Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

__steve__ — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 09:50:06 GMT

I came in only about 45 minutes before the first 10K swimmer came in.Well, the kids probably thought you came in 45 minutes earlier than the rest of the 10k field.

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

mjtyson — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 03:49:46 GMT

You're not having fun until you're swimming a 5K with dozens of late teen swimmers. I swam a 5K in Cyprus some years ago and was horrified when I showed up and realized that my closest competitor, age-wise, was 20 (and I was 43). And horrified a second time when I had to go up to the wall to learn my number, and there I was with number 1 and my name at the top of the list with birth year 1967. Below me was 1996, 1995, etc. Younguns approached me before the swim to talk to me about the "half marathon" and I realized early that they thought I was some sort of pro or ultra-fast swimmer, thus the #1 on my back and shoulders. I came in only about 45 minutes before the first 10K swimmer came in.

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

Elaine Krugman — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 12:51:25 GMT

i... i... don't know anymore :bighug: Awww, did I make your head hurt thinking it? :D

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

That Guy — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 12:50:04 GMT

"that guy" is always "That Guy" to That Guy, no matter which "that guy" you are talking about. :D P.S. That Guy: I got that right, didn't I? :bolt: i... i... don't know anymore

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

Elaine Krugman — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 12:49:17 GMT

Oops, caught! :blush: But I meant a different "That Guy"--someone who always tries to get The "That Guy" into trouble! ;) "that guy" is always "That Guy" to That Guy, no matter which "that guy" you are talking about. :D P.S. That Guy: I got that right, didn't I? :bolt:

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

That Guy — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 12:45:17 GMT

Oops, caught! :blush: But I meant a different "That Guy"--someone who always tries to get The "That Guy" into trouble! ;) i am so confused right now

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

FindingMyInnerFish — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 11:39:30 GMT

:rolleyes: I can always count on you to be the next poster after I read "that guy" in a post. But, the fun part is seeing how you spin it! :lmao: Thanks for making my flight delay out of Chicago a more humorous one! :applaud: Oops, caught! :blush: But I meant a different "That Guy"--someone who always tries to get The "That Guy" into trouble! ;)

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

FindingMyInnerFish — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 01:25:11 GMT

i am so confused right now :)

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

smontanaro — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 01:05:30 GMT

There is that other guy too... (Can't remember his name.) S

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

Elaine Krugman — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 11:16:41 GMT

Wasn't me. In fact, I am Assistant Sergeant At Arms of the Aztimm Fan Club. We meet trimonthly at the bowling alley. :carolers: :rolleyes: I can always count on you to be the next poster after I read "that guy" in a post. But, the fun part is seeing how you spin it! :lmao: Thanks for making my flight delay out of Chicago a more humorous one! :applaud:

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

That Guy — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 04:03:08 GMT

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

That Guy — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 01:15:14 GMT

A shame about that guy who made the nasty comment to Aztimm--what a jerk! Wasn't me. In fact, I am Assistant Sergeant At Arms of the Aztimm Fan Club. We meet trimonthly at the bowling alley. :carolers:

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

FindingMyInnerFish — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 11:59:01 GMT

I'm often last in swim meets, except at Senior Games, where I manage to finish ahead of people in their 80s/90s (I'm 61). I know a woman in her 70s who is so fast, I can't even be in her heats, let alone catch her. Sometimes I can hit goals that are good for me, but even so are not going to send sponsors knocking at my door (unless they come to persuade me to wear their competitors' brand of swimsuits lol!). Even so, I find for the most part a very encouraging, positive environment. A shame about that guy who made the nasty comment to Aztimm--what a jerk! Haven't had that experience in a swim meet, although once, in a mile run (part of a bunch of events from the mile to the 20k, this race festival hasn't been held in years, yet I still remember the incident), I placed in my age group of ... oh, maybe 3? The way it worked was that if you saw you'd placed, you'd go to the award table and they'd give you your medal. That was the theory anyway. When I arrived at the table, a man asked me what my time was--I did about 7:30. "Well, it's not a 4:30," he sniffed. And a woman chimed in, "Anyway, we're short on awards so we're saving them for the younger people"--now her remark would have come across as reasonable had it not been paired with the man's. But the two of them together succeeded in making me feel I was out of bounds even thinking of asking for an award even though the race flyer had advertised awards in both children's and adults' age groups. If it had been some random runner who'd made these comments, I might have considered returning to the race. You get weirdness from time to time when crowds gather for something. But I felt so miffed at the attitude of these officials, I vowed not to return to this race. Since then, I won't say I developed a thick skin, but I do think that my goals matter more than some stranger's insensitivity, and if someone feels the need to belittle me or my performances, their opinion of me falls in importance. Honest, constructive critiques, yes--gratuitous putdowns... I don't have the time or desire to carry that person's demons in my head. They can do their own heavy lifting! :)

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

Former Member — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 12:26:06 GMT

Oh I have. Why shouldn't I be: I started swimming in later middle age. Any event I have swum in has been a first. Really I have a lot of chutzpah just showing up. :)

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

jaadams1 — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 10:15:57 GMT

USMS Times Reported for Men LCM 200 Fly Ages 35-39 2012 Season (2011-10-01 through 2012-09-30) # NameAgeTime ClubMeet 1 Patterson, Thomas J352:32.74 1776GPAC LC Derby 2012 2 Valle, Marc A382:37.11 ARIZ2012 Mission Viejo Nadadores LCM Swim Meet 3 Rogers, Abraham E393:02.85 NEM2012 New England LMSC LCM Championships 4 Beach, Timothy J353:06.51 HOPKMinnesota Masters LCM Championship 5 Kwa, Ken K393:28.29 NEM2012 New England LMSC LCM Championships 6 Adams, James A353:30.40 HMSSWAT Summer Plunge Meet

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

Former Member — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 15:01:09 GMT

I've only been to two meets (I thought you had to meet qualifying times for Nationals...I learned something). I was definately DFL but at the meets I swam you were seeded by time so we all finished close together. Only the results sheets told me I was DFL and so what? My advice would be to set a reasonable goal time and a stretch goal. Then relax and enjoy the race. If you hit your stretch goal...serious fist pumping is a must!!!!:banana::bliss::banana: I am new to swimming and heartily agree with what has been said here: the event, the race , and meeting Formites will make for a very memroable event!

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

__steve__ — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 12:49:10 GMT

My driver's license picture is probably posted on the Washington Municipal Court bulletin board now that I'm registered as a "super speeder" in the state of Georgia.:bitching: $375 ticket issued by the fine highway patrol there. I was at a solid 68mph in the 55, but he cited me at 77mph adding another 9 mph!

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

__steve__ — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 11:31:12 GMT

Was of the slower half in my events last weekend. In-fact, 4 seconds slower than my best in the 100, but made 1st place in all of them:). I love early season LCM.

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

Elaine Krugman — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 09:32:37 GMT

Yep! Talked to you for a moment regarding the perceived extended length of long course "Are we there yet?". Definitely true, especially if you haven't seen long course all year. I thought I had a stroke after the 100 because my arms went numb lol. I remember that moment, however, I can't picture you right now. Hey, send me a photo, so I can put you all together in my mind! :D I wish I would have known there was another Forumite in the house. "Debaru" was visiting me from Arizona and "PatrickJM" was there, as well. Wookiee was supposed to be there, but he was a no-show. It would have been fun to get the Forumites together! :agree:

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

__steve__ — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 03:22:14 GMT

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

Elaine Krugman — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 02:24:44 GMT

Was of the slower half in my events last weekend. In-fact, 4 seconds slower than my best in the 100, but made 1st place in all of them:). I love early season LCM. Were you at the Athens meet, Steve? If so, check out the photo album I just posted on my profile. :D

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

mlabresh — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 09:20:09 GMT

Ha ha! Thanks, Tim. :) You know what's funny is that I don't even feel nervous about swimming until I start thinking 'what if I'm NOT last?'. I think that the idea of doing well adds just enough pressure that it makes me nervous. I'm pretty comfortable with the idea of getting my butt kicked.. I'm in it just to have fun and see how well I can do for me! :banana:

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

mlabresh — Thu, 31 May 2012 11:16:53 GMT

That's really good to hear. :) I know I could certainly use some help with my stroke! Since I don't have a coach, and never have, and don't really have any way to get video of my swimming.. I have no feedback! So, being a self-taught, self-coached swimmer, I'm looking forward to meeting some other swimmers and getting some pointers on how I can improve. And, yes, I can ask the coach of my Masters group for help, but I happen to be very shy and don't even know what to ask. :blush: I've talked to him about teaching me to dive and working on starts with me next week, so maybe when we do that I'll ask him for some help in other areas.

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

Former Member — Thu, 31 May 2012 05:17:35 GMT

Yes, I have been the slowest swimmer in my event! The first time I tried the 400 yard IM in high school, I was 16 year old. Since there were so few people interested in the event, they combined all of us together, so I was swimming with the 14-15 year old girls, who all kicked my ass. A little humiliating, especially when I puked in the gutter afterward. But in hindsight its kind of a funny story, right? So to stay positive, use humor! You made it by the skin of your teeth and get to be the Rodney Dangerfield of the club (watch the movie Caddy Shack) Embrace it! Congrats.

RE: Who here has been the slowest one in their event?

Elaine Krugman — Wed, 30 May 2012 12:52:32 GMT

While I agree most people at masters meets are positive, there are a few who aren't. I've only done 1 USMS nationals, back when my team hosted it in 2003. After my 2nd event, the 200 yard ***, I was chatting with another guy in the warm-down pool. He asked me what my time was. I don't even remember the time, but it was good for me, and I don't think I was last in my heat. After I told him, he said, "it's people like you who make these meets so long." That is really unfortunate; I'm sorry that happened to you. How completely cold and rude of that :censor: to say that to you! I was fortunate to have just the opposite experience at my first Nationals. In addition to what I posted earlier in this thread, I would like to share something else that had a lasting impression on me: I don't remember, now, if it was after the 200 breaststroke or 100, but, I was greeted at the wall at the end of my race by somebody* I had never met in person before; another swimmer who had read my posts on the forums and had commented on my the breaststroke videos I had posted. He gave me excellent, constructive feedback about my race, complimenting me on what I did well and suggesting what I could do better. It was great feedback! And, this was somebody who had to prepare for a breaststroke race of his own, in an upcoming heat. But, he took the time, without me knowing he was going to watch my race, to be there afterwards to coach me. :angel: And, he has done it at every Nationals we have both been to since. Even his wife was there to cheer me on at a couple of them! THAT is what USMS is about and should be about; not catering to jerks like the one who was so rude to you. *By the way, that 'somebody' was Allen Stark, who I like to affectionately call "King Frog", because he is the most humble non-egotistical person I have met (besides my husband who very intelligent and talented, but humble to a fault). (King Frog will be the last to tell you how good he is, but he broke the world record in 200m breaststroke at Auburn Nationals.) So, K.F., now that I have embarrassed you, :bolt: