How do you feel about copying the kid's swimming method of organizing Masters by time standards??
For example, there would be A, B and C times for all ages and both sexes. Local meets would be either A, A/B, B, B/C, C or OPEN.
There could be Championships for any of these categories at the LMSC level. To go to Regionals would require having made a new category, the Regional time. National entrantrants would come from the Regional pool or perhaps from the "A" pool.
I'm ambivalent on this as it seems too unwieldy at this early stage of our development but does answer the needs of folks who are looking for the mythical level playing field.
Emmett; we could still have the "Mediocre" Champs as an extra event (suggested in your earlier post). Since there are 26 letters in the alphabet, we could go an even larger number of categories with an ever declining number of swimmers. (Avoiding, of course, the politically incorrect "F" time standard.)
Heck, I can see a day when EVERYONE wins something !
Mark,
Speaking as one who runs a SCM meet in a fast pool which does not have a 2nd 25-meter course available, here's a thought...
I know this is heresy to almost all in USMS, but it would be possible to actually have a National Championship meet which is limited in participation, thus negating the 2nd course requirement.
Two ways to limit the participation are :
1) Set time standards for all events, and require proof of times, a la USA Swimming.
2) Set a participant numerical limit - first come, first served.
Bert Peterson's chart makes clear what I have said for many years: Masters is no longer so small that there are only one or two meets per year to choose from (as it was back in the early '70's). USMS members have many meets to choose from each year, starting with the local meets, then including the LMSC championships, and the Zone championships. There should not be a cast-in-concrete right for each and every member of USMS to swim in the "NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS."
Perhaps what is keeping us from truly having National Championships instead of the current National Invitationals is the desire of the national meet hosts to maximize their profits.
(Oh, I can't wait to get blasted for this one. Good thing it's a holiday weekend and some people may be off-line.):rolleyes:
Mark,
Speaking as one who runs a SCM meet in a fast pool which does not have a 2nd 25-meter course available, here's a thought...
I know this is heresy to almost all in USMS, but it would be possible to actually have a National Championship meet which is limited in participation, thus negating the 2nd course requirement.
Two ways to limit the participation are :
1) Set time standards for all events, and require proof of times, a la USA Swimming.
2) Set a participant numerical limit - first come, first served.
Bert Peterson's chart makes clear what I have said for many years: Masters is no longer so small that there are only one or two meets per year to choose from (as it was back in the early '70's). USMS members have many meets to choose from each year, starting with the local meets, then including the LMSC championships, and the Zone championships. There should not be a cast-in-concrete right for each and every member of USMS to swim in the "NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS."
Perhaps what is keeping us from truly having National Championships instead of the current National Invitationals is the desire of the national meet hosts to maximize their profits.
(Oh, I can't wait to get blasted for this one. Good thing it's a holiday weekend and some people may be off-line.):rolleyes:
