USA Swimming has released its selection criteria for the pool selections to the 2021 National Junior Team. No announcement about open water selection criteria has been made yet.
With the current circumstances regarding the COVID-19 global pandemic, the selection process will differ slightly from years past.
The most significant difference for the 2021 roster is that all members of the 2019-2020 US National Junior Team will retain their spots on the roster. New members to the 2020-2021 roster must, as always, be 18 years old or younger as of December 2020.
The general qualifying criteria is largely the same as it’s been in recent years:
- The two (2) eligible athletes with the highest World Ranking in each individual Olympic event (up to 28 women and 28 men); and
- The eligible athletes with the third (3rd) and fourth (4th) highest World Ranking in the 100 and 200 meter long course freestyle (up to 4 women and 4 men); and
- Additional athletes who have achieved a long course meter time faster or equal to the time standards listed below:
Official Long Course Meters times from January 1, 2019 through March 17, 2020, as well as August 1, 2020 through December 31st, 2020 will be counted. Times will be counted from all USA Swimming and FINA approved meets.
As has been standard in recent years, athletes will not be eligible for the National Junior Team if they have competed individually at the Olympics, Pan Pacs, or World Championships. Athletes will also be considered regardless of year in high school or college, provided they are 18 years old or younger on December 31st.
Here is a link to the complete criteria released by USA Swimming.
Here is the 2019-2020 team roster.
so if you go one of those times listed in the chart do you automatically make the team?
So many pools have been locked into SCY mode this Summer to allow more swimmers access. Plus with Fall being SCY, it seems like it will be a while before many kids can even get LCM times.
US Open is in 40 days…
Does the roster rollover to 2020-21 apply to Open Water too? It looks like the “complete criteria” link only applies to pool events.
So far they’ve only announced criteria for the pool team.
Since the 2019-20 team stays regardless of their age, does it mean 2020-21 team could double its size?
Yes, it definitely means that it could get much bigger.
Realistically, it won’t, because some swimmers, like Claire Curzan, will again be at the top of their events.
With most of the Junior National Team from last year missing out on most of the benefits due to COVID, rolling those swimmers forward will both make sure those swimmers get the development opportunities that are the goal of the program, and across the two years, it will still probably be a lower cost.
It makes sense to ensure the current Team to gain the experience they deserve. To be newly added to the team, would currently 18U (by 12/31/20) swimmers compete against all peers OR all minus those 18U swimmers who are already on the Team?
Frustrating
How so?
Makes it harder to make the team. When you’ve been training with a goal, to have the standards changed to be more difficult is frustrating.
Don’t ever expect standards to get easier. Especially in the sport of swimming.