For me, "it's only masters" has resonance. I work hard and try to prepare well, and some would see my commitment as pretty intense, but I only race because I enjoy it and it is a distant third on the list of priorities after family and work. The idea of doping is a compete antithesis to my concept of masters swimming, which for me is not only about fun but about personal achievement. Quite frankly, if someone else wants to put their health at risk, that's their look out, and if I don't win a medal but swim well, it doesn't really matter to me anyway.
Thanks for saying what I was having trouble expressing.
Do I want to swim well at Masters Nationals? Yes, I want to swim as well as I can. But are the results in any way life changing? Not in the slightest. If I medal or win or even set a new Masters World Record, its a nice "Facebook moment" and nothing more. My life the next day is the same as if I had finished DFL. There's no financial compensation for winning. There's no potential scholarship riding on how well I do, nor are there any potential endorsement deals on the line. There's no "next level" meet to try to qualify for. Its a big meet, but it's just a meet. And when its over, its over. I go back to my family and my job and my local group of swim friends (who will congratulate me the same no matter where I finish) and real life goes on.
For me, "it's only masters" has resonance. I work hard and try to prepare well, and some would see my commitment as pretty intense, but I only race because I enjoy it and it is a distant third on the list of priorities after family and work. The idea of doping is a compete antithesis to my concept of masters swimming, which for me is not only about fun but about personal achievement. Quite frankly, if someone else wants to put their health at risk, that's their look out, and if I don't win a medal but swim well, it doesn't really matter to me anyway.
Thanks for saying what I was having trouble expressing.
Do I want to swim well at Masters Nationals? Yes, I want to swim as well as I can. But are the results in any way life changing? Not in the slightest. If I medal or win or even set a new Masters World Record, its a nice "Facebook moment" and nothing more. My life the next day is the same as if I had finished DFL. There's no financial compensation for winning. There's no potential scholarship riding on how well I do, nor are there any potential endorsement deals on the line. There's no "next level" meet to try to qualify for. Its a big meet, but it's just a meet. And when its over, its over. I go back to my family and my job and my local group of swim friends (who will congratulate me the same no matter where I finish) and real life goes on.
