Recruiting

Not my department, but I will try to remember to pass the thoughts along to our National Sponsors Liaison, and our Ad Sales Director. Knowing them, they are probably already working to achieve those ideals. The funny thing about Paul's message is that in reality, ad sales significantly exceeded expectations this year -- and the term "significantly" is probably a huge understatement. ...and that's all I'm really prepared to say on the subject at this point...look for more information in the post-convention reports. Bill Originally posted by Paul Smith Bill, love the new rag but look at your sponoors (look hard to find them)? Great work on the one hand, but man if you came to my fortune 500 company and I saw your demographic but how little representaton you we're giving advertisers I wouldn't be to keen. There are far more experienced PR/Marketing types on this foum than me......what say you folks?

Boy, that was some subtley there, kudos. I'll try to read between the lines next time to get the real meaning. You have to understand that some of us have no interest whatsoever in this beurocratic, administrative or marketing side of USMS. It's not a USMS membership requirement. Some of us desire the grand total of our USMS experience to be paying our dues, swimming with fellow swimmers and attending meets (and posting on this beloved forum). We pay our dues so that the folks who run USMS can do the "dirty work." If the dues are insufficient, then raise them as one of the Smiths said. Sorry, I can't differentiate between good and bad Smith. I think it's great that some want to evangelize about swimming. A little humor injected won't kill you, or maybe it will. As to the whole reactionary comment about MBNA. When the suggestion was made to sell our membership rolls, who do you think would be the first to buy it? I'm moving into Cruise's pad in Canada. At least he sees humor and likes beer.

I not sure if everyone hear wants to get back on topic or talking about Marketing which should maybe be directed to another thread. In the last couple of days I went back and went through my swimming archives and found the information I was referring to back in 1988. Bill Volckening made some references to what I stated even though he did not get involved on the National level until he first went to the convention in 1999. Things had changed considerably since 1988 and my intention was to give an example of what happened and how people perceived it. Its been so long ago I don't think anyone wants to make a trip down memory lane and discuss this. That's fine and Peter Cruise did mention some of the feedback at the meet about it. I am not surprised others from that time period not wanting to talk about it. I will bring to the USAS convention all the documentation that I have on this from the meetings at the conventions during the Tom Boak and Dan Gruender administrations if people want me to so that the statements I made are not misleading, imflamatory, and non factual. I was ready for the onslaught of attacks against what I stated so I have been compiling the information that I have and will be glad to share it with everyone attending. I did this two years ago when someone questioned the information I provided about Matt Biondi so I am used to doing this. The example I provided was rare and people like the Smith's, Jeff Commings, and Mark Gill have made some positive suggestions for improvement of the current way FINA has individual and clubs enter to a delegation entry. Like I said before I never heard anything from the leadership of USMS or organizations such as MSI and MACA that saw anything positive out of these actions. The article that John Lohn wrote in Swim Magazine that Bill was referring to were things I never heard of or referenced back in 1988. Even with those actions true, I felt the elite recruiting that went on accross the country to field the best possible team was wrong and not consistent with the goals and objectives of USMS back then and even now. I also said to Mr. Goodsmith that the points that he made about recruiting in his area were above board and that his intentions are good. I think its great that he can get somebody that he swam with when he was in the 11-12 age group and I hope he gets someone from Arkron Firestone HS from the late 1970's and early 1980's. I talked with Paul Smith at the convention in 2003 and I mentioned to him how seeing Bruce Stahal swim again would be great and mentioned he should get Paul Goodrich also. I will leave with a commentary by Dr. Phillip Whitten during his review of the largest master swim meet at that time, the 2nd MSI/FINA World Masters Swimming Championships in Brisbane, Australia taken from Swim Magazine in Jan/Feb 1989. "While the World Championships were run smoothly and efficiently, the meet was not with out controversey. Most noteworthy was the raging debate over the Holmes Lumber Jax, a "superteam " that totally dominated the relay events. Tiger Holmes created a team consisting largely of the top American swimmers throughout the United States. Some of these swimmers received financial assistance from the innovative programs Holmes developed to underwrite the cost of the trip." "Despite the best of motives, in the view of many Tiger Holmes had created a monster. Swimmers, coaches, and officials from throughout the world objected strongly to the Holmes concept, arguing that it was unfair and it was a move in the direction of professionalism and the creation of national teams. At the 1990 World Championships in Rio, the Brazilians have limited each club to only one relay per event. Other suggestions include requiring a swimmer to compete unattached for a year before being allowed to switch clubs."

Sam.....very well spoken (typed)! Geek....once again another post without a single suggestion. Here's a "big idea"....sorry geek if its "realistic" and "relevant" and involves an Olympian from 30 years ago: I just spoke with Rowdy about some of the ideas John and I are working on and he wants to bring the same Toyota (OK so its not Mercedes) sponsored clinic to Denver that USS has been doing for age group kids and recently did at masters nationals. Becuase of the sponsorship by Toyota Rowdy and Dara Torres (another "old" Olympian) will be giving a free clinic to masters swimmers in our region......a very nice gesture and "benefit" of working with someone bigger and outside the tradtional swimming sponosors USMS has. Trust me that we will notify the local tv and newspapers and try and tie this back into a benefit of being registered in our sport. Go ahead geek.....shoot his down and throw in some humor without contributing something!

Originally posted by Paul Smith I just spoke with Rowdy about some of the ideas John and I are working on Name dropper. I don't have any ideas, I tried to tell you that. Hopefully, you are getting your membership for free or at a drastically reduced rate for all your good, bad or evil work. Your name and face frequent our publication so maybe you are getting a cut of the proceeds, who knows, I'll investigate. You could always pay the estate of Johnny Weismuller for his likeness in an advertising campaign since we apparently have an unwritten rule to only use older swimmers in our new and improved marketing approach. Now, there's you idea, and free of charge.

Paul/John I really respect and appreciate your comments and ideas (for what it's worth). As you can see from this lack of quailty ideas and responses so far, this organization is very myopic. I also have been to one convention and agree with your perception Paul on the efficiency or lack thereof! We seem to complain and argue about the same topics on here time and time again. My small view of this is that people want to grow this sport, they just don't want more than 4 people in their lane so it doesn't impede their workout. Heaven forbid we get people in our lanes that actually use buoys, paddles, fins, etc. (read this as the evil triathlete), but y'all know as well as I do, if something isn't done to increase the visibility of our sport, it will die on the vine. The promotion is crucial and I for the life of me don't understand why more people won't embrace more ideas than fliers and magazines that only reach the immediate group. Instead we get obnoxious reactionary comments about "selling names to MBNA" as response to a legitimate discussion. I don't know if anyone else has noticed, but I certainly have, swimming is featured now on more commercials than I have ever seen. It seems like more and more drug companies, health clubs and the like are having swimmers swim during some sort of voice over. Usually their form is atrocious, but that's a whole other story. We should be reaching out to those companies who are already featuring swimming in their ads and show them USMS and what we do. If it crowds the lanes, great just more people for me to draft off of. I have a great amount of sales, presentation and marketing experience in what I do and stand to help in whatever way I can. I just don't believe it is efficient to go to convention, form 5 sub-committees, and discuss it for 3 years each September what to do. I am a believer in action. Let's stop the snide comments and offer real suggestions.

Originally posted by Peter Cruise Connie- referring to earlier misunderstanding with Skip: problem is, you're just out of practise in dealing with with misleading, inflammatory & non-factual statements 'cause we've had no VO2Max 'contributions' *Slapping forehead* How could I have forgotten. I need to sharpen my claws... I shoulod recruit a scratch post ;)

Connie's back!! I really don't know if we'll have any success trying to generate interest in a clinic with former Olympians either, but my point is that if enough of us stand up and scream loud enough the media may at some point start to listen! As for a USMS funded commercial I never considered that viable, rather a sponsor using swimming (and paying) in its commercials benefits both parties. USMS has a small registered group of particpants, however swimming is still the sport with the largest participation in the US (world?) and our group has money and spends it. Also I look at our lack of attracting more membership as an oppurtnity and a challenge....like trying to beat John in the 50 and the only way to succeed is to critically exam how we do things.

Will the clinic be open to Masters swimmers from other parts of the country? We drive a Toyota Highlander, by the way.

Peter, I'm all for th humor but sometimes its right at the edge. When that happens during a discussion where some people are really looking to try and problem solve it's be nice to hear some ideas rather than always sit back and throw hand grenades!