I feel a little like our old friend Ion Beza. He always complains about the age groups that he swam in and how unfair it is. Anyway, I saw the NT's for my age group and in the 100's there were 2 second drops from last year and in the 200's 4 seconds drop. Anyway, it drives home on how medicroe I am and worst in my middle age than my youth. Granted, I can swim butterfly better than last year but the best stroke breaststroke hasn't improved since last summer. Anyone else feel the same way. I know that in your middle years swimming should be more of an exercise and I don't want the shoulder operations or knee prpblems that some master swimmers had.
Former Member
I know how you feel - I have only been swimming for a year now. My times are way slooooower than the qualifying times recently posted for my age group (30-34). In fact, I don't see how I could ever make a qualifying time. To me, the times seem very fast.
I keep reminding myself that the reason I started swimming was not to compete - just to lose weight. I have done that - about 30 pounds. Although it would be nice to get faster!
That brings up an interesting question. How many USMS members compete and how many just do it for the exercise? Does anyone know?
when I first came back to swimming this past spring, the motivation was to recover from a cycling accident, and have a replacement for running. Swim meets were going to replace running races. There was one meet that I did, and that has been it. And, I'm back running (praise the Lord!). So, swimming did help me rehab, and was a great substitute. Now I'm training for a half ironman that takes place in August...obviously swimming will be a big piece of it.
So, my answer is it has been for both exercise and a little competition.
Happy New Year!
jerrycat
I have only been swimming 2 years and am dwarfed (in times) by my fellow age-group swimmers (not a stellar performance in the GRIN fall classic)...but still, I'm seriously considering competing in the nationals at Indi this year. I don't have any NQT's and probably won't have at that point since I don't compete much...yet it would be an awesome experience to compete with the "best of the best". If I get there, I plan to swim for me... and if I bomb, so what.....there'll be others just like me there, and I'll take the snubs from the elite with a grain of salt!!
Cheers!
I started swimming at 38 and did it to give me another form of exercise, now at 42 I have competed at a couple of meets, and I agree, the women in this age group and the next are insanely fast. At the GRIN classic I looked down the line of women in my heat and they all seemed 6 foot tall, slim and strong, and my thought was, "Do any of these women have children?" . So yes everytime I feel like I am doing pretty good passing the old lady sidestrokers in the pool I just have to look at the times on this website to know that I have a long way to go, AND will probably never get there. I do think to set those type of times, being an one-time age group swimmer is a must(I know I sound like Ion and he started swimming a whole lot sooner than I).
I don't begrudge the times, I just know I will never ever qualify for Nationals. I will probably do a meet here and there for the fun and to give myself a challenge to train for. It is more motivating to swim when you have an event to gear up for.
Caroline Krattli was an ex-national swimmer at the elite level who now swims in the 40-44 age group. My age group the 45-49 while the times are still slower than the 40-44 there was a big drop in some events. The 100 yard breaststroke use to be 1:27 and moved down to 1:25 and the 200 yard breaststroke use to be 3:12 and went down to 3:08. In my state, there are several women in my age group that are not that bad of swimmers in breaststroke and the other strokes that can't make the times now. I did make two time inm meters but I swim better in meters in my middle years than yards. Also, there is less competition during the meter season. Compared to the general poplation I do swim better than most women my age.
Originally posted by dorothyrd
I just have read some threads on these forums where there is a little bit of griping about Nationals being too big, and it sounded a little like there was some people who would like the times to be more restrictive and not allow non NQT. That is probably a small percentage.
From my experience over 20 years in USMS, that represents a very small percentage of the overall USMS membership -- these forums are not necessarily a representative cross-section. I've been to Nationals several times over past 20 years, even though I've never come close to making NQT's. No one's ever given me a hard time over my right to be there. With one exception (who I think was having a bad day and so shall remain nameless) every swimmer, including the "elite," is just as supportive at Nationals as at any local meet. There's no reason to be afraid to go and compete.
I swim for the health benefits and the stress outlet. That being said, I would get bored if I just swam 3 or four days a week. The competion serves as a goal. I train for specific events and meets which gives me more motivation for practice.
I can't make the NQT's in any of my events. What I can do is compete to improve my times or swim a new challenging event like the 400 IM.
If I keep swimming and keep a positive outlook on life, I'll make the NQT's when I'm in the 80-84 group.
Michael
Originally posted by dorothyrd
I think Illinois Masters has plenty of people to pick for relays, lots and lots of very fast people, so I doubt if I would be needed for that.
Dorothy, people can only pressure you as much as you will let them. If you are truly uncomfortable, then you shouldn't feel obligated to go to Nationals.
Having said that, you must go to Nationals! :D Illinois tends to have more male than female swimmers at Nationals. For mixed relays, you are much more valuable than surplus "fast" male swimmers.
I can't speak for others, but the only "griping" I did was for people who obviously seeded themselves wrong, either way too fast or way too slow for the heat they were in.
You shouldn't worry about competing against the fastest swimmers, you should view it as an opportunity to compete as best you can. There is something liberating about forgetting work for a few days, and just focus on swimming. (And when the meet is over, eating and drinking with teammates. :cool: )
Thanks, folks from Illinois have been great. I would probably only go on Sunday and would be willing to be put on the mixed free relay. For a newbie, my freestlye isn't bad, I do a pretty good job gutting out a 50 sprint. Nadine has been encouraging me to go and it is at a good time of year for me.
I am surprised there is no "proof of time" for Nationals. I am used to dealing with USA swimming, and for any meet with qualifying times my son goes to, there better be proof of time for any swim he does not hit the times in. Seems if someone is going to enter a National meet, they should have to prove where they got their time from. Maybe that would scare people away, but if I swim events at Nationals, I will make sure I get a swim in at another meet before then for practice.
As far as competing against the fastest swimmers, I can't worry about that, it would be pointless.:) I have swum in a total of 3 meets, and have had a lot of fun at each one. Someday I hope to be able to compete more, when the kids are out and I have more time!
