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:
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.
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.
