Originally posted by laineybug
Oh and by the way Geek, SAGA (Smocking Arts Guild of America) holds an annual convention every year. We would really love for you to attend and then afterwards go out with the girls and have a glass of wine Please attend so you can really learn what it is all about. I'm sure once you do attend you'll really enjoy it. You'll get to meet so many new interesting people.
You'd be surprised to know my wife and mother-in-law are huge smocker and my kids have closets full of smocked outfits. We gave my mother-in-law a smocking magazine subscription last year and on the cover it had smocking, not a picture of noodlists.
Just out of curiosity, do you shun fast smockers in your group? Do you get different colored needles as you get better? Do you force your association to draw a difference between fast and slow smockers, ones who attend the convention versus those that don't? If not, why not, since that is what you want to for USMS, an organization you don't belong to.
You can take time out of sports. Geek can't see that because of your myoptic club/competition mentality. And yes, maybe being judged on technique might be one way to take time out of the equation. To continue the martial arts thinking, maybe there could be a series of standards (swimming a certain distance in a certain time MIGHT be ONE OF THE STANDARDS at each level because it does show proficiency) a fitness swimmer has to pass to earn the next color suit. But, for goodness sake I hope swimmers who take part in swim meets are not allowed to earn the different levels because they would turn fitness swimming into one big competition. Since you can't seem to open your mind and think outside of the competition mindset I sincerely hope you have nothing to say about how USMS reaches out to fitness swimmers. What ever USMS decides to do it must be developed entirely by fitness swimmers. To ensure that the program is for the fitness swimmer it shoud be developed by fitness swimmer. If a person has ever competed in an USMS meet then they should not be allowed to be on any committee associated with fitness swimming. Right now all I seem to be hearing is we need to get the fitness swimmer involved in some kind of competition in order to reduce the schism between them and the competitive swimmer.
I find it ironic that competitive swimmers understand PB's yet they can not wrap their mind around the fact that is what fitness swimming is about... being your personal best by whatever standard the person sets for him or herself. I know I can't speak for all fitness swimmers, but even an open water competition does not appeal to me. COMPETITION does not need to be apart of fitness swimming.
Lainey
"Sarcasm" "fun" "lighten up" some other items we may need to pull websters out for?!
I'm a bit slow.....can someone show me who other than Ms. Bug who's being intolerant?
Poking fun at? yes. Trying to problem solve? a bit. Inclusive? most of the time from where I sit.
Originally posted by Paul Smith
I'm a bit slow.....can someone show me who other than Ms. Bug who's being intolerant?
OK, I'll tell you who is being intolerant and downright bigotted, and I'm none too happy about it.
First, I know for a fact that gull80 is a coffee bigot. Some may call it snobbish behavior but the way he treats subpar coffee, I'd surely call it bigotry. He's a coffeeist. Any man who chooses hotels based on proximity to Starbucks can only be called a coffee bigot.
Second, Cruise is a beer bigot. For those of us that enjoy the cool refreshing beer from America, he lampoons. With his fancy lables and names that are unpronouncable, he holds himself above those of us who love a regular working man's beer. A beerist if ever I met one.
I say we put an end to the bigots who plague this forum.
Geek you forgot to mention the biggest bigot of all: Evil John-Goodsmith who has NO tolerance what so ever for any non-Longhorn!
Ever since he got his mid life crisis cow tattoo he's become even less tolerant........he kicked us all out of his lane the other day fo not sporting this pathetic animal on one of our body parts.
The jokes on him however.....in his lame attempt to unseat the reigning backstoke God (Clay Britt) next week.....evil smith hit the pool bottom practicing starts and scuffed his poor critter.
Fortunatley with the miracles of modern western medicine he thinks he can have his pet fixed!
I have no desire what so ever to prove to the world I am better than someone else.
As for going to swim meets. I know all about swim meets. I time meets using the colorado systems.
Why should I drive 4 hours to watch a meet that doesn't interest me just to have a beer with swimmers I'll never see again?
I think one key point is illustrated by comparing the popularity of the 100m, 200m, 400m track events versus road races. I suspect that the difference is fundamental and based on what type of exercise most people enjoy and get a sense of well being and accomplishment from. If the running world is any indication most people prefer distance to sprinting. I suspect that most fitness swimmers also think in terms of distance not sprint speed.
Picture a group of 100m and 200m track sprinters on a discussion forum discussing how to get the masses to get involved in track meets and being mystified by why all those masses of fitness runners don't want to join in.
Originally posted by gull80
Geek, go smock yourself.
This is over the line, I'm reporting this post.
And, Smith, what do you have against western medicine?
First, I would like to apologize. I have been informed that the term "noodler" is derogatory and offensive. The correct term is "noodlist."
Second, to paraphrase Lance Armstrong, it's not about the clock. Yes I train and compete. But more importantly, setting goals and targeting specific meets keeps me in the pool every day. As a result, over the past three years I got into great shape and lowered my risk for heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, etc. Face it--two thirds of the population get no form of exercise; of those that do, most do so inconsistently.
myoptic is an adjective that means lack of insight.
Matt S asked for out of the box thinking. Lindsey is the only one so far to offer that. Some competitive swimmers do not realize that should be more to USMS than CLUBS and COMPETITION. Geeks view is myoptic.
If someone wants to compete, compete, I don't care. But if USMS truely wants to embrace fitness swimmers their program should be developed by fitness swimmers for fitness swimmer. Do you see fitness swimmers trying to run the competition aspect of USMS?
Just because it may require more administration, fitness swimmers aren't worthy enough to have a system to validate their their goals? Cost too much? Fitness swimmers could pay to be tested, just as you pay to swim in a meet. Oh, but wait, that might take away some precious USMS funds from competitions. Sorry, I also forgot the SOCIAL aspect of competitions... hum, these tests to move from one level to the next could be held at 'meets' so we could all go out together and party hardy afterwards, but I suppose there wouldn't be enough time at competitive meets to test the fitness swimmers, afterall, it is all about the competition.
Oh and by the way Geek, SAGA (Smocking Arts Guild of America) holds an annual convention every year. We would really love for you to attend and then afterwards go out with the girls and have a glass of wine Please attend so you can really learn what it is all about. I'm sure once you do attend you'll really enjoy it. You'll get to meet so many new interesting people.
Lainey
