Even our friend Aquageek gets a mention!
www.wsj.com/.../in-u-s-masters-swimming-training-is-more-important-than-the-race-1438622826
I think the article is fine as far as it goes, but it would be nice if they at least mentioned that competition IS a big facet of masters swimming for lots of us. Sure lots of USMS members do not compete, but how many other adult sports can boast of having an annual national championship event where ~2,000 athletes compete?
It would be much easier to reinvent USMS altogether than to change our reason for being. That is not competition, but fitness for adults. That simple. The 80+% of members who do not ever compete are members because they feel that swimming helps them in some way other than competition urges being fulfilled.
If we are to grow, and I think we should be very aggressive about it, we need to find pools and people where there are not currently programs. As aquageek said, there is limited space in many pools and few people would relish the thought of having two new lane buddies at workout. On the national level, there are some who actively work against growth of the organization just because of that possibility.
USMS spends a lot of money every year advertising competition but most of it is for our benefit. Competition events are a byproduct of the organizational structure of USMS, not a cornerstone. Many of the LMSC and National administrative members are competitors, so naturally give extra life and support to competitions at the expense of the majority of members who wish only to go swimming 3 or 4 times per week and work off some stress or weight.
If we are to use competition as a recruiting tool for new members, it should be shown as a fun and social environment, inclusive on any level, and a great way to find out how your workouts have meaning other than to reduce stress and feel energized. Any other way will result in potential members walking away because they don't want to even consider competition. Even if (or maybe because) they have never participated in a competitive sport before.
It would be much easier to reinvent USMS altogether than to change our reason for being. That is not competition, but fitness for adults. That simple. The 80+% of members who do not ever compete are members because they feel that swimming helps them in some way other than competition urges being fulfilled.
If we are to grow, and I think we should be very aggressive about it, we need to find pools and people where there are not currently programs. As aquageek said, there is limited space in many pools and few people would relish the thought of having two new lane buddies at workout. On the national level, there are some who actively work against growth of the organization just because of that possibility.
USMS spends a lot of money every year advertising competition but most of it is for our benefit. Competition events are a byproduct of the organizational structure of USMS, not a cornerstone. Many of the LMSC and National administrative members are competitors, so naturally give extra life and support to competitions at the expense of the majority of members who wish only to go swimming 3 or 4 times per week and work off some stress or weight.
If we are to use competition as a recruiting tool for new members, it should be shown as a fun and social environment, inclusive on any level, and a great way to find out how your workouts have meaning other than to reduce stress and feel energized. Any other way will result in potential members walking away because they don't want to even consider competition. Even if (or maybe because) they have never participated in a competitive sport before.
