Hi again and thanks for the welcoming comments in my other thread.
Of course after lurking a few weeks, I've got to jump in with a splash, posting a bunch of times in a single day! ;)
But thought this should be a separate thread: I'm planning on two meets in the next few weeks.
1. Senior Games 50 yd freestyle. This one's iffy b/c so far I haven't received the entry form, yet it's generally held around mid-June.
2. A master's meet at the Upper Main Line Y on 6/19. (I'm from the Philly area.) I plan to do the 50 free in that one too.
Here are my questions:
1. Two things I know I need to work on: the dive and the flip turn.
Dive: The coach told me he'd help me w/ the dive next session. I know basically how to dive, just wondering if there are any additional tricks to diving off the starting block.
Flip turn: The flip turn's coming along--as in, I can now SOMETIMES manage to get a decent semblance of a flip turn. (Sometimes what I get is ... a flip gone all wrong. I tend to want to do the flip too far from the wall.) In the second of the two meets, the pool is 50 yards, but in the first, I'm pretty sure it's 25 yards. I'm wondering if it's better simply to do an open turn when racing unless I feel very confident in the flip turn.
2. Obviously in a 50 yard freestyle, I'll never be more than 50 yards behind anyone, BUT so far the best time in workouts (without diving, 26 yard pool, open turns) has been 55. That's definitely not going to put me right up there in the running for hardware, but is it going to leave me so far in the back as to have officials looking impatiently at their hour glasses and reading all of War and Peace while they're waiting for me to finish? ;) Is it possible that simply the dive into the pool and the race day adrenaline will shorten this time? (Also, I suppose doing 5x50 is a bit of a different experience than simply concentrating all one's efforts into a single one.)
I'm not afraid to finish last. Someone has to and I have experience (going to masters' track meets and getting clobbered, but competing mainly w/ myself anyway). But it would be nice to at least be in the mix for second-to-last place. ;)
Bottom line...I'm still willing to try it b/c I figure nothing that happens in the pool either time is likely to be fatal. I'm healthy and there are a lot of ppl who wait and don't try things, afraid of looking foolish, then have regrets if they lose their health. Still, any tips that will help me do the best I can (not worried about others) will help!
Parents
Former Member
I have two simple rules for swim meets:
1. Don't get injured
2. Don't get DQ'd (disqualified)
After that it is all gravy.
#1 you can pretty well determine your limit for yourself.
#2 is pretty much common sense in freestyle (where pretty much anything goes except an improper start), but if you are doing anything but that it is a good idea to brush up on the rules. The "mini rule book" link (near the bottom of the "On line viewing version" list) is a good place to start.
http://www.usms.org/rules/
I once saw someone DQ'd because their goggles got dislocated on the start and they used one hand to rip them off. "Failure to recover the arms simultaneously" (or something like that) was the cited rule infraction (I believe it was a butterfly event, either that or breaststroke). I've also seen people get nailed for improper backstroke finishes (or turns), especially in transitions on IM's. And I've seen people nailed for not using a two-hand touch on breaststroke turns (or finishes). False starts can get thrown out of a race too. Just be sure you remain motionless after you "take your mark", and be prepared for the starter to say "stand up" instead of sounding the start (which they will do if they detect any motion on the blocks after "take your mark"). My only DQ (so far) has been when I did back and *** out of order in my very first IM. Boy! Talk about embarrassing. After that I "got smart" and started checking the rule book, which is a lot easier now since it is on-line.
USMS has this article on "My First Meet" that you may find useful:
www.usms.org/.../articledisplay.php
The web I do for the Southern LMSC includes a similar page as well as some other newcomer friendly pages. At least my plan is to make the site newcomer friendly, I've not really gotten any feedback on it so far, so I don't know for sure yet if the work I've done is actually on target. (I already know I tend to be wordy.) Try starting with:
www.southernmastersswimming.org/your-first-meet.html
and go from there.
I have two simple rules for swim meets:
1. Don't get injured
2. Don't get DQ'd (disqualified)
After that it is all gravy.
#1 you can pretty well determine your limit for yourself.
#2 is pretty much common sense in freestyle (where pretty much anything goes except an improper start), but if you are doing anything but that it is a good idea to brush up on the rules. The "mini rule book" link (near the bottom of the "On line viewing version" list) is a good place to start.
http://www.usms.org/rules/
I once saw someone DQ'd because their goggles got dislocated on the start and they used one hand to rip them off. "Failure to recover the arms simultaneously" (or something like that) was the cited rule infraction (I believe it was a butterfly event, either that or breaststroke). I've also seen people get nailed for improper backstroke finishes (or turns), especially in transitions on IM's. And I've seen people nailed for not using a two-hand touch on breaststroke turns (or finishes). False starts can get thrown out of a race too. Just be sure you remain motionless after you "take your mark", and be prepared for the starter to say "stand up" instead of sounding the start (which they will do if they detect any motion on the blocks after "take your mark"). My only DQ (so far) has been when I did back and *** out of order in my very first IM. Boy! Talk about embarrassing. After that I "got smart" and started checking the rule book, which is a lot easier now since it is on-line.
USMS has this article on "My First Meet" that you may find useful:
www.usms.org/.../articledisplay.php
The web I do for the Southern LMSC includes a similar page as well as some other newcomer friendly pages. At least my plan is to make the site newcomer friendly, I've not really gotten any feedback on it so far, so I don't know for sure yet if the work I've done is actually on target. (I already know I tend to be wordy.) Try starting with:
www.southernmastersswimming.org/your-first-meet.html
and go from there.
