmer had been failing at a brick and mortar public school and then poof starting getting straight As with their parent teacher at the virtual school. The swimmer rapidly went through the lessons and was done a month before the semester was over and had all kinds of free time to “swim” but didn’t learn anything. But the swimmer was named as a Academic All American with USA swimming. So I am… Read more »

PsychoDad
3 years ago

Our son applied and received this next day:

“Your SAA application has been reviewed by the SAA Committee and you have been accepted to the USA Swimming 2019-2020 Scholastic All America Team. Congratulations on a job well done!”

I thought they would not announce until after the application period closes.

CLSD
Reply to  PsychoDad
3 years ago

Please share, when did your son apply? My understanding was that I read June 15, 2020 was the final cutoff date.

MomOf3Fish
3 years ago

They should have changed the pool requirements too. That would be asking too much

FanGirl
3 years ago

I do not understand why the grading qualification is changing but the period for achieving the swim times is not. Many kids qualify only in long course, only at taper meets, and only after a full year of training. The suggestion of a full year of qualification starting in March 2019 would serve those who made the times last year, and I think that is fair – as they have proven they can swim that time. On the other hand, it does not help those who were on track to make the qualification for the first time this spring or summer when their season was cut short. If the grading period can be changed, I believe the swimming qualification should… Read more »

Hmmm...
3 years ago

Maybe they should consider not awarding SAA status to anyone this year. It’s very inequitable, with different levels of access to taper meets, plus the crazy academic situation.

Coach
Reply to  Hmmm...
3 years ago

I don’t think we should punish the kids because of the pandemic. Their current 12 month window has 5 months when sanctioned meets weren’t available. That just doesn’t make much sense.

Instead, their 12 month qualification window for meets should actually reflect 12 months when meets were allowed to be sanctioned. If they did March 20, 2019 to March 20, 2020 (or whatever the last sanctioned meet date was), this could also include the Open Water component again.

NEWTOSWIMSWAM
Reply to  Hmmm...
3 years ago

@HMMM…Your suggestion is absurd!! This is not a competition: whoever meets the criteria gets the award. You can’t take away the SAA away from those who have earned it outright. I understand some kids were deprived of chances to make the cut and perhaps deserve alternative considerations or criteria. Two different issues here. Swimmers who made the cut in a shorter period of time are even more deserving!

Betty Kooy
3 years ago

The qualifying period is August 16, 2019-August 16, 2020.

Swim Mom
Reply to  Betty Kooy
3 years ago

But its not fair to kids that did not get a chance to swim any big taper meets. My daughter usually drops her times @ sectionals which are held at the end of March and then again during Long Course. She was one of the first group that got to qualify in 9th grade so she was really hoping to go for all four years. If your going to change the academic requirements then you need to change the pool times too. My daughter made the cut time on 8/1/19 @ Senior Zones. So she’s penalized by 15 days and no chance to prove herself in 2020. To make it worse we live in Queens NY, and train in an… Read more »

SC Swim Mom
Reply to  Swim Mom
3 years ago

Yes! This exactly! Hate this for my swimmer as well. Its so disappointing that USA Swimming is failing to support these swimmers when they need it the most.

swimapologist
Reply to  SC Swim Mom
3 years ago

Sorry I really don’t mean to be a jerk. But. Does anybody actually care about USA Swimming Scholastic All-America awards? I mean, it’s indicative that they’re a good swimmer and a good student. But, does it matter any more than simply having a 3.5 GPA and being a Winter Junior National qualifier mean on their own?

I feel like these academic award programs used to mean a lot, but now there are SO many and SO MANY receive the award…I’m just curious if colleges actually care anymore.

Tom Johnson
Reply to  Betty Kooy
3 years ago

The qualifying period is the issue. Since many (most?) areas of the country were not able to hold end of season championship meets in March, no sanctioned meets in April, May or June, and very limited opportunities in July and August, the qualifying period is really not a year. I would suggest that the qualifying period be extended back to mid-July 2019 to pick up last summer’s championship meets.

Swimmer
3 years ago

They need to make the academic qualifications a little harder… at least 3.75 unweighted gpa… a 3.5 gpa just doesn’t require any effort in the classroom.

coach
3 years ago

I’m surprised they didn’t change the swimming qualifying window as well. Lots of high school swimmers didn’t get a spring or summer taper meet, and we didn’t have an OW Nationals this year.

Socal Swimmer
Reply to  coach
3 years ago

This is worst for socal High School swimmers cause they also missed their League, CIF and state championships meets due to COVID 19 lockdown. Most other states already completed their HS meets.

Swim mom
Reply to  coach
3 years ago

Agree, It would of been fair to swimmers to extend qualifying period to include 6 months of 2018-19 season, so kids get full 12 months of competition and both SCY and LCM season. There are swimmers who got cuts last year but not this year due to lack of SCY championships and LCM season all together. Current qualifying period doesn’t include LCM season at all since even meets that do happen this summer are SCY.
In current situation, USA Swimming should do everything to be most inclusive as possible, and not make it effectively harder than any other year.