IMX and Power Points
Many of you may have heard the term IMX Score, or Power Points before, but what is an IMX Score and what are Power Points? Well, let’s find out. From the USA Swimming website:
Power Points
Every swim listed in the USA Swimming times database includes a Power Point value. This point system allows for comparison of the quality of performances across strokes, distances and events, as well as between age groups.
So how exactly does the power point system work? The power point scale ranges from 1 to 1100 points. The higher the points, the stronger you are in that event. We use these points to rank you and your club in our IM Ready, IMX and Virtual Club Championships programs.
IM Xtreme
IM Xtreme is a program that allows USA Swimming members to track their times (or coaches to track their team's times) against swimmers all across the nation! Just by swimming a specific program of events, you can see where you rank against your teammates, your region and yes, even across the USA!
IM Ready
IM Ready is a program that allows USA Swimming members who maybe aren't ready to tackle the longer races, and are just getting going with the sport. This is a great way for athletes to build confidence to get their IMX score.
OK, but why are these important? Well, USA Swimming uses the IMX Scores to select the athletes who can attend their Zone and National Select Camps (we’ll cover those some other time- but they are awesome experiences). Clubs like ASL also get points for our Club Excellence program based on what percentage of athletes on your team have IMX scores.
But even more simply, an IMX Score is a great way to make sure we are developing well-rounded, strong athletes. In order to get a score, athletes must complete certain events, based on age-
- 9 & Unders: 200 Free, 100 Back, 100 Breast, 100 Fly, 200 IM
- 11 & 12 year olds: 400 Free (LC) or 500 Free (SC), 100 Back, 100 Breast, 100 Fly, 200 IM
- 13 to 18 year olds: 400 Free (LC) or 500 Free (SC), 200 Back, 200 Breast, 200 Fly, 200 IM, 400 IM
These events are intended to push the athletes into the longer events for their age group, and to swim all the strokes. Coaches will often use the IMX score to encourage athletes to attempt events outside their comfort zone, or to work on a weak stroke to raise the overall score.
ASL will use Power Points in a unique way. We will track athletes’ 1st and 6th best events based on Power Points each season. What this tells us is their top quality swim, and then the depth of their quality using the 6th best event. We add these two numbers together to give us their "1+6" score. Used over time, this tells us their progress from season to season, year to year. This can be used individually, or across a group to track development. We will include this data in our 3x "Report Cards" that will come out for each athlete in mid December, latre March, and early August.
There are also meets that are IMX themed, which are a lot of fun. Everyone competing is going after the same thing, and they usually happen early in the season. It’s a great way to kick off the racing season!
Extra Reading:
IMX Scores: https://www.usaswimming.org/Home/times/IMX-IMR
Power Points: https://www.usaswimming.org/times/powerpoint-calculator
