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
:)
Originally posted by aquageek
Can anyone explain to me why swimming a 2000 with a pull buoy and paddles is proper training for a triathlon swim event? Can you wear a pull buoy and paddles in a triathlon?
I'm going to go off-topic briefly and amend that comment:
Can anyone explain to me why swimming a 2000 with a pull buoy and paddles is proper training for a swimming race? Can you wear a pull buoy and paddles in a meet?
Nope.
In the past two years with our coach we've had one set of 300 yards in which we were told to pull. My pull buoy is suffering from dry rot, I have to oil it every six months to maintain it's structural integrity.
Oh, cmon, 330man, can't we have a little fun here?
I freely admit to my tri friends, when they are not abadoning their families for their 4 X daily obsessive workouts, that I couldn't ride a bike to the corner and couldn't run to my mailbox.
Height of hypocricy, that's a little much for some casual ribbing.
Well,......... since they are really just visitors to the sport of competitive swimming, I suppose we should treat them as such.
Place them in an end lane with a mind numbing pace set and turn our attention to the rest of the people interested in the entire sport.
John Smith
..a newbie here, but I couldn't resist....
From a business perspective, triathletes support masters teams that may or may not be able to make it without them. We need 'em.
From a swimmer's perspective, Triathletes may seem "one dimensional", self-centered or even anti-social (come on..swimming IS a social sport isn't it?). Maybe there's a little jealousy here - I think a lot of us wish we could do the "other two" like we swim.
From a coaching perspective, triatheletes are unique animals that bring a different intensity that can be welcome in a workout evironment. So they wear paddles ("beat 'em"); so they only swim freestyle ("beat 'em at breastroke"); so they run 10K at lunch ("join em and beat 'em for the first 2 miles"). It all adds a different flavor to a pool environment and perhaps a fun mental challenge for long-time swimmers.
In my former life, I've had the unique priviledge to coach an Ironman champion and the 2001 USMS swimmer of the year in the same workouts. Sure the triathletes ("all this stroke") and the swimmers ("all they do is freestyle") grumbled; but the coexisted quite well in separate lanes in the same pool. As Betsy stated, it's about proper workout management - that's the coach's responsibility.
Both types of athletes are unique racehorses and I offer that each provide an opportunity for motivation and inspiration that crosses disciplines. Viva La Difference! I say.
Jeff,
I am so glad you made that comment. I was tempted to say that this thread is the height of hipocrisy. Oops, there it went. Anyhow, don't you all think that triathletes think that we are missing out on cycling or running? I would imagine they think of themselves as having a more balanced workout. Maybe they are wrong and maybe they are right. Either way it does not really matter. What matters is that we as swimmers should be a bit more tolerant of athletes who choose a different path than we do. Do yourselves and the sport of swimming a favor, welcome athletes from all backgrounds. The more people involved in swimming the better it will be for all of us.
Hey, why all of the contempt for tri guys?
We have some on our team and we all get along great. On my last team, they were all tri people, but the real pains in the @@@ just got their own distance lanes and left us alone.
OK- so they can be a bit cliquey, but they're not so bad. ;)
Why are so many of you such awful, small-minded people. Most people who are members never race in a meet, and there are many who don't do laps. At least most triatheletes do some type of racing!
As far as I know, our membership is open to people who swim. I've never come across any real membeship limitations. Are there any? I think it is terrible that some of you think that you should be able to pick & choose who we should allow into our membership and how they must behave. That is exactly why so many nonswimmers think that swimmers are immature and silly.
Many people I speak with about joining USMS tell me that they see no reason to join the organization becasue it does nothing for them. I frequently wonder why I pay my dues. We are suppose to promote swimming, not putting peole down becaseu they don't fit into what we want them to fit into. Recently, the only guy who has even considered joining is a triathelete.
