"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
Heck...that's the membership of Walnut Creek by itself! :)
So 43,000 if the all time high....even if we got 1 out of every 100 lap swimmers in the country we would probably have 500,000 members....but why join?
Swimstud....I did propose a two tiered system:
1) Annual dues of $200 would get ALL members access to a host of benefits that I proposed.
2) For the elite/competitive swimmers that wants to go to nationals charge $150 and pool the money. I don't care if it just goes to record setters...do something/anything however to be different and more exciting.
And by the way....members drop off for a lot of reasons but one of them is they hace "served their sentance" after signing on for one of the nationals that was held in their region that particular season....again why stay on if your not going to compete?
Count me out if it goes this direction. My health insurance premium is paid for by my employer, I don't need a gym membership, and a free training suit is not likely to be one that I would care to own.
Same goes for Nationals. The only records I'll be breaking at Nationals are my own.
Heck...that's the membership of Walnut Creek by itself! :)
So 43,000 if the all time high....even if we got 1 out of every 100 lap swimmers in the country we would probably have 500,000 members....but why join?
Swimstud....I did propose a two tiered system:
1) Annual dues of $200 would get ALL members access to a host of benefits that I proposed.
2) For the elite/competitive swimmers that wants to go to nationals charge $150 and pool the money. I don't care if it just goes to record setters...do something/anything however to be different and more exciting.
And by the way....members drop off for a lot of reasons but one of them is they hace "served their sentance" after signing on for one of the nationals that was held in their region that particular season....again why stay on if your not going to compete?
Count me out if it goes this direction. My health insurance premium is paid for by my employer, I don't need a gym membership, and a free training suit is not likely to be one that I would care to own.
Same goes for Nationals. The only records I'll be breaking at Nationals are my own.
