Quick answer
An age group record is the fastest time ever swum in an event by a swimmer of that age group. It shows the ceiling, not what your child should aim for. To track your own swimmer, use two things: their personal bests over time, and the time standards for their exact age and event (in the US, B, BB, A, AA, AAA and AAAA). The record tells you what is possible. The standards tell you where your child is and what comes next.
One Canadian record shows how this works better than any chart. It lasted 35 years, then fell twice in less than three.
One record, three swimmers
January 9, 1988, Etobicoke, Ontario. Allison Higson, 14, of the Etobicoke Swim Club, swims the 100 m breaststroke in 1:08.64 in a 25-meter pool (short course meters, SCM). It is the Canadian 13-14 girls age group record (Swimming Canada record history, end of 2022).
January 14, 2023, Winnipeg. Halle West, 14, of the Manta Swim Club, swims 1:08.09 at the New Year's Invitational: 32.10 for the first 50, 35.99 for the second. Higson's record had stood for 35 years (Swimming Canada record history, end of 2023).
December 12, 2025, Toronto. Shima Taghavi of the Hyack Swim Club swims 1:07.78 at the Ontario Junior International. That is the record today (Swimming Canada, current 13-14 records).
Two lessons for parents are already in there. A record can sit untouched for decades, so it says very little about the other kids in the pool. And the swimmers who break records are rare exceptions, not a standard any child should be measured against.
Allison Higson by 15
Allison Higson at Seoul 1988, age 15, less than four months after setting the world record.
Higson's teenage career came in three big moments inside two and a half years.
Edinburgh, 1986. At 13 she won the 100 and 200 m breaststroke at the Commonwealth Games, plus a relay silver. The same year she took bronze in the 200 breaststroke at the World Championships. At both meets she was the youngest medallist ever (Olympics.com biography).
May 28, 1988. At 15, at Canada's Olympic Trials, she swam the 200 m breaststroke in 2:27.27 in a 50-meter pool (long course, LCM). It was a world record (World Aquatics athlete profile). That summer TV Guide ran a feature on her titled "Making Waves".
Seoul, September 1988. In the Olympic final of the same event, she finished 7th. Silke Hörner of East Germany won in 2:26.71, faster than Higson's record. Higson also placed 4th in the 100 breaststroke and won bronze in the 4x100 medley relay (Olympics.com, Seoul 1988 200m breaststroke results).
A world record in May and 7th place in September. Same swimmer, same event, same age. Even at the very top, teenage results do not move in a straight line.
Why teenage progress is not a straight line
Some kids climb fast at 13. Some take off at 17. Some find their best event years after their first try at it. Growth spurts, years of training before puberty, coordination changes, sleep, injuries and body proportions that change drag in the water all play a part, and none of them arrive on a schedule. Our article on growth spurts and swim performance covers the usual patterns.
That is good news: there is room for every kind of path. A kid who is mid-pack at 11 and at AA by 14 is on a normal track. So is a kid who was winning at 9 and has flattened out at 13. They just need different conversations with the coach.
The two numbers worth tracking
Personal best (PB). Your child's fastest official time in an event, ever. If your 13-year-old swam a faster 100 Free at 12, that older time is still the PB. PBs tell you whether training is working. For how a PB differs from a season best, see season best vs personal best.
Ranking in their age group. Where your child sits among swimmers of the same age in an event, in their region or country. Rankings tell you about competitive position.
Watch both. A swimmer can hold the same ranking while their PB keeps dropping: training works, and their peers improve at the same rate. A swimmer can drop three seconds and still slide down the list because everyone around them got faster. Neither is bad. If you only watch the ranking, you miss the improvement. If you only watch the PB, you miss that the field is moving.
Time standards: the bridge between the two
Time standards tell you whether a time is good for your child's exact age and event.
- In the US, USA Swimming publishes motivational standards from B through BB, A, AA, AAA and AAAA, in two PDFs (single age and age group) for 2024 to 2028. USA Swimming builds them from "the fastest 25th place time for event, gender, and age group" of the previous four years (Times FAQ).
- In Canada there is no B to AAAA ladder. The targets are provincial and national meet standards. Our Swimming Canada standards guide explains the path.
The standards move with age. For a girl in the 100 Free in a 25-yard pool, BB is 1:12.19 at 11 and 1:05.89 at 14. Reaching BB at 14 is a different achievement from reaching it at 11.
For how to read the letters, see what is a good swim time by age and the USA Swimming time standards guide.
Gophin loads your child's official results and shows every best time against the standard you pick, with the gap to the next one. It is free.
Sign in free and open Compare → Standards
The question worth asking your coach
The wrong question is "will my kid be the next record holder?" Nobody can answer that, and it puts pressure on a child for something no one controls.
The right question has two parts. First: is my kid near the standards expected for their age in the events they swim most? Second: which next standard looks reachable in the next 6 to 12 months, and what does the training look like to get there?
Coaches can answer that in detail because it is a coaching question. It helps if you arrive with the same numbers they have. For practical ways to keep them, see how to track swimming times, and for the bigger picture, the supportive swim parent.
What to do this week
- Look up your child's last two races. Note the date, event, pool type (25 or 50) and time.
- Find where each time lands on the standards table for their exact age and event: B, BB, A, AA, AAA, AAAA, or "not yet B", which still counts as a starting point.
- Check whether each time is a season best, a personal best, or neither. That gives you the story to celebrate, or a calm question for the coach.
Most of what young swimmers achieve will never be in a record book. It shows up as a B turning into a BB, a BB turning into an A, and a kid walking off the deck with a faster time than last meet. The standards, the rankings and the PB list are how you keep track of it.
See where your swimmer ranks for their age (Rankings, no login)
Sources
- Swimming Canada, Canadian age group records, 13-14 girls, short course: current holder, and the historical lists at the end of 2022 and 2023.
- Gophin results database: Halle West, 100 m breaststroke SCM, New Year's Invitational, January 14, 2023 (1:08.09, splits 32.10 and 35.99).
- World Aquatics, Allison Higson athlete profile: 200 m breaststroke 2:27.27, world record, May 28, 1988.
- Olympics.com, Allison Ann Higson biography and Seoul 1988 200m breaststroke results.
- USA Swimming, 2024–2028 motivational standards and Times FAQ.
- TV Guide, August 20, 1988, "Making Waves" by Dave Moorhead (period source, shown above).
