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Swimmer Mike Barrowman isn't a stranger to setting records. He's also aware, however, that those records are made to be broken.

Known for his prowess in breast stroke, the Potomac native set a world record for the men's 200 meter breast stroke in 1989 that lasted 13 years before it was broken in 2002. In 1992, he won an Olympic gold medal.

But before his professional career, back on July 16, 1983, Barrowman set another record for the Montgomery County Swim League in Potomac that lasted even longer.

Until this July 18, to be exact. The record-breaker was 14-year-old Collin Stanhope, who swims for the MCSL Potomac team based out of the Potomac Swim and Tennis Club on Oaklyn Drive. He swam the 50 meter breast stroke in 31.63 seconds, beating Barrowman's time of 31.70.

It was 26 years — almost to the day — after the future Olympian set the record. The record, in the 50 meter breast stroke for boys 13-14, was one of the longest standing in the league.

Some have held longer, but this one had a bit of notoriety because of Barrowman's success in the sport, according to MCSL records chair Linda Raab. The swim league keeps track of records dating back to the 1960s. "I mean, the guy's got an Olympic gold medal and he's from our area, from our neighborhood. How cool is that?" Raab said.

To some MCSL alumni, watching the famed record break was a thrilling moment, if somewhat bittersweet. Potomac resident Remmie Butchko, 40, swam on the Robin Hood team as a youth against Barrowman, who swam for Montgomery Square. "You like to see the old records stand, but I was pushing for him," Butchko said of Stanhope.

As Stanhope's time inched closer to Barrowman's this summer, some, especially league alumni familiar with Barrowman, began to take notice. "Everyone was making a big deal about it," Stanhope said. "People kept saying, you're so close, just break it already!"

Butchko, whose two children now swim for MCSL, watched Stanhope break the record just as he watched Barrowman set it. For him, it brought back memories of that day 26 years ago. "I remember when he set the record, we said, ‘That one might never be broken,'" Butchko said.

Not so for the Olympian himself, however.  Barrowman, who now lives and works in the Cayman Islands, was interviewed via e-mail. He expected the record to last a few weeks, a month, or a year on the outside. "How exciting to see that record open for movement again," Barrowman wrote. "It was getting stale!  Now... let's see how low it will go!"

Barrowman offered congratulations to Stanhope, "from 1,500 miles away and 26 years in the past."

For the swimmers, striving to beat a record is added motivation toward becoming better athletes, according to Pam Armstrong, a representative for the Potomac team. "It gives the kids something to aspire to, and they get to push themselves," Armstrong said.

The team hopes to provide a place where friendly competition is encouraged, Armstrong said.

For now, Stanhope says he's trying to relax and swim his best, though he's not sure if he wants to head to the Olympics like the previous record-holder. For Barrowman, however, it was swimming with MCSL that laid the groundwork for his athletic career. "With larger numbers of competitors and stiffer competition, we didn't even have to leave home … to learn about how to compete and how to race," Barrowman wrote. "I honestly don't believe I'd have been able to make it to the Olympics without that experience."