first of all, congrats to the meet directors and all the volunteers on a job well done. so organized and efficient!! very impressive. the only thing i wish someone could explain to me is why the usms champ. committee changed the team scoring from large, medium and small team to clumping everyone in the same category. seems extremely unfair to have what i call "real teams" competing against state mega teams. there is no possibility for "real teams" to ever come close to competing against them. if you are going to give team awards at the end of the meet, is there any way you can do it fairly? our team is extremely proud to have gotten as many team members as we did to go to natls. (most of them for the first time), but unfortunately they were very disillusioned (as was i) with the idea that we would be competing against state teams. as one of the coaches i didn't have an explanation. even though we were very proud of our 7th place finish in men's division, and our 12th place in combined, we were only one of a few "real teams" in the top ten. would appreciate responses. maybe even someone from the champ.committee could explain how they felt this scoring system would be more fair to the majority of swimmers. then i can pass it along to my teammates.. i don't want them to be so disillusioned that they lose interest in attending any future natls. thanks
It seems to make sense that the Championship Committee should responsible for, and able to, determine the appropriate scoring method. This debate is quite complicated with details and by keeping open to the entire HOD it's likely that nothing will get accomplished. And, while I'm optimistic about next year's convention resulting in a change for SCY Nationals 2009, what happens if the wording isn't quite perfect and fails again? We wait another year and try again?
I'm rather new to all of this lingo, and I'm unsure about what exactly each committee is responsible for, but there has to be a better way than a once a year shot at changing this. (Or twice if you count voting on an amendment a day later.)
My final point (on this post) about my opposition to S/M/L team scoring is an honest one, and it draws from real experience. I'm competitive, obviously, and I'm also spearheading my team's participation at Nationals - a meet that traditionally we would have 1-2 people attend. I come from what I consider a small(er) team with about 80 active members (perhaps that's medium) and I'd like to see as many of them go to Nationals as possible, regardless of speed. It's fun to travel with friends and it's truly a team bonding experience!! Right now we have about 20 people committed to going to Austin to see how high we can finish. But, if you give me the option of possibly winning a Small Team title if I take the fastest 12 people to Nationals 2009, then I'd find myself in a predicament. Right or wrong, that is the reality of the situation.
It seems to make sense that the Championship Committee should responsible for, and able to, determine the appropriate scoring method. This debate is quite complicated with details and by keeping open to the entire HOD it's likely that nothing will get accomplished. And, while I'm optimistic about next year's convention resulting in a change for SCY Nationals 2009, what happens if the wording isn't quite perfect and fails again? We wait another year and try again?
I'm rather new to all of this lingo, and I'm unsure about what exactly each committee is responsible for, but there has to be a better way than a once a year shot at changing this. (Or twice if you count voting on an amendment a day later.)
My final point (on this post) about my opposition to S/M/L team scoring is an honest one, and it draws from real experience. I'm competitive, obviously, and I'm also spearheading my team's participation at Nationals - a meet that traditionally we would have 1-2 people attend. I come from what I consider a small(er) team with about 80 active members (perhaps that's medium) and I'd like to see as many of them go to Nationals as possible, regardless of speed. It's fun to travel with friends and it's truly a team bonding experience!! Right now we have about 20 people committed to going to Austin to see how high we can finish. But, if you give me the option of possibly winning a Small Team title if I take the fastest 12 people to Nationals 2009, then I'd find myself in a predicament. Right or wrong, that is the reality of the situation.
