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 LindsayNB
As Connie also points out some of the things we are talking about here might work best if multiple committees worked together, and of course working with the clubs is also important. I personally think that providing information about the benefits of coached group environments would be beneficial to someone just getting started, so I don't view it as purely a marketing issue. I just think it would be a GoodThing(TM) for everyone if this aspect were covered more extensively in the getting started section.
I agree. The getting started articles are great, but they are good for those who are in clubs already, and have already been convinced to join (at least the club).
Also, when I first came to the website, I was looking for information about 'training' not fitness, because when yu come from a non-swimming woirld, when you go to the gym, when you work out, run, bike, lift weights, whatever you're doing to 'get fit', what you do is TRAIN. In fitness section a lay person would expect to see articles and information on why swimming is good for you. In training I was looking for ways to start training.
Then, there is places to swim... It's a grat tool, but when you use it it desn't really hit you in the face that you are best off looking for an active Masters club to join, it gives you a list of places to swim.
Also, nowhere does it really impress on people that even though your'e talking about teams and clubs, you don't have to 'make the team' to come and swim. To a lay oerson "team' usually means that you have to be at a certain level, good enough to be accepted. Most new people, and those who just want to get in shape are going to have that 'team' mental barrier. Even a lot of former USA swimmers will probably have that same mental block, knowing that USA swimming is a lot nore competetive than Masters.
I think we have a lot of information available, but the way it's being presented to the 'outside world - the potential new members' needs a face lift when it comes to the look, feel and the terminology to make it more effective.
Originally posted by LindsayNB
As Connie also points out some of the things we are talking about here might work best if multiple committees worked together, and of course working with the clubs is also important. I personally think that providing information about the benefits of coached group environments would be beneficial to someone just getting started, so I don't view it as purely a marketing issue. I just think it would be a GoodThing(TM) for everyone if this aspect were covered more extensively in the getting started section.
I agree. The getting started articles are great, but they are good for those who are in clubs already, and have already been convinced to join (at least the club).
Also, when I first came to the website, I was looking for information about 'training' not fitness, because when yu come from a non-swimming woirld, when you go to the gym, when you work out, run, bike, lift weights, whatever you're doing to 'get fit', what you do is TRAIN. In fitness section a lay person would expect to see articles and information on why swimming is good for you. In training I was looking for ways to start training.
Then, there is places to swim... It's a grat tool, but when you use it it desn't really hit you in the face that you are best off looking for an active Masters club to join, it gives you a list of places to swim.
Also, nowhere does it really impress on people that even though your'e talking about teams and clubs, you don't have to 'make the team' to come and swim. To a lay oerson "team' usually means that you have to be at a certain level, good enough to be accepted. Most new people, and those who just want to get in shape are going to have that 'team' mental barrier. Even a lot of former USA swimmers will probably have that same mental block, knowing that USA swimming is a lot nore competetive than Masters.
I think we have a lot of information available, but the way it's being presented to the 'outside world - the potential new members' needs a face lift when it comes to the look, feel and the terminology to make it more effective.
