Quick answer
USA Swimming has two kinds of time standards. Motivational standards (B, BB, A, AA, AAA, AAAA) set goals by age group, gender, event and pool type; the current set runs 2024–2028. Championship cuts decide entry to specific meets: your LSC championships, Sectionals, Futures, Junior Nationals, the U.S. Open, Nationals and Olympic Trials. For example, a 15–16 girl needs 58.89 in the 100 Free SCY for A, and 49.99 for Summer Junior Nationals.
A friend in Seattle once asked me to explain USA Swimming standards for their daughter. I sat down to help and realized the system is genuinely confusing, even for someone like me who'd been in the swim world for years with Rafa.
Time standards shape almost every part of a US swimmer's season: which meets they can enter, which goals they chase, and how progress is measured from one year to the next. The system feels overwhelming because it stacks letter levels, championship cuts and local variations on top of each other.
This guide untangles it: what each level means, how the ladder fits together, with real numbers, and how to use standards for goals rather than stress.
Why Time Standards Matter
Time standards exist to create a fair, structured framework for competitive swimming. They answer the question every swimmer eventually asks: how does my time compare?
Without standards, there would be no objective way to determine who qualifies for championship meets, no consistent milestones to work toward, and no shared language between coaches, swimmers, and parents when discussing performance. Standards turn raw times into meaningful context.
They also serve a motivational purpose. Instead of the vague goal of "swim faster," a swimmer can target a specific cut, "I need to drop 0.8 seconds in my 200 free to reach AA", and build a training plan around that objective. For an overview of how standards work across all age groups, see our article on swimming standards by age explained.
Motivational Time Standards: B Through AAAA
USA Swimming publishes motivational time standards for age group swimmers across the country, in six tiers that get progressively faster. The current set covers 2024–2028 (age group PDF, single-age PDF). The descriptions below are a rough guide for parents; USA Swimming presents the levels as goals, not official labels.
B, Getting Started
The B standard is the entry point into the motivational system. Achieving a B time means a swimmer is actively competing and developing fundamental race skills. Many local and developmental meets use B times as a baseline for entry. For younger swimmers, earning a B cut is often their first measurable achievement in the sport.
BB, Building Momentum
BB represents a step up from the introductory level. Swimmers at this tier are typically training consistently and finding their stronger events. Some invitational meets use BB times for entry.
A, Solid Competitor
The A standard marks a swimmer as a solid age-group competitor. At this level, swimmers are usually training year-round and competing at sanctioned meets regularly. Many LSC (Local Swimming Committee) championship meets use A times as their qualifying standard.
AA, Strong Regional Performer
AA is where the competition starts to narrow significantly. Swimmers at this level are among the stronger performers in their region and are often competitive at multi-LSC or zone-level meets. Achieving AA across multiple events signals genuine versatility and commitment.
AAA, Nationally Competitive
AAA puts a swimmer among the faster in the country for their age. Only a small share of age group swimmers reach it.
AAAA, National Elite
AAAA is the top motivational tier. Few swimmers in each age group and event reach it in a season. It is a strong sign of talent and work, but not a guarantee of a future at the top: swimmers develop at very different ages.
The ladder in real numbers
Here is one event, the girls' 15–16 100 Free in a 25-yard pool, from the first motivational level to Junior Nationals:
| Level | Time (SCY) |
|---|---|
| B | 1:08.79 |
| BB | 1:03.79 |
| A | 58.89 |
| AA | 56.49 |
| AAA | 53.99 |
| AAAA | 51.59 |
| Winter Juniors 2026 | 50.39 |
| Summer Junior Nationals 2026 | 49.99 |
Sources: USA Swimming 2024–2028 Motivational Standards; 2026 Winter Junior and 2026 Junior National standards (18 and under). For every age group in the 100 Free, see is my swim time good for my age?.
Championship Qualifying Standards
Beyond the motivational system, USA Swimming publishes separate qualifying times for its national championship meets. These cuts are distinct from the letter standards and are updated on their own schedule.
Sectionals
Sectional meets are multi-day championships held in different regions of the country. They bridge LSC-level competition and the national stage, and each Sectional publishes its own cuts. For many developing swimmers, Sectionals is the first truly high-level meet they attend.
Futures
The Futures Championship is designed for swimmers who are on the cusp of national-level competition. Qualifying times sit between Sectionals and Junior Nationals, making Futures an important stepping stone in the development pathway. It gives swimmers exposure to national-caliber competition without requiring the very fastest cuts.
Junior Nationals
There are two Speedo junior national meets for swimmers 18 and under: Winter Juniors in December (short course yards) and Summer Junior Nationals in August (long course). Both publish cuts in SCY and LCM. For many 15–18-year-olds, a Juniors cut is a key milestone on the path to senior swimming and college recruiting. Full tables: Winter Juniors 2026 cuts and Summer Junior Nationals cuts.
U.S. Open and Nationals
The Toyota U.S. Open and the Toyota National Championships are the top domestic meets below Olympic Trials, open to any age with the qualifying time. Senior athletes race exceptionally fast juniors there. According to the USA Swimming events calendar, the next U.S. Open is December 2 to 5, 2026, in Austin, and the next Nationals is June 8 to 12, 2027, in Indianapolis. For the 2026 edition, see 2026 U.S. Nationals results.
Olympic Trials
Olympic Trials cuts are the most demanding in US swimming and are published well before the meet. The next U.S. Olympic Team Trials are scheduled for June 9 to 17, 2028, in Indianapolis. A Trials cut is a career-defining moment for any swimmer.
Wondering which of these levels your swimmer has already reached? Gophin lines up every best time against the USA Swimming motivational and championship cuts, event by event, and shows the gap to the next one.
Age Groups and How They Work
USA Swimming's motivational standards use these age groups: 10 & Under, 11–12, 13–14, 15–16 and 17–18 (a single-age version is also published). Championship meets such as Juniors use their own age rules (18 and under), and senior meets are open to any age with the cut.
As swimmers move into older age groups, the standard times become faster. This progression is calibrated to reflect normal physical development and training adaptation. A time that earns an AA in the 11-12 age group will not meet the same level in 13-14, the bar moves with the swimmer.
Age is determined as of the first day of the meet for most competitions, though some championship meets use different cutoff dates. Always verify the specific age determination rules for any meet you are targeting.
Course Types: SCY, SCM, and LCM
Standards are published separately for three course types: Short Course Yards (SCY, 25-yard pools), Short Course Metres (SCM, 25-metre pools), and Long Course Metres (LCM, 50-metre pools). The majority of winter-season competition in the US takes place in SCY, while summer championship season is predominantly LCM.
Times are not directly comparable across course types. Short-course times are typically faster because swimmers benefit from more turns and wall push-offs. Conversion factors exist but are approximations, the best approach is to compare your time against the standard for the specific course you swam.
LSC Standards and Regional Variation
Each of the 59 Local Swimming Committees (LSCs) across the United States may also publish its own set of qualifying times for local championship meets. These LSC standards can vary significantly from one region to another based on the depth of competition in that area.
This means a swimmer in a highly competitive LSC like Southern California or North Texas may face faster qualifying times for the same level of meet compared to a swimmer in a smaller LSC. Understanding your LSC's standards is important for short-term planning, while the national motivational standards provide a consistent benchmark regardless of geography.
How Standards Are Updated
USA Swimming publishes a new set of motivational standards for each four-year Olympic cycle; the current 2024–2028 set was released in August 2024 and updated in October 2025. When the sport gets faster, the new cuts get faster too.
Championship qualifying standards (Sectionals, Futures, Junior Nationals, U.S. Open, Trials) may be updated on different schedules and are published separately for each championship cycle. Always check the most current published standards rather than relying on previous years' cuts.
Using Standards the Right Way
The most important thing to understand about time standards is that they are milestones, not pass/fail judgments. Missing a cut by half a second does not mean a swimmer is failing; it means they have a clear, measurable target to work toward.
Here is how standards work best as a tool:
- Set specific goals. Instead of "get faster," aim for a concrete standard. "Achieve A in the 100 backstroke by March" is actionable and measurable.
- Track progress across events. Looking at where you stand across all your events reveals patterns, maybe you are close to the next level in three events but well above it in two others. That insight shapes training priorities.
- Celebrate incremental gains. Moving from B to BB matters. Moving from AA to AAA matters. Every step up the ladder represents real improvement, even if the ultimate goal is still seasons away.
- Avoid unhealthy comparisons. Standards let you compare your time against an objective benchmark, not against another swimmer. Your journey is your own.
How Gophin Helps You Navigate Standards
Checking standards manually means hunting through PDFs, cross-referencing your times event by event, and trying to calculate gaps in your head. It works, but it is slow and easy to get wrong.
In Gophin, Compare → Standards does this automatically. Select any of the official standards from the US, Canada, and Brazil, including USA Swimming motivational standards, and Gophin compares your personal best times against the official cuts across every event you have swum. For each event, you see your time, the standard, and the exact gap.
This means you can instantly answer questions like: Which events am I closest to the next level in? Where have I already achieved a cut I did not realize? What does my standards profile look like across all my events at once?
For swimmers and parents who want quick reference, the Standards page lets you browse official qualifying times by organization, age group, gender, and event. When you are ready for the full comparison against your own times, Compare → Standards does it instantly.
Understanding where you stand is the first step toward knowing where you are going. USA Swimming's standards system gives you the framework, and the right tools make that framework actionable. Our standards comparison tutorial shows how to check your times against these cuts in seconds. If you swim in Canada as well, see the Swimming Canada standards guide for the Canadian system.
See where your swimmer stands against USA Swimming standards. Free.
