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
Fatboy:
Thanks. So this must of been Vlad first year swimming masters because I could not find him in the National Top Ten data base. Interesting that he swam UN-IL at your State Championships in April. The times are very impressive as you would expect from a caliber swimmer of his background. Again, I wonder how TYR found out about this swimmer?
Originally posted by TheGoodSmith
Frank,
I'd still support Vlad's swimming efforts in the US on any level as he is genuinely making the US his home...... i.e. a LEGAL residence toward eventual citizenship and further more he is coaching US swimmers and giving his skills to the sport for this country.
John Smith
Thank you John !!!
But I still have couple Russian swimmers on my team :D
Frank,
Sadly Vlad will not be on any relays, he's a coach in Chicago and has to leav worlds to be in attendence at JO's. He actually would not have been on our relay as we tried to keep the old farts over 40) together (originally it was Grg, John, Rich * I).....right now all relays are up in the air pending the swims people put in prior to the relay dealine (Monday)......not sure if I'll even make the "A" relay!
As for Rowdy, he's now swimming for Gold Coast (actually since May nationals)......Dara had a bit more cloat than John & I in signing him up! He did however lead off our relay in Indy that you asked about with a 21.3.....which would have been the national record but we screwed up the order on the entry card (I was 2nd, Bert 3rd & JS anchored).
Originally posted by Paul Smith
(will be there tomorrow before flying out for the Mission meet)
I'm swimming in that meet as well and while looking through the psych sheets I saw your name and wondered if that was the same Paul Smith from the forum. I hope you swim fast.
Kevin
Originally posted by Frank Thompson
So, may I ask, how did you recruit this foreign swimmer or maybe he is not because he probably got his green card.
USMS does not have any requirement that members be citizens, or even residents. We don't ask for citizenship status on our applications (good thing, it's hard enough getting folks to fess up to their correct birthdate).
Too bad I'm not going to see any of those fast relays at Worlds.
Vladimir:
Michael's seed time is 1:56 and I think Rich's record is 1:54.38 so he probably has a chance. I see that you and him are seeded 1st and 2nd in the 100 Free in the 35-39 age group and that looks like it will be an exciting race. Michael goes by Let Race on these forums and maybe he can come on here and tell us how his training is going. I have a video of him swimming a 50 Back in the 200 Medley Relay, swimming it completely underwater at the 1989 NCAA Championships. Back in those days there was no rule for getting to the surface at 15 meters. His team, the Princeton Tigers of the Ivy League won that relay 2 years in a row. I will provide a link of a discussion about him on this forum and as you can see we talk about everything here.
forums.usms.org/showthread.php
Hey Vlad, welcome to the forums. I was wondering about a swimmer (in a different thread) whose seed time at worlds for 200im 35-39 is a very fast 1:58.16 by name of Rustem Salikhov. Have you heard of him & if so, is the time for real? Just curious.
Originally posted by Peter Cruise
Hey Vlad, welcome to the forums. I was wondering about a swimmer (in a different thread) whose seed time at worlds for 200im 35-39 is a very fast 1:58.16 by name of Rustem Salikhov. Have you heard of him & if so, is the time for real? Just curious.
That time would tie him with Jani Sievinen as the fourth fastest performer of all time. So the time is either bogus (maybe a short course time) or Jani changed his name :)
