Hi again,
I watched the Pan Pacs last weekend and noticed most everyone is using the track start now. Does anyone know who gets credit for introducing the track start to the swimming world? If so, when was it introduced? As a starting point, I will admit switching to the track start in my sophomore year in college- way back in nineteen hundred and eighty four.
I also noticed everyone, including the sprinters, is putting the underwater butterfly kick to good effect. I was pretty surprised to see the 50m folks using it as well. It appeared that they were doing about 3 dophin kicks and then exploding to the top with a freestyle kick. Please correct me if I'm wrong here.
Racer X
Parents
Former Member
Everyone is making excellent points regarding the track start. From my perspective, I had been doing the standard grab start from age 9 to age 19. I changed to the track start and used it effectively in college for 2 1/2 years. I never felt the need to go back to the grab start.
Once you get rolling on a grab start-look out. That just doesn't happen with a track start. I saw several poor folks DQ at this year's Masters Worlds in Stanford because of this. Imagine training for months, flying to another country, paying for a hotel, and then not even swimming cause ya deeked at the start. WC or Olympics? I wouldn't take the chance.
Anthony Thompson states that Rowdy Gaines and Dara torres had a hand in introducing the track start to the world. Does anyone know when they began to use it? Rowdy is 3 years older than me and Dara is 3 years younger. I doubt Dara did it before I did in 1984. Rowdy may be the answer, although I'm a bit sceptical, if my memory serves.
The false start rule had to have changed after I got out of college in 1986. I stopped paying much attention to swimming after that. Hence the questions. This board is a great source for historical info with all the diversity that seems to be here.
Everyone is making excellent points regarding the track start. From my perspective, I had been doing the standard grab start from age 9 to age 19. I changed to the track start and used it effectively in college for 2 1/2 years. I never felt the need to go back to the grab start.
Once you get rolling on a grab start-look out. That just doesn't happen with a track start. I saw several poor folks DQ at this year's Masters Worlds in Stanford because of this. Imagine training for months, flying to another country, paying for a hotel, and then not even swimming cause ya deeked at the start. WC or Olympics? I wouldn't take the chance.
Anthony Thompson states that Rowdy Gaines and Dara torres had a hand in introducing the track start to the world. Does anyone know when they began to use it? Rowdy is 3 years older than me and Dara is 3 years younger. I doubt Dara did it before I did in 1984. Rowdy may be the answer, although I'm a bit sceptical, if my memory serves.
The false start rule had to have changed after I got out of college in 1986. I stopped paying much attention to swimming after that. Hence the questions. This board is a great source for historical info with all the diversity that seems to be here.
