I've not done any analysis to see if left coasters & westerners were disproportionately under-represented on the Auburn psych sheets, but wondering if the SPMA/Southwest Zone meet (www.clubassistant.com/.../meet_information.cfm might garner a bigger turnout than Nationals?
Who's going to Mission Viejo?
Damn I gotta stop hitting the bottle. I can't follow any of this.
:lmao: Thanks for the laugh, Herb! The fact is, I can't follow any of this either; I don't have a clue what's going on out there. All I know is that I am finding myself agreeing with Wookiee; something that doesn't happen very often. :rolleyes: :D
I have only been in USMS since February, 2010, however, it has been a fantastic experience; the highlight being the two Nationals meets I attended, as well as SwimFest. And, my fellow forumites have been like a team for me, since I swim on my own. The knowledge and advice that has been shared with me, as well as encouragement, has been terrific and most appreciated!
As for Ahelee, I have found her posts to always be full of enthusiasm and encouragement; the reason why she is one of the people I most look forward to meeting at Nationals, in Auburn. I was disappointed to see such bitter posts about her in this thread, rather than keeping it in private messages; a more appropriate option, in my opinion. :2cents:
Quite simply, to make sure that there are no more lies spread about me or the few people that have supported me throughout this "incident."OK. I'm not sure what you're referring to (and probably don't need to know), but, I guess, rest assured that whoever is spreading lies, at least, is NOT getting those to us over here in Arizona.
I always find Petula Clark a great remedy to help me through difficult times in life. YMMV: YouTube - ‪Petula Clark - DownTown‬
This thread started out as a pretty positive plug for the Nadadores meet closely following nationals. With some feedback about participation in championships.
Amazing to watch it unfold into a personal gripe opportunity.
Perhaps this is the kind of thing keeping us from moving faster toward the greatness we know is possible.
A friend posted this on FB yesterday...
"Bureaucracy: a method for transforming energy into solid waste."
Stop wasting our positive energy!
When people are tired or burned out, they should take a break.
Then definitely come back when they're happier and can offer something positive.
I hope everyone can find a championship meet to suit their needs this summer. I'm headed to Santa Cruz and Auburn and CAN'T WAIT!
And what part was not pleasant? What part indicated I was cranky?
Or is it just that you want to "protect" your friend who presented incorrect information, and has since kindly admitted it and corrected her post?
Just because I'm questioning the appropriateness of catering to the few that go to nationals, over the many more that pay their dues?
It's asinine comments like these that reinforce the correctness of my decision never to join USMS again. I sincerely regret the thousands and thousands of hours I put into this organization. It was a waste of my time.
To quote you from an early post, "You're wrong" I don't know Ahelee(sp?) I do know that when she posts on this forum, she is trying to spread excitement for USMS, experienced swimmers, new swimmers and anyone else that loves swimming.
You have a problem with her from SPMA. I have read the posts on the SPMA business, even the minutes of the SPMA meetings. To this day, the pissing contest ya'll had over Ahelee was never really made much sense.
I love USMS. I have questioned the value of my membership at times but in the end, the experiences of USMS are very positive. If you don't want to be part of USMS, please don't let the door hit you on the way out.
I like the idea because it offers a lot of options to swimmers who enjoy swimming meets.
However, it also makes an easier choice for those who might have attended Mesa or Auburn Nationals to stay closer to home and race - rather than spend the time & expense to travel.
Options are good. I think having a Zone Championship of sufficiently high caliber (good facility, well organized, large-ish meet) is a great idea, and something that every zone should strive for. Sometimes people cannot attend nationals and zones can be a good alternative. Some people might like to attend both, especially if one (usually zones, I imagine) is within driving distance.
I think zones should be scheduled so that, if someone DOES want to go to both, s/he can. One week apart may not work for that so well. The two meets should ideally complement each other, not compete with one another.
As far as which meet "should" be scheduled first, I can see an argument for having nationals first: if you go to both, then that would probably be your primary meet and you'd taper for it. Then you just extend it for zones. Going the other way might not appeal to as many people. People who are going to only one meet probably won't care much.
Of course, very often the scheduling is dependent on the facility and is beyond the control of the meet host. I would hope that this would be the reason whenever zones & nationals are one-week apart, not due to a conscious choice on the part of the zones meet host.
Finally, I really like this story about a good championship meet following nationals.
It's asinine comments like these that reinforce the correctness of my decision never to join USMS again.
Maybe you should tone down the vitriol a little. Probably 90% of us have no idea what you're even talking about, so don't act like everyone here is somehow against you. We can only react to what you post and your posts in this thread have been cranky to say the least.
