When a new masters swimmer asked on a different thread for a meters to yard conversion utility, I referred her to the following site:
www.swiminfo.com/.../conversions.asp
Unfortunately, as another poster quickly pointed out, this site will soon be available only to those who pay for it.
I am wondering if someone with some computer savvy could recreate this very useful utility for us masters, then post it in an area of the USMS web site where we could access it for free.
This same area could also include some other useful tools for swimmers. There is, for example, a fun (though perhaps somewhat suspect) "future times predictor" for aging swimmers at:
http://n3times.com/swimtimes/
In addition, my friend and teammate Bill White wrote an Excel spreadsheet (so far not posted on the web) that allows you to easily calculate your 100 pace for distance swims. You can either input the total distance and total time and it will give you your average 100; or you can input the average 100 you hope to swim and the total distance, and it will crank out what your overall time will be if you can hold that pace.
Anyhow, I propose the USMS web site add a new section called something like "Swimmers Tool Box" that collects, in one place, all these useful and/or just fun-to-play-around-with utilities we can come up with. I know many of the posters here are brilliant amateur mathematicians, who enjoy inventing these things; maybe we could even have an annual award for whatever new calculator we users vote as the most interesting! Kind of like a Touring Prize (is that the right name) for swimming math esoterica!
Excellent post, Frank. Thanks for giving another--arguably more valid--side. I've only known you as a masters swimmer, not during the collegiate days. But I have to say: you are such a kind hearted and friendly guy that it's hard to think of you ever putting on a malevolent game face and not talking to your competitors!
In terms of the ongoing debate between Lefty and Phil, I would argue that the chief value of the Finnish formula calculator is to settle such a question, on average, for different ages.
Example: given my last year's 200 free time of 1:55.48 at age 50, it predicts I will be swimming about 6 seconds slower by age 56. (I hope not to give up this much, but time will tell.)
If you go back in time, so to speak, it also predicts I could have/should have done a 1:46 at age 25 (actually, I never came close--so here, I agree, the calculator fails big time). However, if you assume the 1:46 is correct, it says I would not decline to a 1:52 (i.e, add 6 seconds) for the next 20 years or so, that is, till I turned 45 or 46.
That's where I think this thing does have some validity: it suggests that declines in performance are very slight in the younger ages, and only start to really accelerate noticeably after 50 or so. By age 75, the change is about 5 seconds a year!
Anyhow, according to the calculator, the difference in the 200 free, again based on my time, between age 45 and 50 is 3.38 seconds.
The difference between 40 and 45 is even less: 3.36 seconds.
So, if I had to bet, I would argue the difference in truly elite 200 backstrokers would NOT be 6 seconds, but rather less than 4 seconds, from 40 to 45.
Whoever suggested earlier that this calculator is best reserved for the bar stool probably had it right. I'm thirsty! Perhaps after tonight's swim practice, we should all reconvene at this forum for a virtual cocktail party?
Excellent post, Frank. Thanks for giving another--arguably more valid--side. I've only known you as a masters swimmer, not during the collegiate days. But I have to say: you are such a kind hearted and friendly guy that it's hard to think of you ever putting on a malevolent game face and not talking to your competitors!
In terms of the ongoing debate between Lefty and Phil, I would argue that the chief value of the Finnish formula calculator is to settle such a question, on average, for different ages.
Example: given my last year's 200 free time of 1:55.48 at age 50, it predicts I will be swimming about 6 seconds slower by age 56. (I hope not to give up this much, but time will tell.)
If you go back in time, so to speak, it also predicts I could have/should have done a 1:46 at age 25 (actually, I never came close--so here, I agree, the calculator fails big time). However, if you assume the 1:46 is correct, it says I would not decline to a 1:52 (i.e, add 6 seconds) for the next 20 years or so, that is, till I turned 45 or 46.
That's where I think this thing does have some validity: it suggests that declines in performance are very slight in the younger ages, and only start to really accelerate noticeably after 50 or so. By age 75, the change is about 5 seconds a year!
Anyhow, according to the calculator, the difference in the 200 free, again based on my time, between age 45 and 50 is 3.38 seconds.
The difference between 40 and 45 is even less: 3.36 seconds.
So, if I had to bet, I would argue the difference in truly elite 200 backstrokers would NOT be 6 seconds, but rather less than 4 seconds, from 40 to 45.
Whoever suggested earlier that this calculator is best reserved for the bar stool probably had it right. I'm thirsty! Perhaps after tonight's swim practice, we should all reconvene at this forum for a virtual cocktail party?
