Question: Does appearance, demeanor, or reputation of fellow competitors effect your performance in your races?
Intimidation could be of any type really. Whether you're next to someone who looks like a real mean SOB, acts like a mean SOB, or has a reputation of being fast as hell and never losing, etc. Does it effect your performance in any way. Do you swim slower in the presence of such a person, or do they drive you to new bests? Or the converse, if someone looks weak, out of shape, or in some way inferior in skill to your perception of yourself, does it make you swim down to perceived level, or make you want to cause a crushing defeat?
Some of this may not be in the main spirit of masters swimming of course. We probably shouldn't go around with the goal and hopes of crushing everyone else in the pool, but I was always curious what other people thought about it.
If I'm eyeing up the competition and they look more in shape than I, its hard not to feel like i'm going to take a hard loss in my race. Of course I'd like to think I always push 101% on every race, but its hard to say whether or not I subconsciously hold back or push harder than I would've depending what the field looks like.
Part of it probably comes back to the type of swimmer you are too. Do you thrive on competition and winning the race, or is it just 8 people swimming alone against the clock at the same time for convenience?
No right or wrong answer, just thought i'd throw it out there.
Question: Does appearance, demeanor, or reputation of fellow competitors effect your performance in your races?
Intimidation could be of any type really. Whether you're next to someone who looks like a real mean SOB, acts like a mean SOB, or has a reputation of being fast as hell and never losing, etc. Does it effect your performance in any way. Do you swim slower in the presence of such a person, or do they drive you to new bests? Or the converse, if someone looks weak, out of shape, or in some way inferior in skill to your perception of yourself, does it make you swim down to perceived level, or make you want to cause a crushing defeat?
Some of this may not be in the main spirit of masters swimming of course. We probably shouldn't go around with the goal and hopes of crushing everyone else in the pool, but I was always curious what other people thought about it.
If I'm eyeing up the competition and they look more in shape than I, its hard not to feel like i'm going to take a hard loss in my race. Of course I'd like to think I always push 101% on every race, but its hard to say whether or not I subconsciously hold back or push harder than I would've depending what the field looks like.
Part of it probably comes back to the type of swimmer you are too. Do you thrive on competition and winning the race, or is it just 8 people swimming alone against the clock at the same time for convenience?
No right or wrong answer, just thought i'd throw it out there.
I swim faster when I have good competition. So if there isn't anyone close to me speed-wise then it's disappointing. Though it is a weird kind of fun to get blown away by an elite swimmer (or even better, an Olympian) just so I can marvel at their skill and be reminded of the enormous difference between our abilities.
Demeanor is another thing altogether. For my part, I will shake your hand and say "good luck" before the race, and shake your hand again and say "good job" after the race, no matter who won or how fast or slow we went. It's all good. But there is a guy in my state who is sort of notorious. I've only raced him a couple times and I haven't seen any bad behavior from him, but I've heard stories on the pool deck. Swimmers who are otherwise smiling and nice at meets seem to actively root against him. This doesn't affect my performance one way or the other but it is interesting. There is another forumite who knows who I'm talking about and may wish to weigh in here...
Another type of demeanor is the person who thinks he is God's Gift To Swimming. There was a thread a few years ago about an elite swimmer who several forumites griped about, using words like "strut" and "preen" to describe his on-deck behavior. Maybe just record a video of him and post it to YouTube?
Once you have raised teenagers, it is pretty hard to be intimidated by swimmers.
I always found I swim better when swimming against people who should be faster.In college I was always the shortest and skinniest guy in my heat.I swam with a combination of fear and "chip on my shoulder" which gave me the adrenaline I needed.
Once you have raised teenagers, it is pretty hard to be intimidated by swimmers.
Sorry, I'm failing to grasp the connection Allen. Teenagers who were swimmers? Teenagers who were head cases? Teenagers who were generally just insecure?
Sometimes there's an intimidation factor before the heat starts, but as soon as you hit the water you forget about it and concentrate on the job at hand. As Ande said, it's only intimidating then when they get ahead and you can't catch them!
Reputation is more of an intimidation factor to me than physical appearance. Sure, the ridiculously in shape guys in the lanes next to me are physically intimidating, but I know I can hang with a good few of them, and can even beat a number of 'em. (And I'd like to eventually get back into that shape again, but it's a long, slow, work in progress).
For me, the most intimidating this is the reputation of the swimmer. There are some folks I compete against regularly (well, regularly enough to know them by name and/or sight) who have the reputation of being able to outswim me with one arm tied behind their backs. It intimidates me, sure, but also gives me a push to swim faster.
Case in point--back in the day, I swam in KY. Clark Burckle (200 breaststroker for the US in the Olympics this year) is a few years younger than me, but was always faster--he swam for another team in KY and we'd race a few times a year. One of my last meets as a USS swimmer was short course State A's at the UK pool. For whatever reason, I was seeded right next to Clark in the 400 IM. Even back then, he was an up and coming swimmer and was making big waves in KY, dominating pretty much everything he swam. To say I was psyched out was an understatement. At that point in my career, the 400 IM was one of my better events, and I'd have had a shot at winning the heat without him in it. Anyways, I held him to half a body length lead at the back-*** turn, taking it out quite a bit better than I'd ever done (I was a 2:00 point for the first half, vs my normal 2:10-2:12). He absolutely crushed me on the second half, but the intimidation factor of swimming next to Clark was just the motivation I needed to swim lights out.
Eh, to bring the tangent back to the point--reputation is the most intimidating factor for me, but usually it just serves to fire me up and help produce a great swim on my part!
For me, the most intimidating this is the reputation of the swimmer.
True. You know that publication that comes out before the meet with the seedings in each event? For some it's a "psych sheet" for others it's a "psych-out sheet." :)
Sorry, I'm failing to grasp the connection Allen. Teenagers who were swimmers? Teenagers who were head cases? Teenagers who were generally just insecure?
Sorry,to clarify,raising teenagers is one of the most stressful thing the average person goes through.Compared to it,swimming is a piece of cake regardless of who is in the heat.
Another type of demeanor is the person who thinks he is God's Gift To Swimming. There was a thread a few years ago about an elite swimmer who several forumites griped about, using words like "strut" and "preen" to describe his on-deck behavior. Maybe just record a video of him and post it to YouTube?
I'll look back through my videos and see what I can find for you. :D
I swim faster when I have good competition. So if there isn't anyone close to me speed-wise then it's disappointing.
Does the 400 SCM Free from NW Zones 2012 ring a bell? :bow:
