I am scheduled to race in my first-ever meet very soon. I am new to swimming and am very, very slow (to put it mildddly) and have the burden of falling into one of the most competitive age classification. Nonetheless, I am being encouraged to participate (who knows why).
There are no meets in my area before the one in which I am supposed to participate so I can't get a feeling for what to expect. Can someone please give me the lowdown? As likely the slowest swimmer (I'm not being self-deprecating, just realistic) will I be scorned? How embassassing will it be to finish say a 50 Free after the others in my heat have already gotten out of the pool? (My 50 free is on par with most other swimmers' 100 free. Ugh.)
Also, I understand that at some meets, the goal is to rack up team points for a team or workout group title. Can I contriibute to this in any way (remember, I'm the slowest swimmer in the pool)? Should I simply put my foot down and refuse to "race" -- waiting until next year when I will (presumable) be more prepared?
Parents
Former Member
Hey Swimmer Wannabe!
I could not have said it better than Greg, Deb, Dan, Tom, Ion, Chris, Matt, Dorothy, Bert, Fritz and anyone else whom I might have left out. I did my first meet last December at the very pool where I had stopped working out at years ago. So, I had a double case of "butterflies." AND to make matters worse, I had never climbed up on a starting block before, ever! :o
On the day of the meet, one of my team buddies was with me and was very, very helpful to me as he had competed for 12 years at school and knew "the ropes" quite well. Although I only did two small events, he was at the edge of the pool to congratulate me. What support, which by the way, Masters Swimming is all about! And ... I am sure someone in your group will be there for you, too.
You will do just fine; just believe in yourself. Don't be surprised that you won't get much sleep the night after the meet ... you'll be excited about your accomplishment of the day. I was!
Swim fast as you can and just be yourself!
Hey Swimmer Wannabe!
I could not have said it better than Greg, Deb, Dan, Tom, Ion, Chris, Matt, Dorothy, Bert, Fritz and anyone else whom I might have left out. I did my first meet last December at the very pool where I had stopped working out at years ago. So, I had a double case of "butterflies." AND to make matters worse, I had never climbed up on a starting block before, ever! :o
On the day of the meet, one of my team buddies was with me and was very, very helpful to me as he had competed for 12 years at school and knew "the ropes" quite well. Although I only did two small events, he was at the edge of the pool to congratulate me. What support, which by the way, Masters Swimming is all about! And ... I am sure someone in your group will be there for you, too.
You will do just fine; just believe in yourself. Don't be surprised that you won't get much sleep the night after the meet ... you'll be excited about your accomplishment of the day. I was!
Swim fast as you can and just be yourself!
