"I hate swimmers!"
This was a comment I overheard at a triathlon that I competed in today. There was a group of triathletes discussing thier dislike of those of us that can swim. I just found it a interesting comment and wanted to see what others had to say about it.
Parents
Former Member
I would expect any "I hate swimmers" sentiments to come from triathletes who were not previously swimmers. And of those who were not previously swimmers, any such sentiments would not come from those who have developed decent swimming skills.
The thing about swimming is this: you can't just swim down some lonely river by yourself and work at getting stronger on your own. You have to do swimming in places where you almost necessarily have to rub elbows and share lanes with accomplished swimmers. Running and biking are not limited in that way. If you feel intimidated by a certain group of runners or bikers, you can choose a different road or path.
So if an athlete can't get over feelings if inferiority or intimidation, they're gonna resent being around strong swimmers. They're going to pick up negative vibes whether they're there or not. (And as we've seen in several threads about starting up with a masters swim team, masters swimmers are a welcoming and generous lot. So all the triaths have to do is jump in and rub elbows, and they'll see that there's nothing to fear and everything to gain.)
If only the triaths could know my awe and admiration for their conditioning and capabilities! Sure, maybe I get from one end of the pool to the other faster than they can, but they do practically everything else faster than I can!
I would expect any "I hate swimmers" sentiments to come from triathletes who were not previously swimmers. And of those who were not previously swimmers, any such sentiments would not come from those who have developed decent swimming skills.
The thing about swimming is this: you can't just swim down some lonely river by yourself and work at getting stronger on your own. You have to do swimming in places where you almost necessarily have to rub elbows and share lanes with accomplished swimmers. Running and biking are not limited in that way. If you feel intimidated by a certain group of runners or bikers, you can choose a different road or path.
So if an athlete can't get over feelings if inferiority or intimidation, they're gonna resent being around strong swimmers. They're going to pick up negative vibes whether they're there or not. (And as we've seen in several threads about starting up with a masters swim team, masters swimmers are a welcoming and generous lot. So all the triaths have to do is jump in and rub elbows, and they'll see that there's nothing to fear and everything to gain.)
If only the triaths could know my awe and admiration for their conditioning and capabilities! Sure, maybe I get from one end of the pool to the other faster than they can, but they do practically everything else faster than I can!
