Am I alone in pursuing freestyle only?
I never understood/appreciated anything other than "swim as fast as you can from A to B".
I was a long time hard-core runner, and the different swimstrokes seems to me to be akin to running backwards or sideways. (Or....heaven forbid......Racewalking!!)
Why shouldn't swimming follow the same path as running? Ie No stroke rules. Just go from A to B in the water anyway you wish? As fast as you can.
School me! Kick my ass! In my newbieness I cannot understand anything other than "A to B in the water as fast as you can."
Why do we have these 4 different strokes? It seems like a beauty contest. (I expect to be crucified for such blasphemy.)
Educate me, USMS people. Help me understand why you would want to find a way to swim slower!! :)
There is a USA Swimmer - NOT Masters - in her late 60's that participates in meets at one of the nicer pools my kids' team attends. She does 400IM's and 200 Fly in most meets. Takes her a while, right at 8 minutes on the IM, but I love it. Very nice lady. Several years ago, I got a picture with one of my kids with her.
8 minutes? That's not bad for a 400 IM in her age group. That's an AA on the motivational charts. This gal is more than 4 minutes OFF the chart! She literally swims her fly and freestyle vertical, not horizontal. She has long hair that she doesn't put in a cap or tie back, it's in her face as she swims, and she looks like she is drowning. Really. :drowning:
There is a USA Swimmer - NOT Masters - in her late 60's that participates in meets at one of the nicer pools my kids' team attends. She does 400IM's and 200 Fly in most meets. Takes her a while, right at 8 minutes on the IM, but I love it. Very nice lady. Several years ago, I got a picture with one of my kids with her.
8 minutes? That's not bad for a 400 IM in her age group. That's an AA on the motivational charts. This gal is more than 4 minutes OFF the chart! She literally swims her fly and freestyle vertical, not horizontal. She has long hair that she doesn't put in a cap or tie back, it's in her face as she swims, and she looks like she is drowning. Really. :drowning:
