You know your swimmer's best times. But do you know how those times measure up against official standards? Knowing that your 200 freestyle is 2:08 is one thing. Knowing that 2:08 puts you three seconds away from a AA cut for your age group — that changes how you train, how you set goals, and which meets you target.
Gophin's Compare Standards feature lets you stack your times against official benchmarks from over 38 standards organizations, all in one view. No searching through PDF documents. No cross-referencing tables by hand. Just a clear picture of where you stand and what it takes to reach the next level.
This tutorial walks you through every step.
Before You Start: Free vs. Pro
Gophin offers a limited standards reference under the Times > Standards menu, available to all free users. This lets you browse standard times as a reference table.
The full Compare > Standards tool — which matches your swimmer's actual times against standards from all 38+ organizations and shows exactly which cuts you meet — is a Pro feature, available for $5/month.
This tutorial covers the Pro comparison tool. If you are on the free plan, you can follow along to see what the feature offers before deciding to upgrade.
Step 1: Open the Compare Menu
From the main navigation, tap the Compare menu. You will see three options:
- Swimmers — compare two swimmers side by side
- Standards — compare your times to official benchmarks
- Seasons — compare performance across different seasons
Tap Standards to open the standards comparison tool.
Step 2: Select Your Swimmer
The tool will ask you to pick a swimmer. If you have already added swimmers to your favorites, they will appear for quick selection. Otherwise, search by name to find the swimmer you want to evaluate.
Once selected, Gophin pulls in all of that swimmer's best times automatically. You do not need to enter any times manually.
Step 3: Choose a Standards Organization
This is where the power of the tool becomes clear. Gophin includes standards from over 38 organizations, covering national federations, provincial and state associations, and regional bodies across North America and beyond.
Examples of available standards organizations include:
- Swimming Canada (National standards: B, A, AA, AAA)
- USA Swimming (B, A, BB, AA, AAA, AAAA)
- Provincial organizations (Swimming Ontario, Swimming Alberta, etc.)
- State LSCs (local swimming committees across the United States)
- Age-group and championship qualification standards
Select the organization whose standards you want to compare against. The tool automatically filters to the standards relevant to your swimmer's age group, gender, and course.
Step 4: Read the Comparison Table
After selecting an organization, Gophin displays a comparison table. Here is how to read it:
- Event column: Lists every event the swimmer has an official time in.
- Your time: The swimmer's current personal best in that event.
- Standard columns: The cut times for each level (e.g., B, A, AA, AAA) within the selected organization.
- Status indicators: Visual markers show which standards the swimmer has already met and which ones are within reach.
At a glance, you can see exactly which cuts your swimmer qualifies for — and how far they are from the next level in every event.
Step 5: Interpret Your Results
The comparison table is not just a checklist. It is a planning tool. Here is how to get the most out of it:
Identify Strengths
Look for events where the swimmer meets or exceeds higher-level standards. These are their strongest events — the ones where they are most competitive relative to their age group. Championship meet entries often come down to picking your best events, and this view makes that decision straightforward.
Find the Closest Gaps
Some of the most useful information is in the near-misses. If a swimmer is half a second away from an AA cut in the 100 butterfly, that event becomes a high-priority target. Knowing which standards are within reach helps coaches and swimmers focus training where it will have the biggest impact.
Set Realistic, Measurable Goals
Instead of vague objectives like "get faster this season," standards give you concrete targets. "Drop 0.8 seconds in the 200 IM to hit the A standard" is specific, measurable, and motivating. Use the comparison table to set two or three event-specific goals for the season.
Practical Tips for Using Standards Effectively
Check Before Big Meets
Before a championship or qualifier, review the comparison table to see which standards your swimmer is close to meeting. This helps with event selection — pick the events where you have the best chance of achieving a qualifying cut.
Track Progress Toward Cuts Over the Season
As your swimmer posts new times throughout the season, their best times update in Gophin automatically. Come back to the Compare Standards tool periodically to see how the gaps are closing. Watching a 1.5-second gap shrink to 0.4 seconds over a season is one of the most satisfying things in competitive swimming.
Compare Across Organizations
Different organizations set different standards. A swimmer might be at the AA level in one organization but only A in another. Switching between organizations in the tool takes seconds, and it gives you a fuller picture of where the swimmer stands in different competitive contexts.
Use It for Conversations with Coaches
The comparison table is a great starting point for goal-setting conversations. Instead of asking "what should we work on this season?" you can open the tool together and say "we are 0.6 seconds from the AA in the 100 back — is that a realistic target for this season?" It grounds the discussion in facts.
Quick Recap
- Open Compare > Standards from the main menu.
- Select your swimmer (or search by name).
- Choose from 38+ standards organizations.
- Review the comparison table to see which cuts you meet.
- Identify close gaps and set specific goals.
- Come back throughout the season to track progress.
The difference between guessing where you stand and knowing exactly where you stand is the difference between hoping for a qualifying cut and planning for one.
