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
:)
Question: Would you rather swim with a dedicated triathlete or a swimmer who consistently arrives at workout late, rarely does the assigned set, and frequently demands the coach’s undivided attention to do a roll start timed 50?
I've swum with both. I'll pick Ande (choice B?) any day.
depends on what you consider a "dedicated triathlete". if dedicated equates to the typical gung-ho tri (i.e. all free and lots of toys), then i'm with gull...
Fort:
I agree. For TRIs the distances should be set closer to one third of the expected finish time. For example: an Ironman is run (by pros) ~12 hours. So the distances should be for what an average athlete would do. That's around 80 miles on the bike, still 26.2 miles for the run and a 6.5 miles swim. In a typical sprint (even for me): its 10 minutes in the water, 45 minutes on the bike, and 20 minutes for the run (assuming .3 mile/13 miles/ 3.1 miles) Better would be .9 mile/10 miles/6.2 miles.
Back home in Florida, I saw individuals doing all four stroke at the beach. There's no reason you can't have OW IMs. You just need a race track. The Strangeman Du is: 400M OW swim, 2 mile run (beach), 400m OW swim, and a 2 mile run to the finish. No reason you couldn't do something like this and specify the stroke.
From the USMS website: "United States Masters Swimming (USMS) is a national organization that provides organized workouts, competitions, clinics and workshops for adults aged 18 and over. Programs are open to all adult swimmers (fitness, triathlete, competitive, non-competitive) who are dedicated to improving their fitness through swimming……. All USMS programs are designed to help swimmers improve fitness and/or train for specific goals, and offer active support for a healthy lifestyle through friendship, and camaraderie."
Having read a number of the 245 posts on this thread (and seeing this theme numerous other times), I am shocked at the majority’s poor opinion of triathletes. It appears this opinion is the opposite of the USMS mission. Not much friendship or camaraderie here.
Question: Would you rather swim with a dedicated triathlete or a swimmer who consistently arrives at workout late, rarely does the assigned set, and frequently demands the coach’s undivided attention to do a roll start timed 50?
Question: Would you rather swim with a dedicated triathlete or a swimmer who consistently arrives at workout late, rarely does the assigned set, and frequently demands the coach’s undivided attention to do a roll start timed 50?
Depends on which one looks really hot in her speedo.
Rob Jones- USMS is an inclusive organisation, as is the Canadian Masters, to which I belong. This is a thread in a discussion forum where people feel free to express opinions (just like in a democracy) which, as long as they steer clear of certain well understood limitations, which they do, often with a satirical brush. What is expressed here is far milder, in general, than what is said elsewhere about noodlers, by the way. Or mulish lap swimmers etc. Don't take it seriously, or if you do, send all indignant messages to the originator of this thread, a renowned gadfly and igniter of roaring blazes.
I fell off my bike into a shrub yesterday in front of my daughters, who then cried and put Barbie bandaids on my scraped up arm.
I am, therefore, reconsidering this whole triathlete thing.
Just like I tell smokers and drunks....nobody likes a quitter.
Question: Would you rather swim with a dedicated triathlete or a swimmer who consistently arrives at workout late, rarely does the assigned set, and frequently demands the coach’s undivided attention to do a roll start timed 50?
I've swum with both. I'll pick Ande (choice B?) any day.
bwa ha ha ... I am the evil pool scum you call triathlete ... I and my kind will infest your waters ... and there is nothing you can do to stop us ... bwahaha BWAHAHA
Except swim strokes other than free and watch you move to the noodling lane and cry.
bwa ha ha ... I am the evil pool scum you call triathlete ... I and my kind will infest your waters ... and there is nothing you can do to stop us ... bwahaha BWAHAHA
