I'm confused....
I thought that even if you swam a non qualifying time at Nationals it is recorded in the results. FINA Master Worlds does not record your time if it is below the posted qualifying times. At least this was the case in 2006.
I also don't understand why everyone gets so hung up on the NQT's. I didn't qualify the first year I went down, swam 3 events and had a blast. It gives you incentive to work harder. I now qualify in more than 2 events.... I think... All I know is that I can swim 6 if I want to.
People forget that this is "MASTERS" not the olympics. We are there to have fun. It's an achievement if you just show up. Most of us have careers and day jobs that do not revolve around swimming.
I'm fairly slow, and have always been slow historically in my age groups back in USA Swimming. So I never made any kind of championship meet requiring a cut ever (not even the 12 & Under BB championship meet!), and only made a finals once in my life (when there were less than two heats in the event, and my coach wouldn't let the meet director & referee go from prelims/finals to timed finals). But even for me, it makes the "quest" that much more worth it. Someday when I finally get an NQT and actually go to Nationals, it'll be that much more sweet for me.
But that doesn't necessarily make it less valid or worthwhile for you to go without NQT's and swim up to three events. How many times do you get to swim at a meet with 1500+ swimmers? It has to be a great atmosphere, with the possible exception of getting run over in a warmup lane by people who are as old as my mother ;-). We're in this sport after all because we feel what we get from our achievements makes it worthwhile, and generally not because of what we aren't.
Those are just two of the viewpoints you could take, and I'd say both are equally valid. Whatever makes it rewarding and fun is the way to go.
Patrick King
I'm confused....
I thought that even if you swam a non qualifying time at Nationals it is recorded in the results. FINA Master Worlds does not record your time if it is below the posted qualifying times. At least this was the case in 2006.
I also don't understand why everyone gets so hung up on the NQT's. I didn't qualify the first year I went down, swam 3 events and had a blast. It gives you incentive to work harder. I now qualify in more than 2 events.... I think... All I know is that I can swim 6 if I want to.
People forget that this is "MASTERS" not the olympics. We are there to have fun. It's an achievement if you just show up. Most of us have careers and day jobs that do not revolve around swimming.
I'm fairly slow, and have always been slow historically in my age groups back in USA Swimming. So I never made any kind of championship meet requiring a cut ever (not even the 12 & Under BB championship meet!), and only made a finals once in my life (when there were less than two heats in the event, and my coach wouldn't let the meet director & referee go from prelims/finals to timed finals). But even for me, it makes the "quest" that much more worth it. Someday when I finally get an NQT and actually go to Nationals, it'll be that much more sweet for me.
But that doesn't necessarily make it less valid or worthwhile for you to go without NQT's and swim up to three events. How many times do you get to swim at a meet with 1500+ swimmers? It has to be a great atmosphere, with the possible exception of getting run over in a warmup lane by people who are as old as my mother ;-). We're in this sport after all because we feel what we get from our achievements makes it worthwhile, and generally not because of what we aren't.
Those are just two of the viewpoints you could take, and I'd say both are equally valid. Whatever makes it rewarding and fun is the way to go.
Patrick King
