The other day I was walking to my car when I noticed the car parked next to me had a vanity license plate "SWIMFLY". I walked up to the man driving the car and we started talking about swimming and competing.
He said he swam at Nationals in 2001 and he was waiting until he turned 60 to swim at another meet. I told him that he should go to more meets because they are really fun. This guy is a really great swimmer. He still holds the State record in all of the butterfly events and he won the majority of his races at nationals.
This got me thinking - what is it that is keeping swimmers from entering races? I realize there are a ton of fitness swimmers who don't want to compete and I understand that. But beyond that what is the reason?
For me personally, I waited to enter my first meet because I didn't think I was fast enough and I didn't want to be embarrassed. I am so sorry it took me so long to go to a race - I think they are really fun.
A number of those I swim with are burned out on swimming meets, yet others just make up excuses for not competing (I'm not ready yet, I'm too slow, I'm too heavy, etc).
Masters swimmers need to realize that we are starting new as swimmers, everything we did earlier does not matter. I like seeing improvement and in order to do that I needed to know where I was starting from so 4 weeks after getting in the pool I did my first meet. With a bad back and having difficulty bending over for a start let alone doing flip turns, couldn't pull myself out of the water and being 220 lbs I did my first meet.
Not every meet produces best times for me but I usually focus on one or two per season, the rest are just practice at racing (doing starts, experimenting with stroke, etc) and supporting the local meets so that there might be more meets available in the future. Lets support our sport!
After three years of going to meets by myself, this year I have been lucky enough to have found a few more people from my team to join me and they are actually finding meets to be fun and you meet lots of great people who share a common interest in swimming.
Donna
Mirabella, heavens no. What I see at Masters meets is when people are not swimming they are either listening to headphones in their own zone, chit chatting with friends, or cheering a swimmer on in the pool. I have never seen anyone ridicule anyone else.
Of course, I don't go to many meets, but I did go to 2004 Nationals and people were very supportive.
I don't go to meets because of the time it takes. Driving two hours in the wee hours of the morning, meet takes 4-6 hours hours, than 2 hours back. Just shoots the whole day, and half my weekend is gone. Many times the meets conflict with family stuff. If I stay over night, there is two days gone, and money gone. So maybe when I am older, and the kids are out(that does happen doesn't it?), I can do more meets.
On the contrary, I feel like I have to swim meets to keep me going. I find if I don't have some competition somewhere in the future to train for I start making excuses why not to train and just generally get lazy.
On the contrary, I feel like I have to swim meets to keep me going. I find if I don't have some competition somewhere in the future to train for I start making excuses why not to train and just generally get lazy.
My sentiments exactly.
I'm simply trying to get my nerve up to swim in a meet:violin: It would help if I had someone to go with me as support!! I also need to see if I can still dive:whiteflag: into the pool. It has been YEARS (decades actually) since I have done that, and I have not had an opportunity to do so anywhere.
Don't worry, Nancy! Just go! Everyone is very supportive. And no one really cares how fast or slow you go. My two year masters' anniversary is June 1. I swam unattached for most of my first year, not joining a team until 13 months ago. I went to all my first meets alone. And I had terrible trouble diving in. I lost my goggles several times. I had to crawl out of the pool twice (contacts) and got DQ'd. But I liked competing nonetheless. It is much more fun, however, now that I know people. :wave:
Like Kirk and Jeff, the meets help focus my training and prevent me from slacking off too much.
I would love to compete much more than I do, but the reason I don't (Peter, be quiet) is ... no secret ... kids, kids, kids. My kids have tons of sports events on the weekends that prevent me from going to many meets (even nationals). I usually, not always, have to miss something of theirs when I go -- which I don't do too often. But I am planning to blow off one of my kid's swim meets on July 1. Have to go to Muppet's meet!!
My first masters' swim meet... I was last in the 50 m. free... unused to long course swimming... my masters' coach changed the seed times I wrote to faster times, so I was with a faster heat than I thought I'd be.... I'd guesstimated more modest times than the ones he substituted... I actually was more flattered than mad at him for his "doctoring" of my seed times--except in the "you rascal, what are you doing to me!" kind of way (said w/ affection).
I have no regrets about that meet. I didn't worry about people laughing at me... I was kind of laughing at myself (in a kind way) b/c this being my first long-course anything, I was swimming, swimming, swimming, thinking "how long is this pool anyway?" and took a peak up to see how far I'd gone... I was only about 2/3 done and looking up while doing freestyle doesn't add to the aesthetic beauty of one's swimming form... but at least it satisfied my curiosity.
Normally, I don't compete in a lot of meets, only b/c there aren't that many near where I live. Fortunately, some Senior Games swim events are nearby and these are wonderful... they're very low-key and fun, open to anyone over fifty, and nowhere else would I have had the courage to try the 100 IM. I thought "this will be glacially slow but who cares! And it was... glacially slow! But to try a new event was really exhilarating anyway!
I have done some open water races...again there aren't too many near me, but I'm happy if I can get to maybe one or two a year.
I do try to take opportunities when they come along. For instance, a health club in my area had an indoor triathlon, which involved a 15 min. swim (see how far you can go), then 1/2 run, then 1/2 hour on a stationary bike. It was loads of fun! I didn't distinguish myself at all, but got a great workout!
I just don't like being at a pool for a whole day, swimming a little, and waiting for most of the day. For 3-4 years, it seemed I did 3 meets/year, and got burned out from the whole thing. I have also done an open water swim, and plan to do more of those...you get in, swim, and are done.
I may do a meet here or there now, but I swim (and lift and run) to keep in shape. My time is more valuable to me now to either get caught up on things around the house on weekends, or be out traveling somewhere.
I will not enter until I am in shape and able to win in my age group. I do not want to make a fool of myself.
I haven't been to a swim meet - I am new to swimming. Do people stand on the sidelines laughing if you have a poor time? I used to compete in dressage and never found people pointing out my errors or laughing when I didn't finish in the ribbons. This statement from Geochuck scares me.
