Photo by Dimitar Petrov
RICHMOND, Virginia, August 9. ANYONE who has viewed the list of national age group records in the past two decades knows the name Chas Morton. One of the prolific record setters in American age group history, Morton enjoyed many years of having his records withstand numerous assaults on his once-impossible times.
Little by little, his records have fallen, and another was erased today in the 11-212 age group when Destin Lasco posted a 2:15.33 at the Eastern zone meet. His time beat out Morton’s 31-year-old record of 2:15.42, which was definitely mind-boggling in its time. Now, Lasco has created a new brass ring for those who follow him.
Lasco turned 13 during the meet, but meet rules stipulate that he’s a 12-year-old for the entire meet. We saw this earlier this year when Michael Andrew turned 15 during a short course yards meet, allowing him to post more 13-14 records while technically being 15 years old.
Lasco’s splits:
30.14 butterfly
32.5 backstroke
42.01 breaststroke
30.63 freestyle
Performance of the Week contender; I know it will be impossible to look past Ledecky’s 400 free, but if you consider that record lasted 5 years compared to this one lasting 31, it ought to at least get an “Honorable Mention”
Hmm. Duncan, you berated me for not making the Australian 400 free relay the Performance of the Week a couple of weeks ago and now you want me to mention a national age group record over a world record? I like the suggestion because Chas Morton’s record was a tough one, but I’m not sure I can live with myself if I overlook that world record.
Come on, Jeff. On the discussion of the top Commonwealth week performances, there was no berating, just facts in comparing a couple of wonderful swims (All time best in any suit, breaking a rubber suit record v edge of top 5 textile performance).
Here, I acknowledged “…it will be impossible to look past Ledecky’s 400 free.” I feel that is especially so in that it reflected the fall of another “rubber suit” era record. But I just felt, even though it is an apples and oranges comparison, some recognition in the performance of the week would be appropriate for breaking a 31 year Morton record, unless you know of some Australian, Hungarian, Chinese or other youth over time who had already gone faster. I’m certainly NOT suggesting you overlook 3:58+; I’m suggesting it is not fair to entirely overlook a performance which, in its context, is at least similarly impressive. All NAG records are not created equal; National Championship winning swim by Simone Manuel in 50 free at :24.56 was a 17-18 NAG record, breaking a 2004 Kara Lynn Joyce :25.00 mark (after Abby Weitzel had already broken it earlier in the week with a :24.80 in Time Trials section of the meet). But I’d not suggest breaking that decade old NAG record as a Performance of the Week contender this particular week; frankly, it didn’t even match the otherworldly Sjostrom :24.4 50 fly from earlier this summer. But, again, Lesco broke a 31 year old record.
Most weeks, it is not that difficult to determine a singular performance standing out above all others. Some weeks that is not the case. I am suggesting the format of the Performance of the Week be tweaked to allow, in highly unusual circumstances (I think 31 years qualifies as pretty unusual) for some type of recognition of more than one swim in a week (co-performances? Honorable mention?) where more than one swim justifies such consideration.
Without getting into the “record” fest at the 2009 world championships, I recall there was a pretty big deal made of one day at the 1989 Pan-Pacs in Australia when there were 4 world records broken by Americans on the SAME DAY, much less the same week. (Evans and Wharton and 2 other, I believe). How would you have chosen just one? And should you have? Multiple recognitions where there have been multiple worthy performances seems a good thing to me.
If I had been doing the “Performance of the Week” segment in 1989, I would have picked all four as the Performance of the Week, honoring the record-breaking feat of four world records in one day more than the individual records.
I have done co-performers of the week before, but only when the performances are equal in stature (two world records, two national records, two NAG records, etc.). Doing an honorable-mention Performance of the Week is not like giving someone a silver medal. It’s like giving the second-place vote getter for the Oscars a statuette as well.
I understand that people disagree with the picks for Performance of the Week sometimes. It is not an absolute. But I hope that creates discussion and debate about why people, as you have done very well, feel one performance is better than another.
It certainly is fun!
Maybe the “Honorable Mention” thing could be effectively used in the “apples and oranges” comparison setting?