I have seen some discussion of why USMS isn't attracting the typical fitness swimmer. Here are a few suggestions from an old slow poke newbie.
1) Motivational times. This may be of interest to many on this forum, but to someone starting out with no race experience, they can be highly de-motivational because they all look unattainable. If one cannot even approach these times, one may feel he does not belong in USMS. Why not extend the chart all the way to double the time in the first column? Say 10 columns from 10-100% slower.
2) One Hour Swim. An hour is a long time for the casual or new swimmer. In running, a marathon is too long for a newbie, but almost anyone can train for a 5K, 10K, even half-marathon within a short time running regularly. Why not have a half hour and 15 minute swim too?
3) Embrace Triathletes. In summer I swim with a Tri club at a local lake. There are often upwards of 100 people there doing 1, 2, or 3 laps on a half mile loop. And they are not slow. I swam a 1 mile USMS event in Lake Placid, NY last August with far fewer than 100. Why not partner with Tri clubs for some events, pool in winter, open water in summer?
A club in the Philly area that puts on the one-hour swim also offers a half hour option for anyone interested. I'm doing the hour swim tomorrow and did it two years ago--last year, I joined the half-hour swim due to some time constraints--also I'd done an hour swim a couple of weeks earlier and was disappointed in the result. So I opted for the half hour so I could work on speed.
My masters group is coached by a pro triathlete (background in marathon swimming too), and he also offers group running workouts and bike rides at no extra charge. I've joined the running workouts, and get some great tips in the water and on land! He pushes some stroke work for both triathletes and swimmers for various reasons. He also offers both early morning and evening workouts in various locations, which is great for me because I can usually make it to the evening workouts but not to the morning ones.
He also puts on events, such as a triathlon, an open water race series (half mile--gives those new to o.w. swimming something not as intimidating, plus triathletes get a chance to practice a distance usually done in sprint tri's... and some of us just enjoy the swim and post-race socializing! :)... also there's a summer aquathlon (200m or 1k swim plus 5k run; swim part is in a pool), a winter aquathlon (new event--100m o.w. "polar plunge," wetsuits allowed, plus 5k run); a 5k + one mile swim (set up to allow people to do both the same day if they choose), and a marathon swim/relay (8 miles, river).
He's a high energy guy and his practices are intense, yet at the same time, he tailors them to the different lanes, so for instance as one of the slower swimmers, I might have an interval of 2:20 per 100, while the faster people might have 1:30. Or he might tighten my usual interval by way of a challenge, yet he adjusts based on our speed. Everyone might have the same interval but some will get more distance per interval than others.
It's a great set-up!
As for motivational times on this site, I usually don't worry about those. I have my own goals, which the coach helps me set, so that's where I turn for motivation. My first masters' coach (also a great guy) would head his workout sheets with "Do the best you can do. Don't worry about what others are doing." I've been following that advice pretty much ever since.
A club in the Philly area that puts on the one-hour swim also offers a half hour option for anyone interested. I'm doing the hour swim tomorrow and did it two years ago--last year, I joined the half-hour swim due to some time constraints--also I'd done an hour swim a couple of weeks earlier and was disappointed in the result. So I opted for the half hour so I could work on speed.
My masters group is coached by a pro triathlete (background in marathon swimming too), and he also offers group running workouts and bike rides at no extra charge. I've joined the running workouts, and get some great tips in the water and on land! He pushes some stroke work for both triathletes and swimmers for various reasons. He also offers both early morning and evening workouts in various locations, which is great for me because I can usually make it to the evening workouts but not to the morning ones.
He also puts on events, such as a triathlon, an open water race series (half mile--gives those new to o.w. swimming something not as intimidating, plus triathletes get a chance to practice a distance usually done in sprint tri's... and some of us just enjoy the swim and post-race socializing! :)... also there's a summer aquathlon (200m or 1k swim plus 5k run; swim part is in a pool), a winter aquathlon (new event--100m o.w. "polar plunge," wetsuits allowed, plus 5k run); a 5k + one mile swim (set up to allow people to do both the same day if they choose), and a marathon swim/relay (8 miles, river).
He's a high energy guy and his practices are intense, yet at the same time, he tailors them to the different lanes, so for instance as one of the slower swimmers, I might have an interval of 2:20 per 100, while the faster people might have 1:30. Or he might tighten my usual interval by way of a challenge, yet he adjusts based on our speed. Everyone might have the same interval but some will get more distance per interval than others.
It's a great set-up!
As for motivational times on this site, I usually don't worry about those. I have my own goals, which the coach helps me set, so that's where I turn for motivation. My first masters' coach (also a great guy) would head his workout sheets with "Do the best you can do. Don't worry about what others are doing." I've been following that advice pretty much ever since.
