I am a middle aged woman with no competitive swim experience. I have been swimming with a master's group for about a year now. My training has been mostly open water and triathlon distances 750 to 1500 meters with very little work on starts and turns or swim meet distances. I've done pretty well with open water distances, but am not very good at sprinting. I can dive off the blocks pretty well, but my flip turns are worse than my open turns. My local YMCA is hosting their first masters swim meet in years. I figured I would participate for the fun of it with no expectation of being competitive. Furthermore, they expect so few competitors that the age groups and gender groups will be combined. My main goal is to have fun and not be DQd from my events. Any advice on making it a good day?
I am a middle aged woman with no competitive swim experience. I have been swimming with a master's group for about a year now. My training has been mostly open water and triathlon distances 750 to 1500 meters with very little work on starts and turns or swim meet distances. I've done pretty well with open water distances, but am not very good at sprinting. I can dive off the blocks pretty well, but my flip turns are worse than my open turns. My local YMCA is hosting their first masters swim meet in years. I figured I would participate for the fun of it with no expectation of being competitive. Furthermore, they expect so few competitors that the age groups and gender groups will be combined. My main goal is to have fun and not be DQd from my events. Any advice on making it a good day?
Welcome to competitive swimming! :welcome: The following would be my advice :2cents::
1. Check out what I put in bold (above), but put the emphasis on the first part. Have fun! Make a point of introducing yourself to other swimmers, and socialize in between races. Let them know you're a newbie, and I'll bet they give you a lot of encouragement, and make you feel at ease.
2. Forget doing flip turns. You say your open turns are better, so do them instead, and concentrate on making them snappy. I have been competing for six years with USMS, and I have never done a flip turn in competition. I have Meniere's (an inner ear disorder), so repetitive flip turns make me seasick. If I can't do them repetitively in practice, I don't want to take the chance of messing one up in competition; so, I do open turns, and nobody cares.
3. If you are going to dive off the blocks, wear a cap OVER your goggles, and pull the front of the cap over the top edge of them. Better yet, use two caps, and wear the goggles in between them. This will keep your goggles more secure on entry. Don't forget to tuck your chin and hold your upper arms tight against your ears. Another tip, putting a thin layer of Vaseline around your eyes (where the goggles touch your skin) helps the goggles stay in place, and it helps protect your skin from irritation.
4. Stay nice and still on the block after "get set," and don't jump the gun at the start!
5. Warm-ups and cool-downs are a highly individual thing, so you will learn what works best for you; but, do both! You want your muscles (and joints) to stay nice and loose throughout the meet.
6. Stay hydrated and nourished. Again, that's a highly individual thing; but make sure if you eat in between races, it's something that will sit well in your stomach. If you are unsure about solids, bring some Gatorade or some other sports drink to have in between races.
Good luck in your races, and please let us know how you did! :cheerleader:
I am a middle aged woman with no competitive swim experience. I have been swimming with a master's group for about a year now. My training has been mostly open water and triathlon distances 750 to 1500 meters with very little work on starts and turns or swim meet distances. I've done pretty well with open water distances, but am not very good at sprinting. I can dive off the blocks pretty well, but my flip turns are worse than my open turns. My local YMCA is hosting their first masters swim meet in years. I figured I would participate for the fun of it with no expectation of being competitive. Furthermore, they expect so few competitors that the age groups and gender groups will be combined. My main goal is to have fun and not be DQd from my events. Any advice on making it a good day?
Welcome to competitive swimming! :welcome: The following would be my advice :2cents::
1. Check out what I put in bold (above), but put the emphasis on the first part. Have fun! Make a point of introducing yourself to other swimmers, and socialize in between races. Let them know you're a newbie, and I'll bet they give you a lot of encouragement, and make you feel at ease.
2. Forget doing flip turns. You say your open turns are better, so do them instead, and concentrate on making them snappy. I have been competing for six years with USMS, and I have never done a flip turn in competition. I have Meniere's (an inner ear disorder), so repetitive flip turns make me seasick. If I can't do them repetitively in practice, I don't want to take the chance of messing one up in competition; so, I do open turns, and nobody cares.
3. If you are going to dive off the blocks, wear a cap OVER your goggles, and pull the front of the cap over the top edge of them. Better yet, use two caps, and wear the goggles in between them. This will keep your goggles more secure on entry. Don't forget to tuck your chin and hold your upper arms tight against your ears. Another tip, putting a thin layer of Vaseline around your eyes (where the goggles touch your skin) helps the goggles stay in place, and it helps protect your skin from irritation.
4. Stay nice and still on the block after "get set," and don't jump the gun at the start!
5. Warm-ups and cool-downs are a highly individual thing, so you will learn what works best for you; but, do both! You want your muscles (and joints) to stay nice and loose throughout the meet.
6. Stay hydrated and nourished. Again, that's a highly individual thing; but make sure if you eat in between races, it's something that will sit well in your stomach. If you are unsure about solids, bring some Gatorade or some other sports drink to have in between races.
Good luck in your races, and please let us know how you did! :cheerleader:
