I think it is sad we have slipped down the slope we call “being civil”. Being away from these posts for the better part of a week has allowed me to look at them in a different light then before. The thoughts and feelings of many of the people who post here are very raw right now. Decency, understanding, compassion, patience and kindness have been lost to pain and anger.
I have learned some very valuable lessons over the past nineteen months. Often, anger is directly driven by pain. I read pain into many of the post here. People have offended one another and tramped on each others toes and people have been hurt emotionally.
Gosh, I am the farthest thing from a counselor or referee for that matter, but I am qualified to say that each of us has good days, and each of us has bad days. Without exception, EVERY SINGLE POSTER was decent, understanding and compassionate towards me during a very tough time in my life. Ion has a way of invoking anger and hostility in people. Having said that, he reached out to me during a very tough time and demonstrated a very different and compassionate side then the one we see here.
My point, in the final annalists we call life, what more do we really have then one another? We are a body of swimmers who share a common bond for the love of swimming and adult exercise in the water. Let us keep to this course as opposed to offending one another and fracturing our beloved sport with pain, hard feelings and anger. We are different, yet, we are the same. We all love our children, we all want to excel in life, we all want to think of ourselves are winners, we all want to be free people, we all want to raise our families and enjoy life as best we can. Regardless of how fast we are, how smart we are or anything else…. in the final toll….we all want and strive for many of the same things. As we all did on playgrounds all over the world as children, let’s shake hands and make up….
Former Member
Originally posted by kaelonj
... Your justification is based upon one event ...
That brings up an interesting point. I feel that someone can be the fastest distance freestyler or the fastest sprint breaststroker etc. And that is all impressive.
But for my money, the fastest distance SWIMMER is someone who does it in an IM event. Same for fastest sprint SWIMMER.
I don't want to open a can of worms :rolleyes: , but I am curious what others think about this.
I would go with the 400 IM - much as the decathlon determines the greatest track athlete, has most of the track disciplines. A succesful 400 IM er has to be able to do all strokes, sprint those strokes but be able to maintain with some endurance.
Originally posted by Bert Bergen
...
it would be nice to also possess humility, humor, and appreciation for the simplicity of what we are able to do.
...
You judge on only one facet that we talk about here, and for which I don't compromize.
On many facets that we don't talk about here, people who see me everyday see these traits in my personality.
Originally posted by Karen Duggan
Connie, AG, etc.,
I admire your stamina. I've since hit the ignore button regarding the "import", but you guys plug on! Thanks for the continued entertainment :)
I have him on ignore, but end up looking it up anyway.
It's become my daily comic relief. ;)
Originally posted by Ion Beza
I was educated in Europe, East and West, and Europe is secular.
Now, in addition to your ridiculous pontifications about swimming, we are subjected to your theological rants.
Europe - secular? Just curious what those in the Vatican would say about that. They were early bloomers to the religion thing so maybe you exclude them.
Please don't assume your individual experiences speak for an entire continent any more than your late bloomer theory applies to everyone who started swimming after age 19, or whatever the arbitrary figure you use is.
Originally posted by aquageek
...
I'd rather spend a day in the pool with Ion than do the 400 IM. That's one hard event, the IM that is.
Hmmmmm. How about a day in the pool with Ion, doing 400 IM's on a 5:00 inteval?
And no, I cannot keep that interval myself. Or even come close.
Ion, Ion, Ion,
The point is not in comparing myself to others. I simply compare myself to my own goals.
The next point is that perhaps there are others out there who have just found the Joy in swimming, how good it feels to exercise and get fit in the water and can be inspired and motivated, can be given hope by others. Perhaps even in a similiar stage of life, or similiar circumstances where struggles seem enormous.
Ion, have you any understanding of what it is like to be a type 1 diabetic? Have you any notion as to how difficult it is to train and balance intake, exercise and insulin?
I have motivated and inspired many swimmers and athletes in many sports through embracing life, dealing with the cards you have been dealt, setting goals and the enormous benefits of achieving these.
I will continue to do so.
Consistency, a positive attitude, striving for new goals and new challenges is what I am all about.
My attitude is contagious.:) :) :)
So you are saying that these same Europeans were laughing at Albert Einstein? Christians number over 1 billion worldwide, let alone Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, etc. (Pardon to any groups I've forgotten. :) )
Anyways...
Originally posted by Ion Beza
there are two things that apply to my technique, one is 'you cannot teach an old dog new tricks'...
That's a strange comment, from someone who claims to be constantly improving himself. There are plenty of swimmers who are learning new tricks, even those who have been training since age-group swimming.
another is that at slow speed I deliver good technique but at high speed under the stress of the load technique is sacrificed in the process, not just for me but for Olympians too
I'll let you in on a secret: it's not just you and the Olympians... it's everyone. When you read the TI book, it is stated quite clearly. The point is that you give up the minimum amount of technique while you are speeding up. If your loss of stroke length balances out your increase in stroke rate, then you've gained nothing.
Just watch Popov or any other Olympian (or elite swimmer). Even at maximum speed, their technique is much better than the average (or above average) swimmer going at any pace. Their aerobic capacity makes no difference compared to the field, because they can swim faster at any energy output.
You have already shown that your conception of front-quadrant swimming does not match what other people are saying. Can't you open your mind to the *possibility* that your conceptions of what technique means, is not what everyone else is using? That you should listen and read, and make sure you understand the terms, before you start yelling your personal definitions?
Originally posted by Ion Beza
On many facets that we don't talk about here, people who see me everyday see these traits in my personality.
Beza:
Isn't it somewhat ironic that you only bring your surly qualities to this forum? Do you wonder why your vast legion of followers that see you every day aren't clamoring on this forum to defend these alleged traits? Maybe you are as poplular on your team as you are here. I recall a thread a year or so ago where someone who swam with you said how horrid you were to swim with.
Why is that Ion? Why is yet another thread ruined by you? Why do we even care at this point?
Is there any chance we can return this forum to swimming and not to Ion's rants and fallacies? Would be nice.
Originally posted by 2go+h20
Ion, Ion, Ion,
The point is not in comparing myself to others. I simply compare myself to my own goals.
...
I do both.
To know where my goals are best achieved, I look at the environment and what percentage of it I need.
For example, I was looking at which country has the fastest Masters.
I came to the U.S..
I was working in the East of U.S..
Training conditions are limited.
Therefore, I came to work in the West of U.S..
Training conditions are less limited.
UCSD Masters is not competitive in pool races.
I came from UCSD to train with SwimSmarter in La Jolla, and got a good 2003.
Information in Swim magazine is not good.
Information in Swimnews from Canada is good.
And so on...
