Originally posted by TheGoodSmith
Geek,
I keep telling you..... there's this weird division of fitness vs. elite swimmers that argue the value of USMS and its ultimate goal. This cover exemplifies this point.
John Smith
Pigeon80 has seen the light and is turning to noodling. I'm the ultimate beneficiary, he's selling me his Speedo FSII at a sizeable discount. Floatation belts are cheap and come with coffee cups and conceirge services.
I still don't understand why there has to be any division between fitness and competition. There's no division on any team I've ever been on that has both. But, I see you are trying to hijack gull's thread and get your thread back on track to be most controversial, clever but not clever enough. Consult Cruise on clever ploys, he's the master.
Craig, Lainey,
Please just one more step in moving this conversation to some really new and productive territory.
Lainey: what could USMS offer you, someone who does laps and water aerobics on her own, that would be worth your membership fee? Please, think big and really, really radical. We live in an IT enriched world where video clips and training manuals can be dispatched around the world at almost the speed of light. High quality, desk top publishing (i.e. one at a time as needed rather than a print run of hundreds or thousands at a time that then have to maintained on stock, or reprinted as necessary) is a reality, if not old hat. And that is just the IT side. Please, tell me why you love the water, what would make you love it more, what would get your friends jazzed about it enough to join you, and what could USMS do to make that happen?
Here's why we competitive swimmers get what we want from USMS: we know what we want. We want organized workouts and fun, competitive swim meets. We're easy to plan for. We pretty much want things just the way they are and really only argue about what aspect of what USMS offers should be emphasized over the others. On the flip side, what we want does not have much appeal outside of our ranks. What spectator really wants to watch heat after indistinguishable heat of the 400 IM or the 200 free? What beginning swimmer really wants to sign up for a life-long career of getting dusted at USMS Nationals, swimming his/her heart out to finish 37th out of 41?
Craig, you're the first to suggest something really outside of our box at USMS. Please do tell, what is it about the crew magazine that draws non-rowers to read it? That draws advertisers to sell non-rowing related merchandise? What are they doing to make their sport "interesting"?
Craig and Lainey, I'm hoping that if I can toss the two of you into bed with each other (figuratively speaking) my hope is that we can get some new (other than a really disturbing visual image for your respective spouses).
If there are any other enthusiasts out there with some insights, please do share what makes your sport "popular." The appeal of triathloning has always puzzled me, or at least the self-evident fact that triathloning is so much more popular than competitive swimming. In terms of buy-in cost and devotion required to be really good, triathloning makes swimming look like a trip to neighborhood brew-pub. So why do so many more people train for and compete in triathloning, and why are their races so much more compelling to watch than one of our meets, and why is the "pro" swimming circuit and opportunities for swimming so laughable compared to what "pro" triathletes already enjoy?
Those who know me know that I am into historical miniatures (i.e. toy soldiers, ships and planes). I will think on our hobby and get back to you. Others, please do the same.
Matt
Originally posted by aquageek
Man, do I know that feeling, do I ever...
Please! Who took the crown for the 500 Free race with Gull again???
Anyhow, triathloning gets more coverage because it involves three sports. It attracts people who might only run, might only bike, and maybe a few who only swim (especially open water swimmers I suspect). Swimming is just swimming. That's all...nothing else. It is quite boring to the average viewer. In a tri race you have changing scenery due to the fact that it is outdoors and the contestants are actually traveling someplace with the labors of their skeletal and cardiac muscle tissue. I am not certain but another aspect of tri racing is that the contestant can be seen, actually his face can be seen during all but the swimming portion. The crowd or TV viewers can see the effort, stress, pain that is being experienced by the athlete. Lastly, there is the marketing portion of the whole sport. Bicycles are something that most everybody can operate and with a little help can probably operate quite well. They can also be used right from your front door. Same goes for running. The latest and greatest running shoes can be had and used by the average Joe who watched a tri race yesterday afternoon on TV. Swimming does not offer the same advantages. If you don't already swim what are the odds that watching a meet is going to drive you to start swimming? Probably not as great as those of the tri race. I could be way off base here but these are my initial responses/knee jerk reactions to the question posed above.
Originally posted by scyfreestyler
Bicycles are something that most everybody can operate and with a little help can probably operate quite well.
You could say the same thing about noodles, for that matter.
Matt S, thank you for asking. I will think about posting a reply. However, I have, on several occasions proposed what I thought was most needed for newbies and have consistently been told that it was unrealistic. Maybe not in those words, but that was the gist of it. (my feeling is that it isn't so much of a can't, because as you point out technology allows many things that weren't possible in the past, as a don't want) So, do I want to spend the time writing a response only to have it shot down again?
Lainey
Geek,
I keep telling you..... there's this weird division of fitness vs. elite swimmers that argue the value of USMS and its ultimate goal. This cover exemplifies this point.
John Smith
I think the magazine in question should feature that picture of the Geek in his bikini that has surfaced several times in this forum to near-universal acclaim. A cover shot like that would surely unite the competition and fitness elements in a shared peristaltic moment.
Lainey, I recognize that you are more serious than some of us, but I can only recall one person who flat-out didn't listen to you (or anyone else) & your ideas/suggestions. I think the general tone of the forums has improved since the 'return to civility' and I feel that humour can be both an illumination & a stress-release besides being on occasion downright annoying.
The reason that triathlon is popular and that swimming is not is that there is the notion that one can compete in a triathlon and not be very fast, and it is still ok. You will have a ton of other not very fast people to finish 20th out of 30 with you. And if you work hard at triathlon without any coaching (at least in the biking and running) you will get faster and beat more people. Many people find this rewarding. That's because it sucks to ALWAYS finish last no matter how hard you work.
By contrast, swimming requires skill. Usually years and years of it. And coaching on a consistent basis helps a lot too. Picking it up as an adult is difficult and embarassing because you look like an idiot doing it and you know it. And you can work at it for years and still never be as good as someone who did it as a kid. The same cannot be said for biking or running.
And speaking as someone who finished last in her age group in most of her events at her last meet (although to look at me swim, most assume that I swam in high school), I can tell you that it can be difficult to remind yourself that you are competing against people who have years of experience and coaching behind them (compared to your 1 or 2), and focus on the fact that you improved your time for your 100 free by 10 seconds. Most adults aren't going to want to do something with so little payoff.
