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?
If we need to keep recruiting the hapless noodlers to our ranks to accomplish these tasks, great.
I swim with the noodlers on Tuesday and Thursdays. They get 2/3, we get 1/3, and since Tuesday and Thursday has not taken off yet, it is usually me and another women(we have a stubborn bunch who does not like change). Anyway, I love the noodlers, they told me they admire my swimming!:banana::banana::banana:
I finally joined USMS after 'thinking' about it for almost 15 years. It took my daughter swimming for me to realize what I have been missing after all these years.
Now I am no stranger to sports. Name one and I have probably played it, even competed in it. But when I smelled the chlorine for the first time, that started some sort of chemical process in my body that unfortunately took almost 2 years to complete it's work and get me back in the pool. But now that I'm here, I'm here for life.
I'm a very competitive person but mostly I compete with myself so it's all about shaving that half stroke off my handicap or raising my bowling average 1 pin or lifting 5 more pounds than last time. With swimming it's the same way. But this time it's a little different, instead of trying to prove I'm better than other swimmers in a race, I want to race just because I want to see how fast I can go. And more importantly, I greatly desire the social aspects of swimming. Not only as a swim parent but as a swimmer also.
And it is that social aspect that needs to also be reinforced as well.
Getting involved in my daughter's teams has been one of the best things for me and my wife. We are meeting more people, making more friends, coming out of our house more. THAT is the true power of organized swimming. THAT is what needs to be emphasized also. Those folks who have kids (or can remember BEING kids) on a summer league team. What OTHER sport will have a 17 year old boy yelling his head off in encouragement for a 7 year old girl swimming her first race?
Competition is fine but as in all things, it should be a competition against ourselves. Not only to do our best but to be our best.
Sorry, the fumes must be getting to me cause I rambled all over the place. I just had forgotten how much swimming has and does mean to me.
Paul
I like USMS being successful because that means they can put on meets. If that means we need to make ourselves attractive to a wider base,great,just make sure we still have Zones and Nats.
Indeed!
My first post may have come across somewhat negative when, in fact, I'm a big supporter of USMS as well and wish it continued success. There ain't no broken items in this organization & I don't give much of a hoot about the team scoring issue. It's fine as it is since I don't have to hide my head in public when my team loses....
More importantly, if you read the recent meeting minutes, you'll note that Todd Smith is going to get on-line registration implemented by the end of the year. That, accompanied by a uniform competition calendar that shows ALL meets nationwide (work in progress in the Communications Committee) and all meet results in a single database (finally on the Records Committee to-do list in cooperation with Communications) will make it the perfect organization for the competitor.
If we need to keep recruiting the hapless noodlers to our ranks to accomplish these tasks, great.
I joined USMS because it was required by my team, but being an age group swimmer in the past made me to want to compete again. I don't think we ever lose that competitiveness we had in our youth and in my case it came back with a vengance. Of course as a Masters swimmer you start fresh from
where you are and move on from there.
Since I used to travel to meets by myself for the first few years I have made some really good friends in the USMS community and when someone is not at a meet you have to check up on them and make sure they are doing well.
I look forward to each and every meet even if I don't have a great meet time wise because I get to see people I haven't seen in a month or two or three.
I join USMS to compete. Why do I compete? ...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).
Kurt,
First off GREAT post, good to see you on here. The humor is a nice addition. I do disagree somehwat on the triathlon comment. No question we can't compete with the "sexiness" of a 300M Swim 10KBike and 2K run. But we can follow their model of the accomplishment motive to compete. I personally believe this could be done with OW Races, Go The Distance, and pool distance achievement swims.
Since I haven't swam in a meet in almost 4 years, I obviously don't have my USMS card for meets. I HAD to get it to do an OW swim in Newport Beach this summer. Other than that, I probably wouldn't be a member. (No offense, but the magazine doesn't do that much for me) We have a former WR holder on our team that trains with us pretty regularly. He has no intention of competing in a meet (other than maybe a relay), therefore he is not a USMS member.
So I conclude people DON'T join because there is no compelling reason to other than their team might make them do it for insurance. We need a better model.
P.S. I thought this post from Sloswim on the "Sister Thread" to this one had some excellent points. Especially considering his background and experience in swimming:
I've always been a "Runner", don't know why; everyone just told me so since age 7. I became a "Triathlete" after many years and races when I did a Olympic Distance Tri and felt I'd earned it. I've done one marathon and do not consider myself a "Marathoner" I swim. I do not know when I will become a "Swimmer" or what that tripwire is.
The question is, how do you bring lap swimming to the common people. How do you make them want to be a "Swimmer"? I think Tri made it with Kona. The stories of the a dad pushing he's disabled son, the Sarah Reinhartson's story, Rudy Garcia, etc. The "Kona Show" is a tear jerker.
A thread here talked to a Downs Syndrome girl doing heroic things. Where is the media? Why isn't USMS showing the human aspect of what all you guyz do? You demi-gods that do to the National Championship (not just "Nats") all have real lives, families, and stories!
You want sexy? USMS needs to tell the stories that are buried in these threads! Teen girls with self-esteem. 80+ years beating National records. 15 mile swims. Its all where, but USMS isn't capitalizing on what swimming as a Master is all about.
Yes, half naked people sells photos, but human drama get's new members.
I'm a newby so I see it from outside. Am I that far off? Who is trying to promote swimming as a commercial enterprise? It should be USMS. Ironman took charge of Triathlon and that is its growth, the outcome was hugely positive for the sport(s)--for Geek.
I see a money maker for an insider that has vision. I'd do it but I have no credentials and the Army frowns on that so I have to wait 4 years. I'll be your CFO and build the business plan for free! To make millions of $, find something that pisses you off and fit it!
Sorry for my bloviating.
