The Fastest Age

Gee Ion, You have completely ducked or ignored my challenge - so does this mean you don't like yourself. Several times I have commented that my belief that technique plays an important part of being a successful swimmer. We can debate back and forth about the disadvantages of a late starter in swimming, using your empiracal data that no late 20's starting swimmer has won an olympic medal (for that matter I would be pretty positive that almost every Olympic medal winner started their sport prior to their 20's, so your data really doesn't prove anything except to be an Olympic medal contender you need years of training - my belief is years to hone your technique not build your VO2 max). The challenge I presented was for me to find a succesful Master swimmer (meaning someone who has made a top ten USMS time) who did not swim during their premium growth year (13 to 19) for VO2 max. If I could find such, then this would prove that your VO2 max handicap is a lame excuse, if I couldn't find such then I would have to give you credit your claim is true. Once again the ball is in your court. You discount everyone's claim of these invisible late starters, the burden is on me to prove it - yet you balk because maybe you realize your claim is bogus. In regards to this: 'from what I read coming off U.S. Swimming sources, it is conditioning that drives technique, not vice-versa' Taking a little liberty to this - I can swim with poor technique as hard as I want, I will get fitter but my technique will not improve unless I focus on technique - but I can work on technique and still see benefits (becoming fitter) from my efforts of working on my technique. Ion, when you are done coping out and ducking the challenge let me know. Jeff

Gee Ion, You have completely ducked or ignored my challenge - so does this mean you don't like yourself. Several times I have commented that my belief that technique plays an important part of being a successful swimmer. We can debate back and forth about the disadvantages of a late starter in swimming, using your empiracal data that no late 20's starting swimmer has won an olympic medal (for that matter I would be pretty positive that almost every Olympic medal winner started their sport prior to their 20's, so your data really doesn't prove anything except to be an Olympic medal contender you need years of training - my belief is years to hone your technique not build your VO2 max). The challenge I presented was for me to find a succesful Master swimmer (meaning someone who has made a top ten USMS time) who did not swim during their premium growth year (13 to 19) for VO2 max. If I could find such, then this would prove that your VO2 max handicap is a lame excuse, if I couldn't find such then I would have to give you credit your claim is true. Once again the ball is in your court. You discount everyone's claim of these invisible late starters, the burden is on me to prove it - yet you balk because maybe you realize your claim is bogus. In regards to this: 'from what I read coming off U.S. Swimming sources, it is conditioning that drives technique, not vice-versa' Taking a little liberty to this - I can swim with poor technique as hard as I want, I will get fitter but my technique will not improve unless I focus on technique - but I can work on technique and still see benefits (becoming fitter) from my efforts of working on my technique. Ion, when you are done coping out and ducking the challenge let me know. Jeff