Mr Goodsmith:
You bring up some valid points but from my experience at international meets the other FINA member nations and there swimmers who represent them don't feel that way. By the way it was my international friends that said USMS appears to be Imperialist, Controlling, Superior, and a Decisive Power regarding this behavior not I. It was my perception that most in USMS did not think this was appropriate. Now there was no USMS or FINA rules violations and it was perfectly legal but the question of ethics and intent of doing this was what was questioned. Points 1 and 2 seem valid points in your thoughts. Point 3, I am not so sure about.
The FINA World Masters Swimming Championships are a different set up than the FINA World Swimming Championships. Individuals swimmers do not go or compete as a single delegation and its not restricted to the fastest swimmers qualifing for the meet from a single delegation. Until the last couple of Masters World Championships there were not qualifing times and it was open to anyone who was a member of a FINA member delegation.
Rob brought up the MGR 3 rule and I will add that the only difference between the way we run USMS Nationals and the FINA World Masters Swimming Championships are run, as far as eligibility is concerned, is that you can't swim Unattached at the world meet and you must swim for a club. So you swim for that Club you would at Nationals and not Team USA like the National Team does. From my understanding, FINA discourages National teams for masters swimming and wants you to swim for the club that you represent in National competition. They do not look at this like the Olympics and they don't have the same guidelines that the Olympic teams with the swimmers and coaches follow
I see nothing wrong with your points 1 and 2 because most of the people you are talking about live in your LMSC and are part of your team or super team as some have referred. In fact I know about Team Rhodenbaugh and I saw the article in Swim magazine about Mook and how he got the family together for the Nationals in Indy in 2004. And Rowdy is always a welcome presence at our meets and I am glad you got him to swim on your relay at Nationals when you guys broke the National Record at 1:24.05. In fact I had the honor of having lunch with the man at the World Championship trials and we talked about you and your evil twin. Just to show you how humble Rowdy is, he said he hoped he did a good enough relay lead off towards the record. Fine gentleman and I have been holding myself back because on the other posts they were knocking him as a TV comentator. I think he is one of the best if not the best in the business. His longtivity speaks for itself.
Its point 3 that people will question. Having people leave their local teams who they work out with day after day, year after year, will have people upset about forming a National team. If everyone does this nationwide it will hurt the local teams trying to form relays for the World meet. This is what people object to. There is no scoring or medal counts so relays would be the thing people would be upset about. I was asked by my foreign friends to name one foreign country that practiced what was done in the USA and I couldn't name any.
About the only way this would be acceptable to the masses is for FINA to run the World Masters Championships like the Worlds in Montreal and Spain in 2003. Have teams from member delegations and not by clubs. Then I think the controversy would go a way.
Mr Goodsmith:
You bring up some valid points but from my experience at international meets the other FINA member nations and there swimmers who represent them don't feel that way. By the way it was my international friends that said USMS appears to be Imperialist, Controlling, Superior, and a Decisive Power regarding this behavior not I. It was my perception that most in USMS did not think this was appropriate. Now there was no USMS or FINA rules violations and it was perfectly legal but the question of ethics and intent of doing this was what was questioned. Points 1 and 2 seem valid points in your thoughts. Point 3, I am not so sure about.
The FINA World Masters Swimming Championships are a different set up than the FINA World Swimming Championships. Individuals swimmers do not go or compete as a single delegation and its not restricted to the fastest swimmers qualifing for the meet from a single delegation. Until the last couple of Masters World Championships there were not qualifing times and it was open to anyone who was a member of a FINA member delegation.
Rob brought up the MGR 3 rule and I will add that the only difference between the way we run USMS Nationals and the FINA World Masters Swimming Championships are run, as far as eligibility is concerned, is that you can't swim Unattached at the world meet and you must swim for a club. So you swim for that Club you would at Nationals and not Team USA like the National Team does. From my understanding, FINA discourages National teams for masters swimming and wants you to swim for the club that you represent in National competition. They do not look at this like the Olympics and they don't have the same guidelines that the Olympic teams with the swimmers and coaches follow
I see nothing wrong with your points 1 and 2 because most of the people you are talking about live in your LMSC and are part of your team or super team as some have referred. In fact I know about Team Rhodenbaugh and I saw the article in Swim magazine about Mook and how he got the family together for the Nationals in Indy in 2004. And Rowdy is always a welcome presence at our meets and I am glad you got him to swim on your relay at Nationals when you guys broke the National Record at 1:24.05. In fact I had the honor of having lunch with the man at the World Championship trials and we talked about you and your evil twin. Just to show you how humble Rowdy is, he said he hoped he did a good enough relay lead off towards the record. Fine gentleman and I have been holding myself back because on the other posts they were knocking him as a TV comentator. I think he is one of the best if not the best in the business. His longtivity speaks for itself.
Its point 3 that people will question. Having people leave their local teams who they work out with day after day, year after year, will have people upset about forming a National team. If everyone does this nationwide it will hurt the local teams trying to form relays for the World meet. This is what people object to. There is no scoring or medal counts so relays would be the thing people would be upset about. I was asked by my foreign friends to name one foreign country that practiced what was done in the USA and I couldn't name any.
About the only way this would be acceptable to the masses is for FINA to run the World Masters Championships like the Worlds in Montreal and Spain in 2003. Have teams from member delegations and not by clubs. Then I think the controversy would go a way.
