"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.
Well, maybe Gull is right and swimming is just not sexy. So how do we make it more sexy? We're already half naked and that's not enough ...
As for the trinket incentive, I wonder if the emphasis could be changed. I see the top ten types can get top ten patches and high point awards or fastest man awards and medals. But, if swimming is not just a meritocracy because we advocate participation and completion, maybe we need different trinkets? Awards for big time drops? An award for the masters swimmer competing in their first meet? Awards for weight loss? Features about the average swimmer in USMS mag, not just the elite? There are a lot of compelling comeback and start up stories.
Well, maybe Gull is right and swimming is just not sexy. So how do we make it more sexy? We're already half naked and that's not enough ...
As for the trinket incentive, I wonder if the emphasis could be changed. I see the top ten types can get top ten patches and high point awards or fastest man awards and medals. But, if swimming is not just a meritocracy because we advocate participation and completion, maybe we need different trinkets? Awards for big time drops? An award for the masters swimmer competing in their first meet? Awards for weight loss? Features about the average swimmer in USMS mag, not just the elite? There are a lot of compelling comeback and start up stories.