Ok, I just joined the board to help learn how to swim better and enjoy it more. Now after reading some I'd like to know more about competition. Are the meets for people in the 40's? It seems from this website that there are, but I never see meets advertised like you see 5Ks, 10ks, and marathons. Where do I find them. How good do you have to be to complete?:confused:
WELCOME!!!!
Competition is for everyone who desires to compete. There is no requirement to be fast, just a desire to complete. Even at USMS Nationals anyone can swim a minimum of three events even if they don't meet the National Qualifying Time (NQT) for those events.
Most meets can be found by consulting the LMSC that covers your area. Or you can drill down to the correct Zone that also covers your geographical area.
Check here: www.usms.org/.../calendar.php
As for those of us over 40, check out some of the top 10 times here
http://www.usms.org/comp/tt/
and you will see the listed age groups start at 18-24 and go to the 90-94 age group. So the 40-44 age group is still only the halfway point for competing :woot:
Again, welcome to the board and keep swimming!!
Paul
badknees,
I think the main reason for the difference in advertising is access.
Anyone can sign up to run a road race. For swimming, you need to be a member of an organization first in order to compete.
Another reason: insurance.
Because of small attendance (compared to a 5k, 10k, marathon), even for our bigger meets, we don't get money and sponsors the way one of these big events does. With the money flowing from sponsors and 20,000 entrants, getting things like race insurance is easy. Most pools require we have proof of insurance for meet participants before they will allow us to rent their facility. Our association with a national organization (USMS) allows us to have insurance through the sanctioning process.
If you're looking for meets, check out the USMS Calendar as Paul linked to. Where do you live? You may want to look for the website for the LMSC in your region. They generally have information about local meets that are not on the USMS Calendar.
Or as a very wise, very fast swimmer advised me when I voiced concerns before registering for my first meet: "In every age class, someone has to come in last. It might as well be you." :wine:
Just put it under "favorite quotes," why dontcha? :rofl:
Or as a very wise, very fast swimmer advised me when I voiced concerns before registering for my first meet: "In every age class, someone has to come in last. It might as well be you." :wine:
But this is not a bad thing. I was DFL in the 100fly at Nationals, but I was there, did it and swam a PB. :banana:
How good do you have to be to complete?:confused:
Just good enough to get from one side of the pool to the other using a legal stroke. Some people take competition very seriously, while others do it for fun, to judge their own progress, or just to say, "I did it."
Try a local meet to get started. You'll see people ranging in age from 20-something to 90-something. You want inspiration--just watch someone in the 80+ age group swim the 200 fly or the 400 IM!
Dana
On another older thread, someone asked a similar question and the answer always stuck with me: if you can swim one event without the lifeguard having to do a save, you can compete.LOL
Or as a very wise, very fast swimmer advised me when I voiced concerns before registering for my first meet: "In every age class, someone has to come in last. It might as well be you." :wine:
Just put it under "favorite quotes," why dontcha? :rofl:
Did I say very wise, very fast? I meant very wise, very fast, much older swimmer....:thhbbb:
But this is not a bad thing. I was DFL in the 100fly at Nationals, but I was there, did it and swam a PB. :banana:
I found this sentiment encouraging...because I was going to place last no matter how I swam. After hearing this, it was kind of like finding my karmic place in swimming. Took the potential embarrassment right out of it.
Will there be pitiful CLAPPING after the last swimmer finishes by a full minute?
There are 10,000 reasons not to do it, none of them valid. It's adult swimming, no one is gonna mock you or point you out. The biggest applause at most meets is for those who are trying their hardest, regardless of time or finish.
Or as a very wise, very fast swimmer advised me when I voiced concerns before registering for my first meet: "In every age class, someone has to come in last. It might as well be you." :wine:
Absolutely hilarious. I now have the courage for 100fly...
Competing in a swim meet is like having kids. If we wait until we are 'ready' it will be too late.
So just sign up, do your best and HAVE FUN!!!!!
If we can't laugh at ourselves, then what's the point?
Paul
