88 Chapter 5 performing swimmers (part one) and (b) swimmers whose performance progress was advanced obtained higher scores for training-centered SRL than those whose progress was less advanced (part two). Methods Ethical approval All participants were informed of the study’s procedures prior to their participation and provided their written informed consent to participate. Informed consent was also obtained from parents of participants who were below 16 years old. All procedures used in the study complied with the Helsinki Declaration and were approved by the research ethics committee of the University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands (202000488). Data collection A total of 157 Dutch competitive swimmers (73 males and 84 females) aged 12-21 years were included in the present study. All swimmers had participated in the National Dutch Junior Championships (“Nederlandse Junioren & Jeugd Kampioenschappen”; n = 125) and/or were selected for talent development programs (n = 33) organized by the KNZB. We collected data on the use of training-centered SRL and swim performances of these swimmers during the 2018/2019 swim season (see Figure 1). The season, which was officially launched on September 1, 2018 and ended August 31, 2019 (Fédération Internationale de Natation [FINA], 2021), comprised a short course season (September - December in the 25 m pool) and a long course season (January - August in the 50 m pool). Cross-sectional data on training-centered SRL were collected using an online survey instrument (Qualtrics, Provo, UT) one month before the start of the long course swim season (December 2018). Longitudinal data on long course swim performances for all strokes and distances (swim events) were obtained from Swimrankings (2021) during the long course swim season (January 2019 – August 2019). Swimmers were divided into age groups according to their age on December 31, 2018 (KNZB, 2021). Therefore, all ages in the present study refer to the age categories in which swimmers participated during the 2018/2019 swim season and not to the swimmers’ calendar ages.
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