I'm guilty of it. I imagine we're all guilty of it: seeing a meet announcement and seeing our favorite two events back to back, or four events we want to swim on one day and then only 1 then next day. We get irritated and wonder why the meet director couldn't have designed this to better suit our needs? We moan at workout, whine on the forums, ***** on our blogs, etc. I'd like to encourage my fellow forumites to join me in taking a pledge:
I hereby pledge to:
just be grateful that there are volunteers, teams and facilities willing to host Masters meets,
recognize that no matter how hard these dedicated volunteers try, they'll never be able to create the order of events that satisfies all Masters swimmer,
recognize that, even if I can't swim those two favorite events in this meet because they are back to back (or whatever my complaint is), I've got a multi-decade Masters career ahead of me in which to swim them at different meets,
to, therefore, stop whining/moaning about the order of events, and
look at a different order of events as an opportunity to branch out and try new events!
Signed,
Patrick "Indebted to Masters Meet Directors/Officials/Volunteers" Brundage
I'll take that pledge, especially since the Harvard meet doesn't have any of my events in bone-rattling territory. Some are back to back, but with all the heats, it's usually a nice rest in between.
I'm also pledging to say thank you to the timers in my lane, the officials, and the people working the scoring table. It's always great to feel appreciated and I'm going to do some serious appreciating.
I reserve the right to whine when I feel people are picking on us poor breaststrokers. - pledge whine violation
I have also joined complaints by backstrokers and butterflyers when they were "discriminated" against so don't get "strokist"on me. - pledge whine violation
The guideline is simple,you divide the meet into sections and make sure that no 2 events of the same stroke in the same section. - pledge whine violation
You can't get splits because there are no other options for when to get the other times as swimming fly in a free event is still free,not fly. - pledge whine violation
A backstroker has more options for splits with the IMs and relays,but the point still stands. - pledge whine violation
Royal flush achieved!
I reserve the right to whine when I feel people are picking on us poor breaststrokers.I have also joined complaints by backstrokers and butterflyers when they were "discriminated" against so don't get "strokist"on me.
The guideline is simple,you divide the meet into sections and make sure that no 2 events of the same stroke in the same section.
For a butterflyer or breaststroker wanting good times in all 3 events there needs to be appropriate spacing.You can't get splits because there are no other options for when to get the other times as swimming fly in a free event is still free,not fly.A backstroker has more options for splits with the IMs and relays,but the point still stands.
No splits for backstrokers on IMs. You must mean flyers. And many of us don't have relay options.
In a national meet, the strokes are always separated. Can't do that in a 1 or 2 day meet. But there is virtually always adequate time between same stroke events. Where the problem comes in is that not that many masters are pure 1 stroke stars. So, for example, some who aren't sprinters will skip the 50 and some who aren't D types skip the 200 and look for other events. And if you swim all 4 strokes, which I do, there are often conflicts.
The 6 pack freestyler on the other hand rarely has a complaint except that they can't swim both the 1000 and 1650 at nationals, separately.
I don't think Allen took the pledge, Geek.
And why do women always have to swim first?
So for good event order, here are the rules as I understand them from recent threads:
No two events of the same stroke back to back (e.g. 50 *** and 100 ***)
No two events of the same distance back to back (e.g. 100 back and 100 fly)
No 50's back to back with the 100 IM or 100 free
No 100's back to back with the 200 IM
No 200's back to back with the 400 IM
Distance events of 400+ should be spaced apart
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED
Please pick apart any problems that you see with this one-day meet schedule that I just created from scratch:
200 fly
100 back
200 ***
50 free
200 IM
50 fly
200 back
50 ***
400 IM
100 free
100 fly
50 back
100 ***
200 free
100 IM
There is nothing remotely beneficial about a sprinter training for or competing in 200 buststrokes.The satisfaction of beating those mid-d types in the 200 and then rubbing it in their faces for all eternity?
No splits for backstrokers on IMs. You must mean flyers. And many of us don't have relay options.
In a national meet, the strokes are always separated. Can't do that in a 1 or 2 day meet. But there is virtually always adequate time between same stroke events. Where the problem comes in is that not that many masters are pure 1 stroke stars. So, for example, some who aren't sprinters will skip the 50 and some who aren't D types skip the 200 and look for other events. And if you swim all 4 strokes, which I do, there are often conflicts.
The 6 pack freestyler on the other hand rarely has a complaint except that they can't swim both the 1000 and 1650 at nationals, separately.
I don't think Allen took the pledge, Geek.
And why do women always have to swim first?
Right re:fly.Note to self,engage brain before typing.This does underline why spacing of events is particularly important to BR swimmers.
You don't. At Nationals which sex swims first alternates.
Yeah, I wasn't thinking of Nats. It seems like many other meets default to women first. Just saw that on the Harvard entry form.
And why do women always have to swim first?
I need a judge's ruling from Geek about whether this violates the spirit of the pledge. Personally, I detect a certain amount of whining in this "innocent" question. And I can't escape the sense that, if men traditionally went first, sprinters would question that practice as well.
I freely admit that I may be projecting the stereotypical diva sprinter behavior on what may have been a simple request for information.
