I took my daughter to a collegiate conference meet yesterday. I saw some things that I didn't quite understand, and my 6 year old asked me some questions I couldn't answer. I can guess at some of this, but would appreciate it if you would weigh in. Would you please help us out?
(1) I saw an incredible swimmer in the men's 100 free. His stroke count was so much lower than the other swimmers that he almost looked like he was swimming in slow motion and his kicking wasn't as frenetic as the others, yet he easily won by a body length. Was there something special to his technique? Does it have a name? He was poetry in motion.
(2) About shaving: I stayed off the recent shaving thread as it seemed to be a guys' discussion, but I am curious - does shaving off body hair (and in the case of some of these college swimmers, head hair) appreciatively cut down drag and increase speed or is it more of a psychological "feel for the water" type feeling? Or something in between or something else altogether?
(3) About suit choice: All suit types were represented: for women, tanks and fastskins: for men, tiny speedos, jammers and bottom half fastskins. If not at the elite (and I mean really elite) level, does suit choice really make a difference or is it again psychological? At this meet anyway, the majority of fastest times were swam by women in tanks and men in the tiny speedos.
(4) At the end of the morning prelims, we saw a time trial for two female swimmers in the 100 free. Was this because they had a dead tie in the prelims?
(5) In one of the races, it might have been a men's 200 ***, there were 3 heats. The first had 8 swimmers, the third had 8 swimmers, but the middle heat only had 3...any ideas?
Thanks much. It was great to be able to tell my daughter that I didn't know, but I knew who I could ask.
Barb
Former Member
Poolrat, I know what it is but I was curious why it's called that. An odd name, don't you think?
Rich, as some have pointed out here before, you are an inspiration when it comes to getting in and doing it. I want to do it, but I am embarrassingly slow right now. I'm sure techinique is one part, and I'm looking around for someone to give me some lessons, but the other part is that I still need to build strength to get me where I want to go. My goal is to swim more strongly, correctly and (please God) faster by the fall. After that? Save your toll change, because we may be headed to Jersey after the first of the year.
For the wonderful ladies a little nervy of swiming slow.
I saw a man of 89, and another of 72 swim 200 back recently. Nobody stood watching and giggling. They watched and rooted them on in their final 25...and gave a round of applause.
Rich
There a pair of ladies in their early 90s who swim for DC Masters in Potomac Valley. They attend quite a few meets, and it seems that every event they swim, one is setting a new national (and possibly world) record for women 90-94. They're very spunky as well, and you'd never know they were in their 90s by looking at them.
I believe they were at my first masters meet (when I was young whippersnapper at 19, 20 in USMS years), and the mere fact that "grandparents" were there, competing and some still moving along quite quickly, left me awestruck. and hooked.
Keep it up!
:dedhorse:
There were some pretty awesome swims at that meet. I wasn't there but followed the meet online. The one that stands out in my mind...Steninger of Arizona in the 200 ***. Came out of nowhere to finish 3rd.
He also got 6th in the 200IM and 14th in the 200 Free. Not bad for a walk on.
There a pair of ladies in their early 90s who swim for DC Masters in Potomac Valley. They attend quite a few meets, and it seems that every event they swim, one is setting a new national (and possibly world) record for women 90-94. They're very spunky as well, and you'd never know they were in their 90s by looking at them.
I believe they were at my first masters meet (when I was young whippersnapper at 19, 20 in USMS years), and the mere fact that "grandparents" were there, competing and some still moving along quite quickly, left me awestruck. and hooked.
Keep it up!
:dedhorse:
Muppet,
I remember a similar moment of epiphany for me! I was getting ready to swim the 100 free, my best event, at the Nationals in Ft. Lauderdale. I was sooo nervous because I had a pretty rough week leading into the meet - not enough sleep and too much stress. I was too nervous. I watched the first heat of women. They were in their 90's and 80's. It was so inspiring to see them barely able to get up on the blocks but then doing beautiful racing dives, swimming strong and gracefull, even doing flip turns and the joy on their faces when they finished. I was so touched by it that I literally cried! It made me realize that I was being way too serious and needed to relax and enjoy my swim. I ended up swimming great! I hope I am still swimming into my 100's!:groovy:
Regarding the racing suit issue, I had also heard the 3% figure, so I did the math. In a 30 second 50, 3% is .9 seconds. That seemed significant enough to me to justify a race suit.
I went to the men's Pac-10 championship Saturday night and had the same feeling watching Larsen Jensen in the 1650. Especially at the beginning of the race it looked like he was out there just crusing. He went a 14:41 with a 50. split at 100, 1:43 at the 200 and 4:23 at the 500! :eek:
There were some pretty awesome swims at that meet. I wasn't there but followed the meet online. The one that stands out in my mind...Steninger of Arizona in the 200 ***. Came out of nowhere to finish 3rd (1:56.40).
Thanks, Morgan. That's a really interesting thought that the fastest swimmers wouldn't bring out the big guns (fastskins) until the NCAA meet.
I think there may be somewhat of a difference as to when masters swimmers and college swimmers wear their fastskins. When you're in high school and college, you definitely don't bring them out until the big meet. With masters it seems to really differ. I notice people who train a lot and are fairly young (like Muppet) still wait to shave and taper and put on the skin until nationals. But a lot of other masters swimmers who don't swim in as many meets, wear them every meet. I guess they want to make the most of their meet and grab good times where they can. I know a couple masters swimmers who wear them every meet and they go to a lot of masters meets; they just like 'em.
I tend to wear my FS II recordbreaker to regular meets and my fairly new bodyskin to the big ones. But if I'm gunning for a particular time or can't get to many meets (like this year, it seems, boo), I will often opt for the bodyskin. (But not for IMs. I can't do breaststroke at all with that thing on.) I am a bit like Quicksilver described on Ande's blog. I don't go to that many meets and want to do well if I can, so I tend to do little tapers for most meets and then re-start my aerobic lite training. So there's not really any big "NCAAs" to save it for.
Rich, as some have pointed out here before, you are an inspiration when it comes to getting in and doing it. I want to do it, but I am embarrassingly slow right now. I'm sure techinique is one part, and I'm looking around for someone to give me some lessons, but the other part is that I still need to build strength to get me where I want to go. My goal is to swim more strongly, correctly and (please God) faster by the fall. After that? Save your toll change, because we may be headed to Jersey after the first of the year.
Barb,
I think you will be very surprised at how well you can do in a meet. Masters swimmers are very supportive of individual effort....not necessarily who is the fastest. Speed and "winning" are all relative to each individual. Its more about setting goals, working towards achieving them and doing the best you can. :D The satisfaction comes from knowing you did the best you could.
Barb,
I think you will be very surprised at how well you can do in a meet. Masters swimmers are very supportive of individual effort....not necessarily who is the fastest. Speed and "winning" are all relative to each individual. Its more about setting goals, working towards achieving them and doing the best you can. :D The satisfaction comes from knowing you did the best you could.
I think this is absolutely correct. As a newbie, I had no idea how I'd do at my first meet. And I did better than I thought. I've also had some debacles with goggles and whatnot. But throughout it all, everyone has been astonishingly nice. At meets, there is a huge range of ability. Everyone is very supportive. I don't think most people care what other people's time are (unless you have a secret nemesis you want to beat). I remember one meet last year where I wasn't feeling well before a big event and a person sitting near me in the pool area said, "Smile, you'll do great. Relax. It's really about the fun." I actually had a good swim and did a PB.
As to fastskins, I love 'em. I'm sure much of it is psychological. But before a big meet last year, my husband gifted me a fly bodyskin (I really wanted the backstroke one with the bubbles on the back, but he goofed. He also bought a size too big. But oh well.) I felt like I was flying in it in the water, especially on the turns. It was like swoosh. I've always swum good times in it, so now I'm sentimentally attached.
So don't leave poor Rich hanging too long. Sign up soon!
