Any thoughts? From my perspective, former swimmer, back for about a month, I'd REALLY like to swim a few meets. How did you choose? When were you ready? How did you choose events? How did it go?
Also, maybe some commentary on those who have no competitive swimming background. How did you prepare?
Do you have "developmental" meets in your area? Georgia Masters has these meets that do not count for rankings, but they are a great way to get the bugs out (or butterflies!) in a low-key environment.
To be honest, though, this is not the way I started. My first meet back after 31 years (I only swam in high school) was a large meet in Atlanta with a lot of great swimmers tuning up for Nationals, the following month.
My second meet was 2010 Spring Nationals, at Georgia Tech, with nearly 2,000 swimmers. I was seeded near the bottom of my group in my events and I was a bundle of nerves. But, it was an awesome experience!
At both meets, everybody I met was so supportive and encouraging! Just let people know it's your first meet and they will kill you with kindness. That would be my one bit of advice. Go into it with the primary goal of having fun and meeting people. Be friendly and it will come back twofold, because Masters swimmers are a terrific bunch of people!
Good luck! :cheerleader:
Do you have "developmental" meets in your area? Georgia Masters has these meets that do not count for rankings, but they are a great way to get the bugs out (or butterflies!) in a low-key environment.
To be honest, though, this is not the way I started. My first meet back after 31 years (I only swam in high school) was a large meet in Atlanta with a lot of great swimmers tuning up for Nationals, the following month.
My second meet was 2010 Spring Nationals, at Georgia Tech, with nearly 2,000 swimmers. I was seeded near the bottom of my group in my events and I was a bundle of nerves. But, it was an awesome experience!
At both meets, everybody I met was so supportive and encouraging! Just let people know it's your first meet and they will kill you with kindness. That would be my one bit of advice. Go into it with the primary goal of having fun and meeting people. Be friendly and it will come back twofold, because Masters swimmers are a terrific bunch of people!
Good luck! :cheerleader:
