So I have decided to join USMS at the ripe age of 35, after spending the past 12 years teaching myself to swim. I've never been able to be a part of an organized USMS team due to work schedule or being in the middle of po-dunk America with no teams nearby.
So with my recent move back from Korea, I now have a good opportunity to train with a team, a real coach, and get good at this.
My first observation is this: I suck. I mean I REALLY suck. Everything I thought I had been doing right for the last decade, the coach quickly pointed out everything I was doing wrong. Which is good of course, because I want to learn and do it right and get better. But this is going to be tough, I can tell.
My question to everyone is this: Am I unique in the age I join and try to be on an organized team? Is it worth my time and effort to do this?
Wow thank you all for your replies. I appreciate the input. And it's good to know I'm not as much of an odd duck as I thought. I suppose I was worried about my age because by military standards I am indeed an old man. I have to try hard everyday to perform as well as kids 10-18 years younger than me. But in terms of trying a swimming life, that's all new and I had no idea just how good everyone would be, regardless of their age.
It's really frustrating because I have wanted to do this for so long and just never had an opportunity, mainly due to location or the fact that any potential team in the area had a practice schedule that made it impossible for me to ever join them.
I will try and ask about making a video of myself once I get to where I am doing good enough to make a video for more than a few seconds of movement. That's no joke. But I'll get there. I'll admit I'm a little apprehensive about showing videos of me to people I don't personally know (Army social media policy thing).
So I appreciate any and all comments and advice from everyone. Don't worry, I am active duty US Army so I am used to hearing every word in the book and every cruel remark whether deserved or not.
To all who posted after I did to Slow Poke: :applaud: . Those were some great posts. Congratulations, 'margo on your progress! :cheerleader:
Slow Poke, look up the name "Patrick Brundage," and this is what you will see for his results:
www.usms.org/.../indresults.php
Now, look for his name in the event rankings for the various events he has raced and see where he ranks in his age group:
www.usms.org/.../toptimes.php :bow:
Most of us here on the forums (including me) would be :blush: by this, because we "suck" compared to our peers. Patrick, however, DOESN'T. Go ahead, check it out and see for yourself.
Patrick's stories is one of the BEST I have EVER read on the Forums. :applaud: Thank you, Patrick. I believe we can all take away a lot from what you have written.
Meanwhile, 'Poke, I, too, thank you for your service. I am sorry, however, for the way you have been treated. :rantonoff: Cruel remarks are completely unnecessary-- especially if they are not deserved! I am not a big fan of that method of training our troups-- or, anybody, for that matter. Take a look at Coach Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. I believe you can produce greatness in ways other than by abuse (Think Bobby Knight, for example).:rantonoff:
Here on the forums, we will NOT call you every name in the book! We will be the encouraging and positive balance to the abuse you are being dished out by the army brass. :angel:
If anybody gives you any &%$# here, I will personally make it my goal to make their life miserable! :D
Welcome and don't forget a saying that has been around since the beginning of masters in the '70's: In masters, we don't ask how good (or fast) you are, just how old you are. You will find support from your teammates and those you connect with as you go to meets (and I hope you will, as that is the fun part of masters.)
I was wondering about the demographics of masters swimming. Having been a long time runner, I've seen the breakdown by age in road races. As I approach 70, I know that only 4% of entries, or less, in any local run will be in that age group. Has anyone categorized this for swimming?
I would have never played for Bob Knight. I would have played for Mike K or a John Wooden, or even Pat Summitt if she had gone the men's route. Want to guess which of those 4 names have the fewest championships? :)
Unfortunately this week has been rough and I will have to take a break from the pool for a couple days. I had a dentist appointment yesterday to replace a crown and instead of being able to replace it, it had decayed so much that all he could do was remove what was left of it. And that took a long painful amount of time. It royally sucked. Afterwards, he told me he wants me on quarters for the next 48 hours and no PT or physical activity (in this case, swim team). So it will have to be next Thursday, Friday before I can don the speedo again in the pool.
Exactly my point (regarding Knight)!
Sorry to hear about your tooth. Now, that DOES suck! :badday: Take care of yourself, Poke! You'll be back in the water again before ya know it. :agree:
Unfortunately this week has been rough and I will have to take a break from the pool for a couple days. I had a dentist appointment yesterday to replace a crown and instead of being able to replace it, it had decayed so much that all he could do was remove what was left of it. And that took a long painful amount of time. It royally sucked. Afterwards, he told me he wants me on quarters for the next 48 hours and no PT or physical activity (in this case, swim team). So it will have to be next Thursday, Friday before I can don the speedo again in the pool.
Ouch for the pain of the dental procedure and then a double-ouch about being away from the pool! Sorry, but I hope some "virtual pool time" here on the forums will help you heal fast!
Patrick's stories is one of the BEST I have EVER read on the Forums. :applaud: Thank you, Patrick. I believe we can all take away a lot from what you have written.Thanks, Elaine.
Hope to see you again at a Nationals ... Indy??
When I first read this, I'll have to admit I :lmao:. I wasn't making fun of you, I was just laughing at how funny YOU are. Then, I realized you may have been dead serious, and you weren't being funny at all. In that case, I offer you a sincere :bighug:. If you are indeed being serious, I apologize for laughing! (Just so you know, I read it to my husband, and he laughed, too, so you may be mad at both of us now.)
ANYWAY, there are so many advantages to joining USMS as YOUNG as you are. If you stick with it (and, I hope you will), think of how many years you have ahead of you to improve! I joined USMS in 2010 when I was 48, and just when I felt like I was really making strides, age and congenital-related injuries kept yanking me back. I can't tell you how many times I have had to start over after recovering from this (non-swimming-related) injury or that surgery.
You, my friend, are just a KID at 35! "Ripe age"? To quote Sumorunner, "Pfffft!"
Ok, so you taught yourself to swim over the past 12 years. Kudos to you! What happened, though, is that you may have
taught yourself (or ingrained) some bad habits without realizing it. Now, you are in a situation where somebody can watch you objectively, and those ingrained bad habits are being pointed out. Please don't be discouraged! Be thankful those corrections are being made at your YOUNG age!
I hope you will be patient with yourself and stick with it-- and, stick with us here on the Forums. Your fellow Forumites have a lot to offer, including encouragement, great tips, and a great community spirit of support.
If you can get somebody to shoot some video of your swimming (good quality, close-up footage), go ahead and upload the video to YouTube and post the links here. If you ask us Forumites to offer constructive criticism, I guarantee you that you will receive excellent "coaching" from some top USMS experts. Do you need help with breaststroke? My fellow frog, "King Frog" (Allen Stark) is a World Record holder in the 200 Breaststroke (65-69 age group), and gives fantastic feedback.
Stick around, 'poke, ok?
Good luck!
:cheerleader:
No worries Elaine; I was not mad at all. If you met me in person you'd realize that's how I always talk about myself. haha I'm glad you got a laugh out of it.
The backstroke is what I would really like to get proficient at, and it's the only one I really got down at all. But right now I am being "fixed" on all the other techniques I've been doing wrong, and therein lies the frustration right now. But I'll stick with it, don't worry.
I am at least glad to know I am not the latest to start this up as an activity. I am sorry to hear about your injuries too. I am always paranoid about that happening to me in daily duties, as it would stop me from becoming the swimmer I want to be.
I will try to get a video done at some point. I'm a little shy about that but I will see what can be done.
To all who posted after I did to Slow Poke: . Those were some great posts. Congratulations, 'margo on your progress!
Slow Poke, look up the name "Patrick Brundage," and this is what you will see for his results:
www.usms.org/.../indresults.php
Now, look for his name in the event rankings for the various events he has raced and see where he ranks in his age group:
www.usms.org/.../toptimes.php
Most of us here on the forums (including me) would be :blush: by this, because we "suck" compared to our peers. Patrick, however, DOESN'T. Go ahead, check it out and see for yourself.
Patrick's stories is one of the BEST I have EVER read on the Forums. Thank you, Patrick. I believe we can all take away a lot from what you have written.
Meanwhile, 'Poke, I, too, thank you for your service. I am sorry, however, for the way you have been treated. :rantonoff: Cruel remarks are completely unnecessary-- especially if they are not deserved! I am not a big fan of that method of training our troups-- or, anybody, for that matter. Take a look at Coach Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs. I believe you can produce greatness in ways other than by abuse (Think Bobby Knight, for example).:rantonoff:
Here on the forums, we will NOT call you every name in the book! We will be the encouraging and positive balance to the abuse you are being dished out by the army brass. :angel:
If anybody gives you any &%$# here, I will personally make it my goal to make their life miserable! :D
As you said, thanks to all for their input here. I can tell we have some true studs and at least one dud. :)
Haha, don't worry about me being yelled at or cussed at. It's not a daily thing. Besides, I joined the military at the age of 31, so I already knew the method to their madness. It's all a mental game. I'm not the type that feels the need to yell to make any point, but I understand those who do. Besides, if new guys can't handle a little toughness in a safe environment, they will crack in a heartbeat in a combat zone. So it's better to expose them then as opposed to when it matters. But actually I haven't been really yelled at in a few years now. My last position was in Korea working for some of the top Generals, and instead of ever yelling, it was a totally professional environment that I miss a lot.
I would have never played for Bob Knight. I would have played for Mike K or a John Wooden, or even Pat Summitt if she had gone the men's route. Want to guess which of those 4 names have the fewest championships? :)
Unfortunately this week has been rough and I will have to take a break from the pool for a couple days. I had a dentist appointment yesterday to replace a crown and instead of being able to replace it, it had decayed so much that all he could do was remove what was left of it. And that took a long painful amount of time. It royally sucked. Afterwards, he told me he wants me on quarters for the next 48 hours and no PT or physical activity (in this case, swim team). So it will have to be next Thursday, Friday before I can don the speedo again in the pool.
Exactly my point (regarding Knight)!
Sorry to hear about your tooth. Now, that DOES suck! :badday: Take care of yourself, Poke! You'll be back in the water again before ya know it. :agree:
Thanks! I am doing fine right now. There's only a slight amount of soreness but I still can't open my mouth very wide or eat very hard food for at least today. I'll be eager to go by next week.
