Are Triathletes worth the dues they pay toward Masters Swimming?
I say we force all Triathletes to spend one day a week in the sprint lane, one day a week doing stroke (i.e. IM) work, and then make them focus on their starts and turns.
This invasion needs to be controlled.... :-)
John Smith
:)
I swam in a place where many of the swimmers' only focus was the La Jolla Roughwater swim. They trained all year for it. Granted, they always did well in it, but I got irked when they would put on their paddles and do nothing but freestyle on stroke day. Even worse, they would not show up for the only day specified as distance free day!
As for triathletes, I have respect for them, but I've always been one to say that even though swimming is an individual sport, it is a team effort in workout. Unless you have the glory of swimming in your own lane all the time (as I once did), you have to do what everyone else is doing. If we're doing 12x50 and not 6x100. If the whole lane is doing 200 IMs, don't do 300s free.
The swimming part is probably the only time they have to contend with other people, so they don't really know what it's like.
I swam in a place where many of the swimmers' only focus was the La Jolla Roughwater swim. They trained all year for it. Granted, they always did well in it, but I got irked when they would put on their paddles and do nothing but freestyle on stroke day. Even worse, they would not show up for the only day specified as distance free day!
As for triathletes, I have respect for them, but I've always been one to say that even though swimming is an individual sport, it is a team effort in workout. Unless you have the glory of swimming in your own lane all the time (as I once did), you have to do what everyone else is doing. If we're doing 12x50 and not 6x100. If the whole lane is doing 200 IMs, don't do 300s free.
The swimming part is probably the only time they have to contend with other people, so they don't really know what it's like.
