At the convention I kept hearing...
"Swimming is the number one choice of exercise in adults" and
"Ask anyone and they'll be able to tell you gow beneficial swimming is" and similar phrases...
Well, I can't dipute the facty that swimming is good for you, one of the best forms of exercise there is.
Now, having said that, I can't help it notice that even in this 'day and age' where so many people are close to obsessed with fitness and exercise - especially in California - the USMS membership of some 40,000 is only 0.15% of the population of the US.
This leads me to think that we (the USMS) has missed the boat somewhere!!!
Coming back from my fiorst convention, I see that thewre is a lot of focus on competetive swimming, and most of the delegates and BOD nad EC are either current or former competetive swimmers, and naturally the focus would be on competing.
That alone is wonderful... BUT...
It is my understanding that close to 80% of the USMS membership consists of fitness swimmers.
Also, I hear that :
- in the last 2-3 years the USMS membership has been stagnating.
- USMS does want to grow in membership.
And...
at the convention, I see 'fitness' as being an auxiliary, almost a stepchild focus to the competetive side.
Don't get me wrong, I love to compete myself, BUT...
Competetive adult swimmers are a very narrow demographic and if USMS wants to grow, they (we) need to find more attractive ways to "build-educate-service" our potential fitness swimmers.
I find it puzzling that many 'fitness swimmers' will readily enter open water swims, but when they hear of a swim meet, they don't think they're good enough for it... I've done both, and let me tewll you, swim meets are much easier, especially for a first timer, then an open water mile swim in an ocean or a lake.
I also see coaches right here in this forum that are having a hard time explaining to their fitness swimmers why (other then insurance that some clubs require) they should be members of USMS.
I think USMS is failing in it's core objectives when it comes to attracting membership, servicing them and educatiing them, which I strongly believe will mostly come from the fitness side.
Well, this is all that comes to mind at the moment. I'm hoping to eventually refine the thoughts.
Comments, thoughts anyone? I'd love to have some dialogue about this and hear what other people think.
Parents
Former Member
Originally posted by Frosty
Connie,
Again, great subject...and thanks for taking the time to consider and respond to these messages. (You've earned my respect.)
You can get inside of my (triathlete) head. I used to strictly be a swimmer, but as I developed triathlon skills I swam less and dedicated more time to the other two sports. I agree that swimming, in comparison with cycling and running, demands the greater amount of skill to perform optimally. Yet most triathlons are structured so that cycling takes up about 50% of the time it takes to do the whole race, running about 35% and swimming about 15%. I believe most triathletes, when pressed for time, will budget their training more towards cycling and running since they do take up the bulk of a triathlon.
As for going to events...if you like to swim, bike and run that much, you like going to triathlons. They are fun, challenging, and satisfy many people from each end of the competitive spectrum. I wouldn't mind doing a few stand-alone running races, open water swims, and maybe a swim meet or two on occasion...yet most of the time (especially outside of Winter) those stand-alone events are scheduled on the same days as the triathlons that I desire more to do.
Hi Frosty,
Thanks for responding!
Gained your respect? Uh-oh, that wasn't intentional ;)
Okay joking aside...
I hear that the general concensus is that swimming is the weakest discipline of the three for triathletes? Wuld you say that is your experience as well?
Do most triathletes feel somewhat at loss as to where to turn to to get good swimming advice and or coaching? I would venture a guess that this is true, or Terry Laughlin's Total Immersion wouldn't be as popular as it is.
I wonder if USMS couldn't do a thing or two to address this groups needs and concerns.
Then there is the dreaded discussion about the wetsuits... I know, I know, purist swimmer doesn't do wetsuits, but what's to prevent us from having a separate 'wetsuit' category (other than more administrative work for USMS.)
Also, when it comes to more administrative work, I'd say "TOUGH!" You want the organization to grow, there will be more work. There will also be more volunteers to help out and funds to draw from, so things will work out.
Now, speaking of triathlons, eould you give me your opinion on this... I see many 'new' people trying the triathlons, run/walking the run, putting along on a department store bike and slowly swimming their way across 800 meter swim jsut to get the sense of accomplishment of finishing a triathlon, but on the other hand you can ask some of the same people to enter a swim meet and do a 200m and a 100m relay, just so you'd have a relay, and they go, oh, no, that's too competetive for me!
I know one of the things that many coaches may fail to communicate is that you don't have to be fast to enter and participate in a swim meet, especially a local one. Entering and trying 2-3 events could give a person the same or similar sense of acomplishment as making their way to the finish of a sprint triathlon... But so many people find swim meets too intimidating.
Tell you what, having been to swim meets, they're a piece of cake compared to triathlons!
I think here I see a failure to popularize swim meets. They're still seen as competetive events, and not social events at all (when compared to the way triathlons are viewed).
So, what's your take on this?
Originally posted by Frosty
Connie,
Again, great subject...and thanks for taking the time to consider and respond to these messages. (You've earned my respect.)
You can get inside of my (triathlete) head. I used to strictly be a swimmer, but as I developed triathlon skills I swam less and dedicated more time to the other two sports. I agree that swimming, in comparison with cycling and running, demands the greater amount of skill to perform optimally. Yet most triathlons are structured so that cycling takes up about 50% of the time it takes to do the whole race, running about 35% and swimming about 15%. I believe most triathletes, when pressed for time, will budget their training more towards cycling and running since they do take up the bulk of a triathlon.
As for going to events...if you like to swim, bike and run that much, you like going to triathlons. They are fun, challenging, and satisfy many people from each end of the competitive spectrum. I wouldn't mind doing a few stand-alone running races, open water swims, and maybe a swim meet or two on occasion...yet most of the time (especially outside of Winter) those stand-alone events are scheduled on the same days as the triathlons that I desire more to do.
Hi Frosty,
Thanks for responding!
Gained your respect? Uh-oh, that wasn't intentional ;)
Okay joking aside...
I hear that the general concensus is that swimming is the weakest discipline of the three for triathletes? Wuld you say that is your experience as well?
Do most triathletes feel somewhat at loss as to where to turn to to get good swimming advice and or coaching? I would venture a guess that this is true, or Terry Laughlin's Total Immersion wouldn't be as popular as it is.
I wonder if USMS couldn't do a thing or two to address this groups needs and concerns.
Then there is the dreaded discussion about the wetsuits... I know, I know, purist swimmer doesn't do wetsuits, but what's to prevent us from having a separate 'wetsuit' category (other than more administrative work for USMS.)
Also, when it comes to more administrative work, I'd say "TOUGH!" You want the organization to grow, there will be more work. There will also be more volunteers to help out and funds to draw from, so things will work out.
Now, speaking of triathlons, eould you give me your opinion on this... I see many 'new' people trying the triathlons, run/walking the run, putting along on a department store bike and slowly swimming their way across 800 meter swim jsut to get the sense of accomplishment of finishing a triathlon, but on the other hand you can ask some of the same people to enter a swim meet and do a 200m and a 100m relay, just so you'd have a relay, and they go, oh, no, that's too competetive for me!
I know one of the things that many coaches may fail to communicate is that you don't have to be fast to enter and participate in a swim meet, especially a local one. Entering and trying 2-3 events could give a person the same or similar sense of acomplishment as making their way to the finish of a sprint triathlon... But so many people find swim meets too intimidating.
Tell you what, having been to swim meets, they're a piece of cake compared to triathlons!
I think here I see a failure to popularize swim meets. They're still seen as competetive events, and not social events at all (when compared to the way triathlons are viewed).
So, what's your take on this?
