Has the Championship Committee, or other entity within USMS ever discussed having a more strict policy of enforcement in regards to the NQT's?
Why do we state that you must have 3 cuts, in order to swim more events? Why not require a swimmer to have 6 cuts in order to swim 6 events?
Just like to understand more from a historical point of view. I have read post that asked, or suggested how to control the size and length of the National meets. Would not having a stricter enforcement of this policy help? Or would it cause swimmers to shy away from these meets?
Just a curious thought.
Thank you.
Ion, it just depends upon who you are. I swim breastroke faster than both fly and back at age 46. And starting at age 14, I swam *** faster than back. Also, I bet that Mr Ed Moses can swim *** faster than either his back or fly. People are made different, so *** so not always the slowest stroke for each indivdual. Breastroker even swims *** faster than freestyle.
Anyway, Ion you are disappointment. But so are some of the rest of us. Breastroke is the only stroke that I can beat late starting adults at masters competition on a regular basis. Yes, there are some slow freesylers or butterflyers or backstrokers that do a 50 yards, 50 seconds plus but there are some late starters that do fly at 34 or freestyle at 30, that are women. in their 40's and older.
Set aside the NQTs for a moment. If you want to speed up the meet, find a way to get all people in the heat going at the same speed. Having people swim way faster/slower than the others was a big reason why Nationals fell behind schedule. (Besides the occasional power outage... :confused: )
If you can figure out how to do that, I'll tip my goggles to you. :cool: I had a substantial improvement in my mile, and a horrible 100 Free, but in both events my seed time was *honest*. But I know of a number of people who put down slow seed times. (They weren't sure what shape they would be in, and they ended up going faster than their seed.)
Originally posted by kaelonj
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As for Ion, following your rhetoric I would be justified in petitioning the PGA in order to play on the tour with Tiger Woods. The reason he is better than me is because he has the unfair advantage of learning to play when...
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Jeff
Jeff,
you miss my point.
My point is:
when the USMS doesn't make someone from zero into a NQT qualifier, then USMS is relying on backgrounds different than the USMS background in order to make NQTs.
Indeed, when Ransom made USMS, his mission was to carry on the competing from the age-group swimming background into USMS for adults.
If USMS was staying with this mission, then strict NQTs are to do.
After inception, USMS became inclusive of the non age-group swimming background.
Inclusive of the non age-group swimming background at the Nationals, means that non age-group swimmers who get just the USMS for background in swimming and thus don't make NQTs, they get three mercy events.
Also, inclusive means that very good swimmers with an age-group swimming background but who still don't make NQTs (and very good swimmers like this are numerous in USMS), they get three mercy events at the USMS Nationals.
Your comparison with golf by Woods, would be like a comparison with swimming for Olympics:
golf by Woods and swimming for Olympics both are not inclusive, they are elite level activities that are exclusive, because it doesn't matter to them how one became amongst the best but it matters to them whether one is amongst the best.
Originally posted by cinc310
I don't think Ion is a breastroker since he has swam for over 20 years and doesn't like the stroke.
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Maybe, he could try back but I never heard of him swimming that.
.) Indeed Cynthia, I am not a brestroker: brestroke is too much technique, for the slowest stroke out of four.
.) I swim in clubs for sixteen years, since October 1986.
.) Ten days ago I did the 50 meter backstroke leg in a relay competition. I don't get disqualified when there are no backstroke turns, like it was in this 50 meter pool.
people who put down slow seed times. (They weren't sure what shape they would be in, and they ended up going faster than their seed.
Or they simply are hoping to swim earlier in the event, perhaps to get more rest for their next event.
Regardless, THIS is a MUCH more prevalent occurrence at Nats and IMHO has a greater impact on the progress of the meet than do NQT cheaters.
But, then, the separation of age groups, rather than seeding them all together, likely has a greater effect than either ofthe above.
I think that maybe I came across a little strong on the this board. I think that anyone that begins swimming and can do under a mintue in any stroke at 50 yards has achieve something really good. I was just comparing times to others and those that started late that can kick my butt in the other strokes I have nothing against you. I was just saying that swimming as an adult whether you took a big break like me and almost went back to square one or you started late there is always somethng you are not happy with.
It's been quite some time since I have posted a message on the USMS forum and I have a number of comments related to issues that have come up in this posting.
Thank you, Ian, for attempting to educate those "board posters" who continue to misspell the word "breaststroke"!
An FYI about the length of SC Nationals - in case this hasn't been pointed out elsewhere: I have it on good authority that the timeline is generally predicated on a 15-16% "no-show" rate but the Tempe meet only had an 8% "no-show" rate. That's a significant difference.
New subject: I know many people who swim only 3 events at Nationals since they don't make NQT's. They pay the same flat registration fee as everyone else and the same expenses to travel to the event. And they probably spend more time watching the meet and cheering for friends and teammates than those of us who get to swim 6 events. I know I've been thankful that they are willing to count for the 500 and over races; often heat after heat! I hope we can always include them in our championships. And, in my 31 years of masters swimming I can probably count on one hand the number of "cheating" instances I am aware of. None of them involve cheating on a NQT.
Finally, I wonder if Ion is what coaches often refer to as "uncoachable". I have read the advice given to him for years now. I have seen him swim and offered some advice of my own after the Hawaii meet last year. I saw him again in Tempe and can see no evidence that he has changed his technique (breathing, turns, etc.) for the better. I don't know if he really swims 10K a day (ghads) but I do know that there is more to swimming than yardage. I had some good swims in Tempe (plus one really bad one) and I can promise you the good swims were less related to my VO2 max conditioning than they were related to my technique. In a good week I get in 3 practices of around 3500 meters. A great week is 4! Although I have been a swimmer for about 50 years (ghads again!), I still focus on technique throughout every workout and even most races. Efficiency in the water is truly the key and that becomes more and more important as we get older!
summer cheers!
Sally
I think its a combination of things. Yardage has some factor because I'm swimming similar to age 12 when I did low yardage. But style and turns and starts are factors too. Ion doesn't swim that bad considering he started later and not all of us are going to swim times like former national level or pre-national level swimmers do. In the age groups under 50 years old, swimmers with national and pre-national backgrounds dominate the events over A/B former age group swimmers and people who started swimming competively at 25 years plus.
A while back Jeopardy (the game show) had Swimming as a category. One answer was "It is the only swimming stroke that has a double ST when you spell it". The correct response, of course, was "What is breaSTSTroke?".
