Driving to work this morning I had a thought about how to “perk” up USMS. My friend belongs to this online diet club --Ediets or something. I watched her log on to her exercise and she has a running log of what she has done for her workouts, calories, food intake, message/support boards, professional help/support online chats etc.
What do you think about applying these ideas to USMS? Have a work out section with programmed swimming workouts each week (yes I realize we have this at the message boards too). We could just personalized into a individual home page of sorts? A sports nutrition section, a time conversion section, a meet section, all centralized off a USMS personal home page and we could track our progress, goals etc. Take all the great stuff that is scattered around the message boards and web site(s) and streamline all the options .
OK Ediets, just with swimming plugged in for weight loss…
The Big question is would you pay USMS extra for something like this? --Hey, I'm an idea lady, let the assistant web master handle the technical! LOL!
Former Member
I think the general concept is worth pursuing, and I would have an interest in these sorts of resources myself. However, I would be against specifically using eDiets, which has quietly crawled into bed with the whole Atkins diet scam. I cannot in good conscience promote Atkins, even indirectly.
They've spent lots of money and time developing a system that only part of what you are lokoing for. They do it as a commercial venture. Doing it basically for free on the usms website seems, ambitious.
I never ment to leave the impression I would do this, I was just thinking of applying technology or a format to the USMS that I had seen before. US Swimming I think has something simular where you can sign up and the age group swimmer can hook their times/local membership to the national web site. It just looked cool and beign able to track training, workouts, personal times and set goals on one page seemed like a cool idea...
Again let the person takeing the assistant web master position think of how to pull it off!
I like the line of thought here.....COULD be a tool for the non-competitive swimmer (80% of our membership - had to get in..)
I belong to a running gruop....and they have a tool to track workouts and milage and miles per shoe.
I like the idea of a tool like that for USMS members.
(and be able to printout total yardage, best times, etc for the variuos sets strokes).
tool might be able to suggest workout based on limited inputs.
(I don't think we need to know the hours per suit or goggle)
jack
Originally posted by jackkangaroo
(I don't think we need to know the hours per suit or goggle)
Actually, I was just going to comment on that. ;)
"After 06 weeks of practice, your black size 36 is now a pale grey size 42. Time to buy a new swim suit."
Buy a new suit!?!?! must be nice to be independently wealthy :p
Me? I just throw on another one, tie knots on the belly button and the butt. Used to be, I'd wear 2 nylon suits so when I wore my lycra I'd feel fast -- now I wear 2,3,4,etc poly, lycra suits, to avoid paying 60 bucks every couple of months. Gettin old...
This is an area that could really benefit USMS in member retention. there is also the President's challenge. It is a way to track your workouts.
Something I would love to see from national is a 1-mile a day club, swimming around the world and new month/new stroke. these would help those who swim for fitness and not necessarily for competiton fell connected to the goal oriented competitive people on the team.
Also, now that we will have more editorial control of hte magazine, the true benefit will be that national can direct information to specific swimmers and their needs. this could become one regular section.
Forgive me but I had to offer this tidbit for the digression on swimsuits. In my Masters group last fall I initiated an "Ugly Suit" contest that was a nice diversion and worth a few hoots! No big prizes but maybe I'll come up with one. The winner was a woman who came with a suit so baggy it hung down to her knees! (She had another suit underneath to preserve her modesty.)
