I have been so busy with the XI FINA Masters World Championships, I have not been able to report some of the other things that I learned at the FINA Bureau meeting in Dubai last month.
One of the great things about going to the meetings is the ability to develop personal relationships with the members of the Bureau. On Saturday afternoon, the Bureau meetings were finished. I was walking through the lobby of the beautiful Fairmont Dubai, at one table was Cornel Marculescu, FINA Executive Director, Bill Matson and Dale Neuburger, our FINA rep.
I got called over to them and we talked about the championships to be held at Stanford. After a couple of glasses of wine, somehow the conversation got on the topic of evening out the competition. I told them that when I was in high school in San Francisco, they had a system of exponents for teams and a person could have no more than x amount of points (points were given for age, height and weight). This way you could have a basketball team of people of about like physical ability playing the game.
Bill Matson said that FINA Masters Committee was looking at differenciating the records. The FINA Bureau wants to be more inclusive and the ability to have more records. When you have different types of records more people can go after them.- it will create more excitement and maybe more people will want to swim Masters As FINA is divided into different geographical segments North America, South American, Europe, Asia and Pacific the FINA Masters Committee will be recommending that the records be kept for those areas. (I thought I heard that this was being proposed by the French who wanted there swimmers to be able to get international recognition – there best women Masters swimmers are in the same age group as Laura Val).
Dale said that the US is been opposed to this and that he and June Krauser have been working to keep it in committee, but it looks like he does not have the votes to keep it there. The US thinks that there should be only one set of records and in the current format.
He also said that there is going to be “super category” of Masters records. Masters Masters (age 40-59) and Senior Masters (60+). Cornel said that Walt Reid, who keeps track of all the International Masters Records, while initially opposed to the idea, has developed the software to handle all the new data that will be coming in.
Dale said FINA Masters will be recommending that the Federations have new categories for swimmers who were not age group swimmers (he thought this was marketing than from the competition committee). I laughed and said yea – right – the next thing you would do is to keep records on the BMI (Body Mass Index Scale). Cornel said that was considerd but they would like to see some other changes made first.
Bill said that all that is left to do is that it has to pass the FINA Masters Committee. They will be meeting in Riccione, Italy just before the X FINA Masters World Championships. (Dale thinks that the French and Europeans have the votes to get it through). After it passes there, it will go the the FINA Congress (In past years, it met at the same time as the Olympics, but starting with this Congress, it will meet at the World Championships).
Anyway, that is what I learned at Dubai. And thought you might like to know.
michael
Former Member
Originally posted by Ion Beza
The way I constructed my statement is to say that USMS -not me- removed your efforts and grammatically lumped you "...in with this obscurantism process.".
How?
Simply by not reporting your efforts.
Elsewhere, U.S. Swimming did report someone's efforts.
And somewhere in the US someone won the lottery today, and you didn't. So what.
get out of that communist way of thinking.
People all over the world overcome all kinds of huge obstacles, and none of us ever hear about most of it.
Just the fact that they may have not gotten the external praise for their efforts, doesn't mean that their efforts are minimized or not appreciated.
One's value as a person does not revolve around how much external praise they get. Yours shouldn't eiter.
Originally posted by Ion Beza
If I address this, then you complain that I speak just about me?
My posts in this thread are mainly about challenges of others.
Ion - these others you speak of aren't complaining. Just the opposite, these "others" are the ones who give you the most support for overcoming your particular obstacles.
I take great pride overcoming my own obstacles to achieve my goals. I am inspired by people like Tom whose obstacles were much greater than mine. I'm also inspired by the "ordinary" people and the "extrordinary" people recognized by USMS and the different magazines.
Most Master's swimmers I meet have a good story. It is a shame that everyone can't receive public accolades. But you know what? There just isn't enough room in the papers or on the podium for everyone. Such is life.
I'm thrilled when I achieve a PB or finish a grueling workout. My team mates and friends from the USMS pat me on the back and recoqnize my efforts.
The USMS does recognize the efforts of the early, late and middle bloomers. They do it every day. We just don't have a top ten list for every possible acheivement.
Food for thought!! :)
Wow Connie:
I sure as heck would not want to be your boyfriend if you found another girls underwear in the bed……SMILE….and ….just kidding…..
You missed you calling my friend….You would have made an excellent Marine Corps Drill Instructor! You’re a tough guy in a very pretty ladies body….and that is a compliment.
Originally posted by Ion Beza
For someone who missed that Swim magazine in 1997, it is not emphasized at all in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003.
I bet in 2003 there were opportunities to mention it again, instead of other things that were printed.
So what if it wasn't.
Your own post proves what I just said couple of posts ago, your perceptions are not in sync with reality.
Just look at the last swim magazine,. and the recognition several people got for overcoming their weight problems. Look at the NOV/Dec 2003 Swim Magazine and the article on Barbara Dunbar and congenital hip condition, and a hip replacement surgery...
Just about each issue of swim magazine has a story about a swimmer that overcame adversity. Yet again you know not what you speak of, and yes, you do speak too soon, because you're so zealous to push your agenda of anti-USMS-isam.
This alleged USMS obscurantisam only exists in your head.
I help poor USMS souls one more time.
1.) Michael Moore and Hugh Moore played a prank like this last April 1st. too.
2.) Regarding the need for special categories in USMS races, I think that over three years in this forum I spelled my position repeatedly for whoever was decent enough to learn it;
last time I spelled it in the thread 'The Fastest Age', a few days ago;
my position is not to create special categories outside timed events, but to value research and awareness of challenges that people undertake;
challenges like this:
Originally posted by Tom Ellison
Well Gosh, maybe the FINA International Top Ten Time I swam in 2000 at age 50 (19:44.08) in the 50-54 age group, 1500 SCM Free (9th place) should get updated to maybe first or second place due to the fact that I have swam as a Masters Swimmer all there years with an artificial right hip and hepatitis C, from the 40 pints of blood it took to save my life in 1977...after being crushed under a 28 ton dump truck.
Hey, great new age/swimming group...Swimmers who have been crushed under 28 ton dump trucks...
...
or like mine -a late bloomer who steps up in USMS to training and racing the less than 3% of USMS who go to Nationals and who rely in most cases on a pre USMS background for swimming competitively-, or like effi's who posted here -in derision but I take it seriously- that short people need more strokes per length so they battle this challenge, or like Shannan's who envisioned sarcastically many categories of competitors -to which I say that it should be awareness of these challenges instead of envisioning new categories in a sarcastic way-.
What do you prefer from 'The World's Foremost Authority on Adult Swimming' and from this forum?
A.) Obscurantism, with fluffy articles -confusing yards and meters in their incompetence- that reward lazies who rely on a pre USMS background in order to meet the easier standards and stereotypes of the USMS;
or
B.) Enlightenment in research and awareness about challenges?
I prefer B.).
I am not the typical USMS member.
B.) is better understood in Senior U.S. Swimming (as in swimmers over 18 who meet cuts) than it is in USMS.
I would compete in the atmoshere of the Senior Swimming if I were fast enough to fit in there.
Compare the Swim magazine with the Swimnews magazine from Canada.
Tom's and the above challenges fell under obscurantism in USMS.
Someone's (from New Jersey, U.S.) challenge didn't fall under obscurantism in U.S. Swimming.
A few years ago he made the world's top rankings in the 100 meters free, with a 50 seconds performance.
And one lung.
Originally posted by Ion Beza
I think that you don't know what overcoming a challenge means to me.
To me it doesn't mean to achieve greatness like you just wrote.
To me it means to become a champion of oneself.
Then why do you have this need to go around whining about your challenges being recognized by others, and more specifically the USMS.
If you;re the champion of yourself, then keep it to yourself. You;d be surprized just how many people are cap[able of recognizing someone's accomplishments, without a person having to pound their chest and point them out.
