Relays seem to spark controversy. Some people love them. Some people see them as an intrusion on their individual events. Some people are forced to scratch events to swim relays because of exhaustion. (I actually know a swimmer who practices with a team but won't officially join the team for fear of having to swim relays at zone or other big meets.) Some people "cherry pick" elite swimmers to set records in relays. Relays make meets run longer.
We're adults, not kids on a USS team. Do we really need relays at masters meets?
I've not actually swum on one, I should point out. I'm just wondering why masters swimmers bother when everyone seems to be gunning for PBs and swimming really seems like an individual sport.
Having said that, an open water relay seems oddly appealing. But that's because the relay is the event. I don't see whatyaall see in swimming lots of events and then adding on relays.
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Former Member
Here is the problem or maybe the solution to relays: if your team is small, you end up having to fill up the slots with slow or slower than average swimmers. You sometimes also have to fill the slots based on friendship and not on merit. I am talking about the relays where you add up the ages, I am not sure if you have that in your region. Here in Brazil, you have the 120, 160, 200, 240 total age of relay team, others I can't remember, with 200 meters freestyle male or female, 200 free mixed and the normal 200 Medley which might be male only or mixed. The joke is to ask your buddy if he is in the relay for his speed or for his age. Most times we can't even put together a decent foursome. The teams from Brasilia and Goiânia, which are large cities do well and compete against each other. We just do the relays for the fun of it. We had one a couple of weeks ago, where this guy swam his 50 meters in 26, but his father swam his 50 in 40 seconds. The average didn't add so well. I like being the Joker, where sometimes they will figure out a medley relay and stick me with whatever is left. However I usually end up swimming 50 fly and that is after having done my two regular swims and even though I take it easy as we're not going to win anything, sometimes I feel the pain. This is usually in the late afternoon, the sun is almost gone, you're getting cold and want to get on the road. Take care, billy fanstone
Here is the problem or maybe the solution to relays: if your team is small, you end up having to fill up the slots with slow or slower than average swimmers. You sometimes also have to fill the slots based on friendship and not on merit. I am talking about the relays where you add up the ages, I am not sure if you have that in your region. Here in Brazil, you have the 120, 160, 200, 240 total age of relay team, others I can't remember, with 200 meters freestyle male or female, 200 free mixed and the normal 200 Medley which might be male only or mixed. The joke is to ask your buddy if he is in the relay for his speed or for his age. Most times we can't even put together a decent foursome. The teams from Brasilia and Goiânia, which are large cities do well and compete against each other. We just do the relays for the fun of it. We had one a couple of weeks ago, where this guy swam his 50 meters in 26, but his father swam his 50 in 40 seconds. The average didn't add so well. I like being the Joker, where sometimes they will figure out a medley relay and stick me with whatever is left. However I usually end up swimming 50 fly and that is after having done my two regular swims and even though I take it easy as we're not going to win anything, sometimes I feel the pain. This is usually in the late afternoon, the sun is almost gone, you're getting cold and want to get on the road. Take care, billy fanstone
