This is somewhat related to another post I just started (Top Ten conerns). I noticed in the top ten list a number of swimmers (generally very fast swimmers) who swam their first nationals (or any other masters meet) in 5 years due to being in a new age group. I state this by looking at the past few years top ten lists and not seeing their names. Is this a good thing for masters swimming? Swimmers whose only affiliation with masters swimming is showing up to one meet every 5 years to break a record. These records should be owned by people that are true masters swimmers.
What is a true masters swimmers?- Perhaps doing a few meets a year might work. When I swam on an age group team as a child, I know in order to qualify for our championship meet, we had to swim at least 3 regular meets. Perhaps a rule like that for Nationals could begin to fix this problem-
If not, many of our national records will be held by "ringers"
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I know where your at, Matt.
So next year I move into that 45 - 49 age group (just in time to escape the age group of the Smiths) . . . Also, the typical times in my soon-to-be age group don't look all that fast.
But wait! who comes up with me? Paul Carter, Fritz Lehman, and Bill Specht, three world record holders, and three swimmers, among many, that smoke my a**! I think you are right about that 5-year speedy group, we're just at opposite ends . . . (boo hoo!)
I know where your at, Matt.
So next year I move into that 45 - 49 age group (just in time to escape the age group of the Smiths) . . . Also, the typical times in my soon-to-be age group don't look all that fast.
But wait! who comes up with me? Paul Carter, Fritz Lehman, and Bill Specht, three world record holders, and three swimmers, among many, that smoke my a**! I think you are right about that 5-year speedy group, we're just at opposite ends . . . (boo hoo!)
