Call me an old fashioned cynic, but Gary Hall's oh so exclusive "Race Club" seems to generate more amusement than intimidation. To review the bidding for those with real lives, Mr. Hall announced a few months ago his intent to form his own club dedicated to elite swimming. It has a fabulous location and training facility in the Florida Keys. It will cover travel, training and living expenses. (I'm tempted to ask who is fronting the money, but I won't denigrade Mr. Hall's ability to raise funds.) If you want to join them, send in a resume; don't call us; we'll call you. Let us look over your accoplishments and decide whether you are worthy.
Hmm, great facilities, don't have to share pool time with the non-world class members (i.e. 99%) of a Swim Club, just about all expenses paid. Unless you have your own lucrative endorsement deal, what swimmer wouldn't want to join this team?
Well, the initial members of the "Swim Club" were announced last week. www.swiminfo.com/.../6097.asp Eight Olympians sounds real impressive. But then you look at the list a little more closely. Eleven swimmers, and although I have not googled everyone of them, all of the ones I have googled are in their late 20's or older. Or in other words, 3 of the 11 swimmers are chronologically at the back end of their careers, and they have not yet made their nation's Olympic Team. Closer scrutiny reveals 10 of the 11 are men. Just about all of them swim the 50 free or 50 fly, and few of them seriously compete in anything other that the 50 or 100 free or fly. In contrast to the lack of age, gender and event diversity, the team does have members of many nationalities and ethic backgrounds. However, the most telling stat of all is that roughly half of the members I checked are not currently ranked in the World Top 20 Rankings, LCM or SCM, in any event.
Overall, the "Swim Club" sort of reminds me of the kind of team a rookie fantasy league coach would assemble--there are a lot of names you would recognize, but their most productive years may be behind them. To be fair, all of these folks are amazing, world-class swimmers. Their careers to date have been awesome, and they remain extraordinary today by any standard, except arguably World Rankings. In contrast, I am an opinionated loud mouth. I would be delighted to see them find new speed and light up the scoreboards next year with medals and records, and make a complete monkey of me. As of right now, I think may the "Swim Club's" gloss may have exceeded its actual capabilities.
Matt
Parents
Former Member
Ah, excellent! I was worried that my tone wasn't sharp enough to draw comment. Some of the respondents might consider that in exchange for some mild razzing, the Race Club and its web site have been brought to the attention of a few more folks. (Trust me, Sam & Aquageek, when I have a hysterical loathing for someone, you will know it.)
However, since the concept of razzing appears to be a bit dim for some, let me restate my position more directly. Let's review some of their statements, shall we:
"The Race Club enables all swimmers from throughout the world to work as a unit to help drive more exposure and revenue for the sport without a concern for nationality. "
"Members of The Race Club's Circle of Champions train throughout the world and can use the organization for different levels of support and public visibility including attending meets as a group while representing their club team, travel expenses to certain swim meets, obtaining equipment, media, sponsorships, and training camps....The group is designed to pool talented male and female swimmers from around the world that have a shot at representing their country at the Olympics."
"The Race Club is not about any one team or group, or a country or a specific event or stroke. We're about taking all of the currently segregated factions of swimmers from around the world and uniting them to form an organization that truly gives swimming fans the opportunity to see their sport a lot more often, gives sponsors a lot more reach, and enables elite swimmers to earn a living for as long as they can in the sport."
"Anyone with the love to race and the desire to help advance the sport of swimming into the mainstream can become a member of The Race Club.
"The revenue for all Race Club camps, clinics, merchandise, and sponsorships will go to support more swimmers, promote events, and drive our sport into the mainstream."
Now let's compare the statements with what they have done so far. First, the Race Club is about elite swimmers swimming fast. Thus far they've not shown up as a Club for one meet. Second, it's about pooling talented male and female swimmers, not necessarily in any one stroke or event, who have a shot at swimming in the Olympics. Currently, the Circle of Champions is composed mostly of older, male (only one woman) sprinters. Moreover, with a couple of notable exception, this group has not done much recently in terms of World Rankings. Third, anyone who loves to race can join, and revenue will go to support more swimmers and promote events. Thus far, I have seen no evidence that any of the energetic fund-raising has paid for anything other than the expenses of the folks training in Florida.
This is ambitious. Generally, if someone is asking me for donations or support, I would expect to see some evidence they will deliver on their goals. To be more specific, if I am looking for a virtual, internet team to help me with my swimming, I am more likely to look to Emmett Hines and his virtual team because he has a proven track record as a coach. If I want to buy gear from a team which is cool because they have some of the best in sport on the team, I am more likely to be interested in Michael Phelps' NBAC. What has the Race Club actually done other that issue press releases and ask for donations? What I would actually, sincerely like to see is for the Race Club to start delivering on some of its stated goals:
(1) Show up for some meets and have some of your swimmers post some top times.
(2) Get real about the kind of swimmer your are training (i.e. sprinters in their late-20's or older who are training to maintain World Class conditioning), and begin sharing with the rest of the community some of your training techniques and approaches to swimming that take that into account.
(3) Start sharing some of the resources you are raising to more swimmers that the "Circle of Champions." (At least the airline miles or hotel points for crying out loud.)
(4) Stage a few events that generate the kind of publicity and interest you think will be good for the sport.
There is a scene from "The Right Stuff" that comes to mind. NASA has just introduced to the public the first group of astronauts with great fanfare and hoopla. Chuck Yeager, the man who broke the sound barrier but declined to participate in the space exploration program, observed the proceedings and remarked, "they've just be labeled the hottest thing in flying and all they've done so far is show up for a press conference." Now, we all know what those Mercury and Gemini astronauts achieved. I would be delighted to see the Race Club achieve something comparable, and I'd be the first to praise their efforts and call for a victory parade if they do. So far, they've only shown up for a press conference. Please, get down to what you do well, swimming.
Matt
Ah, excellent! I was worried that my tone wasn't sharp enough to draw comment. Some of the respondents might consider that in exchange for some mild razzing, the Race Club and its web site have been brought to the attention of a few more folks. (Trust me, Sam & Aquageek, when I have a hysterical loathing for someone, you will know it.)
However, since the concept of razzing appears to be a bit dim for some, let me restate my position more directly. Let's review some of their statements, shall we:
"The Race Club enables all swimmers from throughout the world to work as a unit to help drive more exposure and revenue for the sport without a concern for nationality. "
"Members of The Race Club's Circle of Champions train throughout the world and can use the organization for different levels of support and public visibility including attending meets as a group while representing their club team, travel expenses to certain swim meets, obtaining equipment, media, sponsorships, and training camps....The group is designed to pool talented male and female swimmers from around the world that have a shot at representing their country at the Olympics."
"The Race Club is not about any one team or group, or a country or a specific event or stroke. We're about taking all of the currently segregated factions of swimmers from around the world and uniting them to form an organization that truly gives swimming fans the opportunity to see their sport a lot more often, gives sponsors a lot more reach, and enables elite swimmers to earn a living for as long as they can in the sport."
"Anyone with the love to race and the desire to help advance the sport of swimming into the mainstream can become a member of The Race Club.
"The revenue for all Race Club camps, clinics, merchandise, and sponsorships will go to support more swimmers, promote events, and drive our sport into the mainstream."
Now let's compare the statements with what they have done so far. First, the Race Club is about elite swimmers swimming fast. Thus far they've not shown up as a Club for one meet. Second, it's about pooling talented male and female swimmers, not necessarily in any one stroke or event, who have a shot at swimming in the Olympics. Currently, the Circle of Champions is composed mostly of older, male (only one woman) sprinters. Moreover, with a couple of notable exception, this group has not done much recently in terms of World Rankings. Third, anyone who loves to race can join, and revenue will go to support more swimmers and promote events. Thus far, I have seen no evidence that any of the energetic fund-raising has paid for anything other than the expenses of the folks training in Florida.
This is ambitious. Generally, if someone is asking me for donations or support, I would expect to see some evidence they will deliver on their goals. To be more specific, if I am looking for a virtual, internet team to help me with my swimming, I am more likely to look to Emmett Hines and his virtual team because he has a proven track record as a coach. If I want to buy gear from a team which is cool because they have some of the best in sport on the team, I am more likely to be interested in Michael Phelps' NBAC. What has the Race Club actually done other that issue press releases and ask for donations? What I would actually, sincerely like to see is for the Race Club to start delivering on some of its stated goals:
(1) Show up for some meets and have some of your swimmers post some top times.
(2) Get real about the kind of swimmer your are training (i.e. sprinters in their late-20's or older who are training to maintain World Class conditioning), and begin sharing with the rest of the community some of your training techniques and approaches to swimming that take that into account.
(3) Start sharing some of the resources you are raising to more swimmers that the "Circle of Champions." (At least the airline miles or hotel points for crying out loud.)
(4) Stage a few events that generate the kind of publicity and interest you think will be good for the sport.
There is a scene from "The Right Stuff" that comes to mind. NASA has just introduced to the public the first group of astronauts with great fanfare and hoopla. Chuck Yeager, the man who broke the sound barrier but declined to participate in the space exploration program, observed the proceedings and remarked, "they've just be labeled the hottest thing in flying and all they've done so far is show up for a press conference." Now, we all know what those Mercury and Gemini astronauts achieved. I would be delighted to see the Race Club achieve something comparable, and I'd be the first to praise their efforts and call for a victory parade if they do. So far, they've only shown up for a press conference. Please, get down to what you do well, swimming.
Matt
