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
Rich:
I see nothing wrong with swimming with your son and I think its great that you had the opportunity to do that. And yes that is one positive that are rules allow and I know of many instances of this being done and no one having a problem with it. I will admit that I never heard of the Conglomerate situation in Britan except I have heard of teams in the armed forces forming for championships to compete as a team. I have heard of a cottage system for teams in Britan where there is a main local club that works as a home base and they have other smaller clubs join them in competitions because they work out on there own and have no coaches and don't really have an organzied club like the large clubs or conglomerates as some have called.
As a I mentioned last year in the Recruiting thread all of this controversy came as a result of what happened in 1988 with the forming of Holmes Lumber Jax. That was the first National team that I can remember and it was not looked at favorably to the rest of the other FINA Nations that competed at the World Championships. People had there own reasons for joining and it was perfectly legal like it is today. I know you were a member of that team and you are part of a relay record from 1990 that is still on the books. At one time, Holmes pretty much dominated masters swimming as a Club at both Nationals and World Championships. They had the best team they could assemble based on the incentives that they provided to the swimmers.
To me and to the others this seemed that we were building a National Team and dominating the World Championships on an uneven playing field. The reason is because other teams were not permitted to do this and were discouraged to do this by there National Federations. Rules like swimming Unattached for a year before switching clubs and then swimming Unattached for another year when wanting to switch again really discouraged this practice. Also with USMS being the largest delegation with swimmers and most organized with meets, coaches, and clubs we have a huge advantage to field teams stronger than anyone.
If you recruit the best swimmers in the nation and form a team and relays based on those swimmers, no other FINA nation is going to have a chance at competiting on a level playing field. Thats a major point that other delegations have because even if they wanted to do what we do, they can't so there forced to compete on an unlevel playing field. This alone will always cause a controversy.
Another point is what happens to the LMSC or Club that is left behind in the process. They are forced to have to do the same practice and recruit from other Clubs and LMSC's or field slower relays because all of the faster swimmers left for superior clubs and relays. Is this really what Masters swimming is all about? This to me sounds like free agency when National or World Championships are going on. There is no sense of belonging and representing something and I will just go my own way as an individual.
Rich, you are on a great LMSC team and you guys won the 2005 USMS SCN Championships in Fort Lauderdale and many of the swimmers set National Records. Isn't that enough. Why would some leave a team like yours to go to another after building the comradely and spirt of your group as a team. I applude you for sticking with your team but in the process when you lose great talent you have to aquire great talent to replace what is lost and that seems to be what is going on judging from your roster.
Rich, you are a great swimmer in your own right and will probably always be unless some unforseen thing happens like an injury or something. All great swimmers would want to swim with you and the only way everyone in the World would except it is if we could get FINA to change that rule. There would probably be a lot of obstacles to go about doing it but if it is not tried there is always going to be controversy regarding this.
Rich:
I see nothing wrong with swimming with your son and I think its great that you had the opportunity to do that. And yes that is one positive that are rules allow and I know of many instances of this being done and no one having a problem with it. I will admit that I never heard of the Conglomerate situation in Britan except I have heard of teams in the armed forces forming for championships to compete as a team. I have heard of a cottage system for teams in Britan where there is a main local club that works as a home base and they have other smaller clubs join them in competitions because they work out on there own and have no coaches and don't really have an organzied club like the large clubs or conglomerates as some have called.
As a I mentioned last year in the Recruiting thread all of this controversy came as a result of what happened in 1988 with the forming of Holmes Lumber Jax. That was the first National team that I can remember and it was not looked at favorably to the rest of the other FINA Nations that competed at the World Championships. People had there own reasons for joining and it was perfectly legal like it is today. I know you were a member of that team and you are part of a relay record from 1990 that is still on the books. At one time, Holmes pretty much dominated masters swimming as a Club at both Nationals and World Championships. They had the best team they could assemble based on the incentives that they provided to the swimmers.
To me and to the others this seemed that we were building a National Team and dominating the World Championships on an uneven playing field. The reason is because other teams were not permitted to do this and were discouraged to do this by there National Federations. Rules like swimming Unattached for a year before switching clubs and then swimming Unattached for another year when wanting to switch again really discouraged this practice. Also with USMS being the largest delegation with swimmers and most organized with meets, coaches, and clubs we have a huge advantage to field teams stronger than anyone.
If you recruit the best swimmers in the nation and form a team and relays based on those swimmers, no other FINA nation is going to have a chance at competiting on a level playing field. Thats a major point that other delegations have because even if they wanted to do what we do, they can't so there forced to compete on an unlevel playing field. This alone will always cause a controversy.
Another point is what happens to the LMSC or Club that is left behind in the process. They are forced to have to do the same practice and recruit from other Clubs and LMSC's or field slower relays because all of the faster swimmers left for superior clubs and relays. Is this really what Masters swimming is all about? This to me sounds like free agency when National or World Championships are going on. There is no sense of belonging and representing something and I will just go my own way as an individual.
Rich, you are on a great LMSC team and you guys won the 2005 USMS SCN Championships in Fort Lauderdale and many of the swimmers set National Records. Isn't that enough. Why would some leave a team like yours to go to another after building the comradely and spirt of your group as a team. I applude you for sticking with your team but in the process when you lose great talent you have to aquire great talent to replace what is lost and that seems to be what is going on judging from your roster.
Rich, you are a great swimmer in your own right and will probably always be unless some unforseen thing happens like an injury or something. All great swimmers would want to swim with you and the only way everyone in the World would except it is if we could get FINA to change that rule. There would probably be a lot of obstacles to go about doing it but if it is not tried there is always going to be controversy regarding this.
