Paul Smith has started another thread which has migrated to what USMS might do to attract and keep more members. I thought, after trying unsuccessfully to find a thread on the subject, that I would hit the nail on the head.
There was a recent membership poll on the issues, which I participated in, but I thought it might not have emphasized strongly enough my own personal reasons:
I AM A MEMBER OF USMS SOLELY BECAUSE IT PROVIDES A MECHANISM FOR COMPETITION.
There are other 'benefits' that accrue from your USMS membership but most of them are of no interest to me. Insurance is one that is often mentioned, but in my experience, this is not such an important factor.
Excluding city and county recreation centers and private athletic clubs, here is a list of all the teams I have trained with and their membership requirements:
Laramie Masters Swim Club: trained at the high school; USMS membership required.
University of Wyoming Masters Swim Group: trained at the University; USMS membership not required.
Ford Aquatics: trained at the University of Arizona; USMS membership required.
Northern Arizona Masters: trained at Northern Arizona University; USMS membership not required.
Snow Mountain Masters: trained at Snow Mountain Ranch YMCA; USMS membership not required.
University of Denver Masters: trained at DU; USMS membership not required.
So, of the six teams I have trained with only two have required USMS membership. Most of my training is solo at clubs and recreation centers, so the insurance problem is not an issue.
Also, now that I'm over 50, there are other competition avenues open to me (read Senior Games...) so I could continue to compete even if there were no USMS (In fairness, here, I should stress that USMS has worked VERY HARD to bring these games up to their standards of competition. I went to some of the earlier versions of these that were just a joke. I believe that we seniors owe a great debt to Scott Rabalais and others for carrying this out.)
What's your reason?
I join USMS to compete. Why do I compete? Probably unresolved childhood issues--no self-esteem, I deserve self-abuse, or possibly lack of job satisfaction. I am 40 years old and still find it necessary to pull on some over-priced fastskin and prove I'm still worth something three times a year.
As for updating USMS, I don't know if I would bother. I would be happy with a 15 dollar USMS fees to cover medical deductibles for say...oh I don't know, like if somebody has an MI at a state championship after setting the national record in the 200 Breaststroke for instance. I personally don't think the logo is that bad. I have a USMS sticker on my car and the only way to make it any sexier is to put a phallus on it.
We cannot compete with triathlon and we never will. Triathlon is sexy and people love to call themselves triathletes (even though all they do are 300m pool swims, 10 mile bike, and 3 mile runs). The image of Julie Moss crawling across the finish line soiled in ?stool/menstrual unmentionables at Hawaii ironman 30 years ago is etched into the consciousness of millions. People do a triathlon and they feel they have accomplished something. Swimming usually just boils down to endless boring laps in a stinky YMCA basement in Helena, Montana (where I learned to swim).
I think think the biggest improvement that can happen in masters swimming has already happened. Namely, the 60 plus crowd has moved from their 50 year-old lycra suits (with the disturbing image it creates) to snugger fastskin (however, I swear if another guy asks me to "zip me up" again, I might lose it).
I love to swim but I'm not sure I want to make others love it. So, in summary, my vote is to continue to keep it simple.
I join USMS to compete. Why do I compete? Probably unresolved childhood issues--no self-esteem, I deserve self-abuse, or possibly lack of job satisfaction. I am 40 years old and still find it necessary to pull on some over-priced fastskin and prove I'm still worth something three times a year.
As for updating USMS, I don't know if I would bother. I would be happy with a 15 dollar USMS fees to cover medical deductibles for say...oh I don't know, like if somebody has an MI at a state championship after setting the national record in the 200 Breaststroke for instance. I personally don't think the logo is that bad. I have a USMS sticker on my car and the only way to make it any sexier is to put a phallus on it.
We cannot compete with triathlon and we never will. Triathlon is sexy and people love to call themselves triathletes (even though all they do are 300m pool swims, 10 mile bike, and 3 mile runs). The image of Julie Moss crawling across the finish line soiled in ?stool/menstrual unmentionables at Hawaii ironman 30 years ago is etched into the consciousness of millions. People do a triathlon and they feel they have accomplished something. Swimming usually just boils down to endless boring laps in a stinky YMCA basement in Helena, Montana (where I learned to swim).
I think think the biggest improvement that can happen in masters swimming has already happened. Namely, the 60 plus crowd has moved from their 50 year-old lycra suits (with the disturbing image it creates) to snugger fastskin (however, I swear if another guy asks me to "zip me up" again, I might lose it).
I love to swim but I'm not sure I want to make others love it. So, in summary, my vote is to continue to keep it simple.
