Star Olympic swimmers are already back in the pool

This is an excerpt from The Buzzer, which is CBC Sports' daily email newsletter. Stay up to speed on what's happening in sports by subscribing here.

Canadian swimmers enjoyed another successful Olympics in Tokyo, winning six medals for the second Summer Games in a row. And with many of them still on the young side, excitement is already building for the 2024 Olympics in Paris, which are less than three years away, and the 2022 world championships, which are in just eight months.

But you don't have to wait that long for a swimming fix. Several Canadian Olympians are currently competing in the International Swimming League, which is midway into its third season. If you're unfamiliar with the quirky independent circuit, here are some things to know:

The setup is different. Instead of representing their countries, like they would at the world championships, Olympics and other traditional meets, swimmers compete for teams containing multiple nationalities — just like in any other sports league. Something else the ISL shares with those leagues: teams compete in a regular season followed by playoffs and a final to determine a champion. Game presentation is also big in the ISL. The show is much more modern and flashy than what you saw at the Olympics. There's elaborate lighting, a live DJ and the music keeps going during races. The only silence comes when swimmers settle into the starting blocks.

The races are different too. The ISL uses pools that are only 25 metres long — half the Olympic size. Every race features two swimmers from each of the four teams competing in that meet — filling out all eight lanes. There are no preliminary heats, so almost every race is a final. Times don't matter as much: swimmers score points for their teams (and win prize money for themselves) based on what place they finish in. The distances are familiar: individual races go 50, 100, 200 or 400 metres, and the relays are 4x100. Maybe the quirkiest thing the ISL offers is the "skins" race. These start with eight swimmers, then the field is cut to four for the second round, then two for the final. See how an ISL race looks and sounds here.

Gender equality is a guiding principle. Teams have 12 men and 12 women in their starting lineups for each match. There are an equal number of men's and women's races, plus a mixed relay in each match. Prize money is equal for men and women.

The top swimmers make good money. According to SwimSwam's calculations, American star Caeleb Dressel raked in nearly $292,000 US last season, which includes his $100,000 bonus for winning the season MVP award and another $65K for winning five match MVPs (in both cases, the MVP is determined by a points system based on where swimmers finish in their races). Eight swimmers topped $100K in earnings. No Canadians got rich, though. The highest earner, Kylie Masse, took home a little over $40K.