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Wanting to Compete Someday

V9Z2F

Hello!  My name is Martine McGinnis-Tingle.

I am a new member of USMS, and I was wondering if there were any upcoming competitions in my area for me to train for.  

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  • in reply to V9Z2F

    Will I also need to wear a tech suit or a regular suit?

  • in reply to V9Z2F

    Your choice. I don't think you will feel out of place either way. Lots of women in tank suits and men in either endurance jammers or briefs at local meets. Tech suits are more common at the bigger meets like nationals, but a few folks still go low-tech.

  • in reply to Karl_S

    Hey Karl_S!

    Quick question.  Is there a link to more information about non-USMS events?  Because I was hoping to compete in a swim meet, and I can't seem to find that on the link from USMS website that you sent to me before.  

  • in reply to V9Z2F

    I don't know of a central source. Many states hold a "XXX State Games" and there is a "State Games of America". I've attended these and found them to be good meets. 

    Other times, meets are just announced on bulletin boards at local pools. Try to get connected to the local swimming community. One of the local Y pools had a open-to-everyone meet for many years. That was very fun. An 80 year old would sometimes get a land next to 7 year old kid. They would sometimes toss in a silly event, like a t-shirt relay.

    Colleges sometime have alumni meets as fundraisers. They will likely let you race even if you did not swim on their team. The level of competition can be very wide, from folks who are basically recreational lap swimmers to former NCAA competitors.

    Years ago I did some races in my daughter's summer league. There were a few other adults who did the same, some without kids in the league. It's more common for women to do this than men in my experience. Summer leagues vary from extremely casual to very intense, I suspect the intense ones would be less receptive, but for the more casual ones, as long as you aren't taking a lane from a kid it seems all good. Sometimes they even needed me to fill out a relay, which was pretty fun.

    It is possible to join USAS and swim in USAS meets. It's a bit of a hassle to learn how to do the meet entries, but it does open up more meets. USAS meets vary tremendously in the level of competition. Looking at past results and chatting with members of the local swim community can help identify meets with a level of competition appropriate to your skill level.