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
Frank,
I have noticed in previous discussions here about various types of super teams at Nationals and in discussions in Canada as well that people tend to favor a setup in which "their side" is most likely to win. The big clubs that are most likely to win at Nationals if everyone else also competes on a club basis are the ones that get upset about smaller teams banding together into state teams etc. People from smaller clubs are the most likely to support being able to join up with a larger team. I wonder if the United States would benefit more from a National team approach than most countries due to its larger size? Right now a club from a small country is on a relatively even footing with a club from a larger country excepting that clubs from larger cities have an advantage. Do you think that the rest of the world will want to see nation against nation competition or will they view it sort of like people would view a California team in US national competition?
Personally I don't like unenforceable rules and I think masters swimming would suffer from trying to set up rules that would ensure "real club competition", but I don't think Masters swimming is really about nation against nation competition either. There is a whole lot of baggage that comes with national teams (selection process for example) that just doesn't jibe with the ideals of masters swimming. I think you would get more support outside the US for "open" competition where anyone can form a team than for national teams.
Frank,
I have noticed in previous discussions here about various types of super teams at Nationals and in discussions in Canada as well that people tend to favor a setup in which "their side" is most likely to win. The big clubs that are most likely to win at Nationals if everyone else also competes on a club basis are the ones that get upset about smaller teams banding together into state teams etc. People from smaller clubs are the most likely to support being able to join up with a larger team. I wonder if the United States would benefit more from a National team approach than most countries due to its larger size? Right now a club from a small country is on a relatively even footing with a club from a larger country excepting that clubs from larger cities have an advantage. Do you think that the rest of the world will want to see nation against nation competition or will they view it sort of like people would view a California team in US national competition?
Personally I don't like unenforceable rules and I think masters swimming would suffer from trying to set up rules that would ensure "real club competition", but I don't think Masters swimming is really about nation against nation competition either. There is a whole lot of baggage that comes with national teams (selection process for example) that just doesn't jibe with the ideals of masters swimming. I think you would get more support outside the US for "open" competition where anyone can form a team than for national teams.
