I realize this thread will create a lot of controversy.
Over the past five years I have worked very hard to develop clubs and increase membership in USMS. The very fabric of my work and others in this area is building relationships and comradairre within the LMSC and or Club. Small clubs and large teams are proud of their "elite" swimmers and boast of their successes. With this said, it is very disturbing to me as I read through the FINA World Championships Physch Sheets to see the number of elite swimmers "jumping ship" to other clubs to swim on "elite" relays. If USMS had "Team USMS" I would have no problem with everyone coming together for a team effort. I don't have a problem with four guys coming together who swam in college using the Worlds as reunion of sorts. Where I have problem is the swimmer or swimmers who have been a member of a club or LMSC for years and because of individual egos leaves his team. What this says to me is our "elite" swimmers ego is more important than his or her club. How do you think the other 3 swimmers who normally swims on the relay with the "elite" swimmer feels. We are good enough througout the year, however we are not good enough for the Worlds. Instead of swimming for his or her club so all members of the club can be proud of the "elite" swimmers accomplishments, it is more important to this swimmer he or she represent someone else at the Worlds for personal gratification. If the relay team does win and breaks a WR the record does not show USMS as the record holder, but the name of a club the swimmer transferred too.... what a shame...
It is regretable I bring up this discussion, but it tears at the very fabric of the USMS mission regarding building club or LMSC relationships...I realize what these swimmers are doing is within the rules.. I just think it is wrong.
Mel
Parents
Former Member
For interest, this is how it works in the UK.
You can be a member of as many clubs as you want at the same time, there's no need to jump from one club to the other.
So called "conglomerates" are common here, and exist on different levels. There are people in the armed forces who may train with a local club, but then swim for the Royal Navy, say, in competitions, to have a larger pool of swimmers. At the Worlds, they are swimming as British Armed Forces, to up the numbers even more, combining Royal Navy, Royal Air Force etc.
Another example is Spencer. Spencer is a real club, with training sessions, but they have a lot of members who don't train at any of the club's sessions, and many will train with a local club as well as competing for Spencer at competitions. Spencer was the top scoring club at the GB Masters Championships this year.
Then there are some "clubs" that aren't real clubs, such as Hadrian Masters. There are no Hadrian Masters training sessions, it's a club that exists only to bring swimmers together from other clubs at competitions.
One thing that limits this at the GB Masters is that each club can only enter one team in each age group per relay event, so there is a limit to how many people can join the same club to be in a competitive relay team.
Some people in the UK get upset about conglomerates, most people don't seem to care. As has been articulated already in this thread, the people who get most upset seem to be those who belong to clubs with a large local membership and would have a chance of relay gold if it weren't for the conglomerates.
However, I do feel that it puts swimmers from some countries at a disadvantage if their national rules mean that they can't get together for relays for Worlds in the way that swimmers from other countries can.
For interest, this is how it works in the UK.
You can be a member of as many clubs as you want at the same time, there's no need to jump from one club to the other.
So called "conglomerates" are common here, and exist on different levels. There are people in the armed forces who may train with a local club, but then swim for the Royal Navy, say, in competitions, to have a larger pool of swimmers. At the Worlds, they are swimming as British Armed Forces, to up the numbers even more, combining Royal Navy, Royal Air Force etc.
Another example is Spencer. Spencer is a real club, with training sessions, but they have a lot of members who don't train at any of the club's sessions, and many will train with a local club as well as competing for Spencer at competitions. Spencer was the top scoring club at the GB Masters Championships this year.
Then there are some "clubs" that aren't real clubs, such as Hadrian Masters. There are no Hadrian Masters training sessions, it's a club that exists only to bring swimmers together from other clubs at competitions.
One thing that limits this at the GB Masters is that each club can only enter one team in each age group per relay event, so there is a limit to how many people can join the same club to be in a competitive relay team.
Some people in the UK get upset about conglomerates, most people don't seem to care. As has been articulated already in this thread, the people who get most upset seem to be those who belong to clubs with a large local membership and would have a chance of relay gold if it weren't for the conglomerates.
However, I do feel that it puts swimmers from some countries at a disadvantage if their national rules mean that they can't get together for relays for Worlds in the way that swimmers from other countries can.
