Greetings,
Do you surf the USMS web site a lot?
We are seeking a few regular web surfers who enjoy the USMS web site to comment on the various resources on usms.org. We will be highlighting these resources in future issues of SWIMMER magazine.
Right now, we're looking for someone who uses the "Search For Individual Swimmer's Results" database located in the "Competition" section of usms.org. If you use this database to search for results and are willing to respond to a few brief questions, please contact us at:
Editor@usms.org
Happy Surfing!
Bill Volckening
Former Member
Hi Bill,
I'm just posting to alert you to the fact that the 'Individual Results' search tool is a part of the larger context called the 'Current Top Times' - a database that I manage. It is due to the cooperation of swimmers and meet managers nationwide that we have the extensive database that we do at present.
These tools are both meant to give credit to ALL swimmers who participate in USMS recognized and sanctioned meets (nationwide and abroad). As you know, the Top Ten awards are made only to those swimmers who achieve one of the top 10 swims in a particular age group and event. Current Top Times recognizes all swims, whether or not they are in the Top Ten.
It has been my feeling for years that all USMS competitors should have access to their swims, since most train as hard as those who achieve the Top Ten awards. So, for example, if I swim the 100th place time in a particular event, I can find it in either the Current Top Times search or the Individual Results searches.
-- Mel Dyck, Coordinator
USMS Current Top Times Project
Perhaps to reinforce Mel Dyck's feeling, I would like to add this comment:
As I pour over the 2001 usms Membership survey that was done for USMS under Mel Goldstein's lead, in preparation for an up to date survey, I am noticing that there is a siginificant amount of commentary to competition related questions where members are asking about a centralized database and a ranking system for all competing swimmers, rather then just top ten.
I think this may go a long way in demystifying the impression some competitors have, that USMS caters only to the best and the fastest swimmers.
Connie Barrett
USMS Marketing Comittee Chair.
P.S.
Yes, I do use the online times database often, and personally wish all swims were in it as well, for several reasons.
Hi Mel and Connie,
Thank you for the messages, and thank you for offering more information.
The Current Top Times project was covered in the second session of the Communications Committee meeting in Greensboro, North Carolina. Since I attended that meeting, I think I have all the information I need about it. I'll let you know if I need additional details.
The purpose of this thread was to talk to a member at large who may use the USMS Web Site to search for individual results, and we have already completed that task.
Thank you to everyone who responded.
Bill
Connie,
I just finished up a summary of the status of the Current Top Times database that I've sent to Hugh Moore. Bill will have an opportunity to see this shortly since the Communications Committee is having a telcon tomorrow (Current Top Times is under the Communications umbrella).
In the summary, I report on the usage of the Current Top Times, based on visitation record. We are now running at about 800 visits per day, on the average, showing that a significant number of our members really do value the service.
I'd be happy to email you a copy of the summary if you'd like.
-- mel
