Posted on Wednesday 2nd April, 2025

Meritorious Service Award – Martin Banks

Martin Banks Receives MSQ Meritorious Service Award for 5 Years Service.

At the recent Masters Swimming Queensland (MSQ) Annual General Meeting, Martin Banks was honoured with the prestigious Meritorious Service Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions as Director of Recording. Over the past five years, Martin has been instrumental in the streamlined execution of MSQ events, ensuring precision, efficiency, and professionalism in every aspect of meet management.

Martin officially took on the role of MSQ Director of Recording in 2020, following many years of dedicated service in both personal and sub-committee capacities. Since then, he has managed meet entry systems, coordinated entries, results, and records for all sanctioned meets in Queensland, and worked closely with the Masters Swimming Australia (MSA) National Recorder.

Another significant achievement has been leading MSQ’s transition to Swim Central. He played a crucial role in testing and refining the system, collaborating with MSA states, and ensuring a smooth adaptation and education for clubs and members. His work has not only improved competition frameworks but has also enhanced overall efficiency in event management across Queensland.

Beyond his technical expertise, Martin has fostered a collaborative approach to meet development. He established an informal MSQ Swim Meet/Competition Committee, bringing together members across various age groups and abilities to refine event programs and meet guides. This initiative has ensured that MSQ competitions remain high quality, athlete-focused and continuously evolving.

Advancing MSQ Competitions: Five Years of Innovation and Progress

During Martin’s time as Director of Recording, MSQ has made significant strides in modernising and enhancing its competition framework. Key developments include:

Enhancing Meet Operations and Structure

  • Successfully established and managed the operations of all MSQ-based meets.
  • Developed comprehensive documentation to guide clubs through the process of setting up and running meets, with a strong focus on returning control to clubs.
  • Introduced a streamlined sanctioning process, offering paid services from MSQ for enhanced meet support.
  • Implemented new competition formats, including self-marshalling, fast-to-slow heats, and separating gender events, similar to World Championships and aligning with high-level open swimming standards.

Innovation in Meet Entries and Seeding

  • Fully integrated Quick Entry and Swim Central systems, simplifying the entry process.
  • Improved heat seeding by using previous personal bests instead of swimmer-entered times and minimising inaccuracies and NT (No Time) seed entries.
  • Introduced unlimited event entries with a pay-per-event system, increasing participation flexibility.
  • Promoted separate distance events per stroke, rather than consolidating all strokes under distance freestyle events.

Enhancing Swimmer Experience

  • Developed detailed Meet Guides and consistent communication timelines, ensuring a clear and structured lead-up to events.
  • Improved record certificate production for greater accuracy and efficiency.
  • Introduced exhibition events such as fins swimming and race skills, encouraging broader participation.
  • Encouraged flexible meet award structures, allowing swimmers to focus on performance rather than event count.

Collaborations and National Initiatives

  • Played a key role in the introduction of Swim Central for Masters Swimming Australia (MSA), providing critical feedback and requirements for further system updates.
  • Worked extensively with the MSA National Recorder to refine recording processes.
  • Partnered with World Aquatics to secure World Top Ten (WTT) listing data to provide statistical insights and MSQ recognition with WTT cap awards.
  • Consulted with Swimming Queensland to develop pathways from junior to Masters swimming.
  • Supported recognition of Masters swimmers’ results within the Open competition system.

Developments and Strategic Growth

  • Proposed and defined a new Director of Program Development role to enhance non-competitive aspects of Masters swimming.
  • Developed specifications for introducing All-Comers records, an initiative currently in progress.
  • Worked with PPMG to refine their entry system for seamless Meet Manager integration.
  • Defined an updated approach to “State-based” (virtual) clubs to better serve members and MSQ.

A Well-Deserved Honour

Martin Banks’ passion, expertise, and commitment to excellence have helped shape the future of MSQ competition and recording processes. His forward-thinking approach has driven improvements in meet management, technology, and swimmer experience.

With these groundbreaking advancements, MSQ remains at the forefront of Masters swimming in Australia, creating an inclusive, competitive, and innovative environment for all athletes.

Thank you and congratulations Martin!