Anyone planning on attending the World Masters in Italy?

yea Whether I swim or not, I'm going. Barring any unexpected budgetary events. Which are, as I said, not expected.

How do you qualify to go to world masters?

this website has all the info you need: www.fina.org/mastersnews_home.html

You're better off going to the site directly at http://www.masters2004.it/ If I don't get a chance to swim I will still be going, though I just don't know for how long. We should get together, who ever is going, for a beer. We should also see what else others are planning on swimming.

I have and I haven't made my plans just yet. I am taking a good amount of time off from work, five weeks, borrowing a motorcycle in England and touring Europe. Hopefully my plans get me to England May 27 or so. This gives me time to both get used to the time difference and to get to Italy. I will spend a week or so at the meet, probably only swimming 2-4 events. This all depends on a couple of things though. First off, and most important, I have to qualify. I am close, and I have been working out in the gym and working harder, but there are no LC meets so I don't know my times right now. Second I have a friend who is a swimmer as well from Ireland who might go. He doesn't have a job now though so he might not be able to. If he doesn't show up then I'll only be going for a few days maybe. Even if I don't qualify and my friend can't go I will probably stop by for a day or two. I think I should be able to make at least my 200 *** and I hope 200 free. Maybe a 400IM as well. My first meet in two months is this weekend so I will know how much I've improved. You made any plans yet?

hey, a get-together is a great idea. Have you made yourr travel plans yet?

Ed, On the qualifying times: use your head. You may already have a perfectly ethical QT. First, read the rules on QT's. There is usually a window (say within the last year or the last 18 months before the meet) which you have to swim the time you need. I haven't read the rules, so I don't know what that window is, but take your best swim in the event you want to enter. Second, we Americans have limited opportunities to swim fully prepped and tapered LCM swims. Yes, we inflicted this situation on ourselves, but there it is. However, Masters meets generally do not require proof the swimmer has actually swam the QT (again read the rules to see what this Meet is doing). The sanction for people who do not qualify is that you are DQ'ed and your time is not reported if you fail to make the QT during the meet. Don't get me wrong; I'm not telling you to cheat. You have staked out the admirable position of not entering unless you make the QT, and I applaud that. I do think it would be ethically acceptable for you to take your best SCY time, go to a widely recognized time converting calculator (such as the one at www.swiminfo.com; look for it on the toolbar on the left), and see if it converts to a time under the QT. If so, I think you are well within the ethical bounds of Masters to submit that as your entry time in the event. You may feel uncomfortable doing that because you think you will not be in the same shape at the time of the meet as when you swam the time, etc. etc. However, this is the same issue everyone who has just barely made a QT faces. This is Masters; there is no big money or fame in a Masters meet. We are all doing this only because we want to, and we are all adults. Because of all that, the enforcement of the ethical boundaries is the honor system, and I think your decision should be based on your personal view of what is the honorable thing to do here. Matt

Originally posted by Matt S First, read the rules on QT's. There is usually a window (say within the last year or the last 18 months before the meet) which you have to swim the time you need. I haven't read the rules, so I don't know what that window is, but take your best swim in the event you want to enter. You may feel uncomfortable doing that because you think you will not be in the same shape at the time of the meet as when you swam the time, etc. etc Actually, I have convertied all the times to both SCM and yards times so I know in and about what I need. The reason I haven't signed up yet is because I'm still about 5-10+ seconds away on many of the events. I have been working out in the gym and putting more time in the pool, but I have no idea what my times are, and with the lack of meets over the last few months I have no good way of knowing. There is a meet this weekend and I am swimming the events I think I can make, like the 200 *** (-10 sec), 400 IM (-20 sec), 200 free (-7 sec). There maybe a few more as well. They don't ask for any proof though on your times, but it's a waste of money to go and try and swim without getting a time, which they will not record if you don't make it. I know I've gotten faster though as last night I did a 200 back in 3:10, two of them actually, in practice, which is only 10 off my PB in SCM. I hope to know this weekend.

Sign up with a time just inside the QT is my advice. The upside is you will know what you have to do to not get registered as 'NT' on the day. The downside is you will have to live with it if you fail to make the time! You will still be able to swim but your time will not be rcorded for posterity. Paul