HANDICAPPING

question? i'm just trying to bait muppet into making a public challenge and trying to encourage others to enter into similar contracts with this colorful cast of characters we have here...canadians included. (swimmers without borders) ok bait taken. my whole thought on this handicapped thing is that it is a bunch of crap. when I did that 400im 200 fly 500 free (w/o swimming the 500) bet, we tried to get another guy on our team involved. He's 46 and would probably have destroyed us depending on how his back held up. But he wanted some sort of age handicap. We said no. I ended up winning (they conceded w/o swimming the 500), and sure the other guys could claim i am young and vibrant still (26, compared to 34 and 38). BUT, and here's where i find the handicap thing a bunch of hewey - they swam NCAA. I, however, did not. I didn't even swim USS. Somewhere most other people have a long base of top-notch pool training, even if it was decades ago. I want a handicap for that! :drink:

I, however, did not. I didn't even swim USS. Somewhere most other people have a long base of top-notch pool training, even if it was decades ago. I want a handicap for that! :drink: here here! You'll get no handicap from me Jeff...Zones...it's on ;) Oh, and my Mum will be watching--so if you win I'll set her after you! :joker:

At a meet a few weeks ago a few of us had a fun "handicapped" race, the handicap was what stroke you swam in the 200 choice event! We had a breaststroker, a flier, and IMer and two freestylers. The breaststroker took it out a little too fast (35s split for the first 50m) and faded or I might not have beat him! The order of finish was free, IM, free, fly, ***. I was the free in third, and had to do a PB to beat the fly and *** swimmers! My only regret is that I wish I could have also watched the race! Last year at the same meet the breaststroker raced the flier swimming IM and freestyle respectively and it was a great race, with a near photo-finish.

We should post more pictures like that. I think the USS/College experience comes in with the knowing how to swim and the knowing how to race. It's like a bike, you may have a few bumps but the muscle memory is still there. Learning fly for the first time, like I did as a masters swimmer is different than learning a different way. I look at it like I need to do all my hard work and swim as many times a week as I can to try and narrow the gap.

Starbucks?....or Patron:drink: (i know mr smith would swim the amazon for a bottle of patron) David.....be very carefully on the Smith generalizations....my evil non-twin is a renowned light weight with a penchant for getting smashed on a bottle of Bud light. I howeveer am a conneisour of fine wines, excellant tequilla's and REAL beer....and as far as i know can only be drunk under the table by my lovely wife.... Fort...the skinny little wet rat in the back row 7th from left.....oh and by the way John doctors his Levi's with a black marker changing the 33 to a 28...

ok bait taken. my whole thought on this handicapped thing is that it is a bunch of crap. when I did that 400im 200 fly 500 free (w/o swimming the 500) bet, we tried to get another guy on our team involved. He's 46 and would probably have destroyed us depending on how his back held up. But he wanted some sort of age handicap. We said no. I ended up winning (they conceded w/o swimming the 500), and sure the other guys could claim i am young and vibrant still (26, compared to 34 and 38). BUT, and here's where i find the handicap thing a bunch of hewey - they swam NCAA. I, however, did not. I didn't even swim USS. Somewhere most other people have a long base of top-notch pool training, even if it was decades ago. I want a handicap for that! :drink: There is some truth in this. That's why Heather suggested counter handicaps for AAU/USS youth experience or college experience. But how long does that benefit last? Do you think the benefit really lasts "decades?" I'm not sure. For myself, I guess things came back more quickly than for a non-swimmer. But I had to re-learn everything. Fly and *** were completely different strokes. All the turns were different. But still, there were remnants of past experience. I think the real thing which made my "comeback" somewhat easier is something Paul alluded to on another thread: I stayed pretty fit during my hiatus. Now, as to wetsuits, they seem utterly unnecessary most of the time. But aren't there lots of nasty jellyfish in the Bay? Yuck. I can't wait to see the Barra vs. Muppet battles at zones. Are you doing the same fly and free events though? Speaking of D1 experience, here's an old photo someone told me about. Does everyone know which one is Evil Smith? www.texassports.com/index.php

Starbucks?....or Patron (i know mr smith would swim the amazon for a bottle of patron) posted by chaos Really David, this is too easy to answer now isn't it?!....El Agua Del Diablo always takes precedence over coffee...its a basic societal rule!...everyone knows that...LOL! (although I would prefer Herradura Supremo to Petron....only its like $185 a fifth in Mexico!) Newmastersswimmer

ok bait taken. my whole thought on this handicapped thing is that it is a bunch of crap. when I did that 400im 200 fly 500 free (w/o swimming the 500) bet, we tried to get another guy on our team involved. He's 46 and would probably have destroyed us depending on how his back held up. But he wanted some sort of age handicap. We said no. I ended up winning (they conceded w/o swimming the 500), and sure the other guys could claim i am young and vibrant still (26, compared to 34 and 38). BUT, and here's where i find the handicap thing a bunch of hewey - they swam NCAA. I, however, did not. I didn't even swim USS. Somewhere most other people have a long base of top-notch pool training, even if it was decades ago. I want a handicap for that! :drink: I think we are getting somewhere! My challenge: best 2 out of 3. One fly event @ zones. One free event @ zones, and the Bay! (but no wetsuits) No USS or college swimming history. Three years New Utrecht High School (20yd, 4 lane pool) Back in the last century. 9 years Masters. Starbucks?....or Patron:drink: (i know mr smith would swim the amazon for a bottle of patron)

David.....be very carefully on the Smith generalizations....my evil non-twin is a renowned light weight with a penchant for getting smashed on a bottle of Bud light. I made sure to be general with the "Mr" knowing that the tequila loving smith would be lured out.(and i wouldn't have to go searching through endless posts past to make a positive ID. note to self.....Paul=Tequila Evil? Still confused about that one.

but it's the troublemakers who keep life fun around here, right everyone? ;) I am sure I have no idea what you are talking about ... :dunno: