"Dara Torres should be the face of United States Masters Swimming"
Brent Rutemiller, October issue Swimming World Magazine
"Of Course, Torres isn't on this trip alone. Aside from the support of Hoffman, her daughter and her coaches, Torres relies on a team. She has a nanny who tends to Tessa, a strength coach, and physical and massage therapists who work her like a piece of dough."
John Lohn, October Swimming World Magazine
With all due respect to Mr. Rutemillier & Mr. Lohn I would suggest that they spend a little more time around the people who not only compete in the meets of our sport but with the people who are the backbone as volunteers in the day to day running of it....Dara's only contribution has been making a few workouts early in her comeback, attending a couple of meets and signing autographs and collecting checks for clinics.
If you want a "face" of Masters Swimming look to Susan Von der Lippe who beat Dara as the first person over 40 to qualify for Trials....and she did it training with a masters team 3x a week...working par time, no nanny, no trainers....no PR person....that to me this is the core of what we are in my opinion.
How about Rob Copeland who somehow manages to run this entire organization, swim extremely well, post on our forum....all without a massage therapist and pilates instructor....again this is what Masters represents...to me.
Dara has done something remarkable for anyone her age... give her credit..but lets see if at some point she wants to time at one of our meets...or be on one of our committee's to help promote masters...without an appearance fee.
Parents
Former Member
I don't think we can have one face. Who should it be? Dara? Rob? Jeff Commings? Fortress? Allen Stark? Nobody is better than anyone else at being a masters swimmer. Whether you swim a 50 in :20 or 1:20.
It would be better to pick a selection. The calendar idea USMS faces of Masters Swimming would give you 12 folks to choose from.
You could pull an ex-olympian, a fulltime working mother, someone who just swims to keep in shape and have fun, someone who is working on a world record etc etc.
Pictures of our top swimmers with the average guy or gal, or photos of them sharing knowledge at a clinic type thing. That to me would be a better representation--and a crystalised version of the forum and meets where you can get to meet each other. Yes of course there is room to recognise the admin side who put it all together too--whether they actively swim or not.
If you have to have 1 face at least give the members the right to pick from an assortment of types and classes not just elites. IMHO
I don't think we can have one face. Who should it be? Dara? Rob? Jeff Commings? Fortress? Allen Stark? Nobody is better than anyone else at being a masters swimmer. Whether you swim a 50 in :20 or 1:20.
It would be better to pick a selection. The calendar idea USMS faces of Masters Swimming would give you 12 folks to choose from.
You could pull an ex-olympian, a fulltime working mother, someone who just swims to keep in shape and have fun, someone who is working on a world record etc etc.
Pictures of our top swimmers with the average guy or gal, or photos of them sharing knowledge at a clinic type thing. That to me would be a better representation--and a crystalised version of the forum and meets where you can get to meet each other. Yes of course there is room to recognise the admin side who put it all together too--whether they actively swim or not.
If you have to have 1 face at least give the members the right to pick from an assortment of types and classes not just elites. IMHO
