team scoring

(I just realized how long this post is. Sorry! But it's very important!!! Please read.) Hi again everyone! I was just looking at the calendar and I realized that Convention had to be coming up SOON. I just looked and I guess it's next week! I just wanted to wish the best of luck to those presenting the proposal, and thank everyone who has played a role in helping get the proposal to where it is today. Hopefully we've managed to work out the kinks in the language and definitions, and put the required thought into accommodating as many teams as possible in terms of leveling the playing field to foster a more healthy, competitive environment. I'm not sure of the exact state of the proposal today, or if any changes have been made since the last post on this thread on May 8th, but any change along the lines of this discussion would be good for Masters Swimming (in my opinion). I do have one final plea, however, for those people going to the Convention. I know the last draft of the proposal did not include team scoring for Men and Women, but rather only one Combined Team score. Well, I was sitting next to Tom Reudy when he created this thread about a year and a half ago. In fact, I'm the one who questioned him on why the scoring system is what it is, and why they wouldn't just seperate the teams into Local and Regional teams. Of course, our terminology was different back then. I've been truly enlightened through this entire process, and I now completely understand the necessity of having, and promoting, Regional Teams. Sometimes it's difficult to relate to more rural areas when you live in such a populated place as Los Angeles. I've also been intrigued hearing from Committee members themselves and reading about how these different committees operate and what their respective responsibilities are, and what they are not. So I thank you for that. As I make this plea, you deserve to know a little bit of my history (if you care) since I've been along this entire ride of a discussion forum. I think it will tell you where I'm coming from with regard to this topic, and I apologize for not sharing it sooner (for those of you who have been following this thread). When I started swimming for West Hollywood (WH2O) after 8 years out of the water, we didn't even take a team to Nationals. Gay Games 2006 was my first meet, and my entire team was content on having IGLA (or Gay Games every 4 years) as our only real team meet all year. I quickly became more involved with the team, and shortly thereafter became a coach and board member. In 2007, I wanted more competition, and IGLA was being held in Paris, which was a little to rich for me, so I started rallying people to go to Nationals in Federal Way with me. By the time it was all said and done we had 20 people (16 men, 4 women) go to Nationals where our men's team finished 7th. We were THRILLED. It steamrolled from there and we took 25 people (23 men, 2 women) to Austin, where our Men's team finished 9th (behind some very strong Local Team from Texas, as well as some Regionals Teams of course). Older swimmers who have been on WH2O for 10 or 20 years have told me that our team has experienced an awakening in the last 2 years as a result of this new breath of life that competing at Nationals has given us. That makes me feel soooooo good to hear, and know that I'm making a difference. My point is, and this clearly IS personal for me, as a predominantly gay team, our men outnumber our women 10 to 1 (at best). I would feel almost slighted if this discussion, which I in part started, resulted in a scoring system in which WH2O would not be recognized AT ALL because there is no scoring for Men and Women. Even if there are only awards given to the Combined Team, please just allow us to be recognized for our accomplishments. This is what has given us a new breath of life! Please do not take it away. Yours truly, Brian Olver

(I just realized how long this post is. Sorry! But it's very important!!! Please read.) Hi again everyone! I was just looking at the calendar and I realized that Convention had to be coming up SOON. I just looked and I guess it's next week! I just wanted to wish the best of luck to those presenting the proposal, and thank everyone who has played a role in helping get the proposal to where it is today. Hopefully we've managed to work out the kinks in the language and definitions, and put the required thought into accommodating as many teams as possible in terms of leveling the playing field to foster a more healthy, competitive environment. I'm not sure of the exact state of the proposal today, or if any changes have been made since the last post on this thread on May 8th, but any change along the lines of this discussion would be good for Masters Swimming (in my opinion). I do have one final plea, however, for those people going to the Convention. I know the last draft of the proposal did not include team scoring for Men and Women, but rather only one Combined Team score. Well, I was sitting next to Tom Reudy when he created this thread about a year and a half ago. In fact, I'm the one who questioned him on why the scoring system is what it is, and why they wouldn't just seperate the teams into Local and Regional teams. Of course, our terminology was different back then. I've been truly enlightened through this entire process, and I now completely understand the necessity of having, and promoting, Regional Teams. Sometimes it's difficult to relate to more rural areas when you live in such a populated place as Los Angeles. I've also been intrigued hearing from Committee members themselves and reading about how these different committees operate and what their respective responsibilities are, and what they are not. So I thank you for that. As I make this plea, you deserve to know a little bit of my history (if you care) since I've been along this entire ride of a discussion forum. I think it will tell you where I'm coming from with regard to this topic, and I apologize for not sharing it sooner (for those of you who have been following this thread). When I started swimming for West Hollywood (WH2O) after 8 years out of the water, we didn't even take a team to Nationals. Gay Games 2006 was my first meet, and my entire team was content on having IGLA (or Gay Games every 4 years) as our only real team meet all year. I quickly became more involved with the team, and shortly thereafter became a coach and board member. In 2007, I wanted more competition, and IGLA was being held in Paris, which was a little to rich for me, so I started rallying people to go to Nationals in Federal Way with me. By the time it was all said and done we had 20 people (16 men, 4 women) go to Nationals where our men's team finished 7th. We were THRILLED. It steamrolled from there and we took 25 people (23 men, 2 women) to Austin, where our Men's team finished 9th (behind some very strong Local Team from Texas, as well as some Regionals Teams of course). Older swimmers who have been on WH2O for 10 or 20 years have told me that our team has experienced an awakening in the last 2 years as a result of this new breath of life that competing at Nationals has given us. That makes me feel soooooo good to hear, and know that I'm making a difference. My point is, and this clearly IS personal for me, as a predominantly gay team, our men outnumber our women 10 to 1 (at best). I would feel almost slighted if this discussion, which I in part started, resulted in a scoring system in which WH2O would not be recognized AT ALL because there is no scoring for Men and Women. Even if there are only awards given to the Combined Team, please just allow us to be recognized for our accomplishments. This is what has given us a new breath of life! Please do not take it away. Yours truly, Brian Olver