I want to ask questions about the life of a Champion.
If you are a World Record Holder, a National Record Holder, a State/Provincial record holder, a Club record holder, or even if you've recently gone a personal best; I want to know how you feel about being a Champion.
Masters win, regardless of place!
See, doing your best, no matter what level you achieve is a great experience. The feeling of improvement from consistent effort is something that anyone can attain. That joy is the same when you finish a race and you know it was your best, a great lifestyle, something worth striving for.
Since I've already started a discussion with Chris Stevenson, perhaps we can continue it here.
Chris, even though you may not have smiled at first (on camera anyways) how did the next few days feel? Are these your first WR titles? Do you plan on more in the future? You're a chemistry teacher, right? Do you realize you've inspired me, and countless others?
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Sigh...there are people out there my age (Sean Murphy, Ron Karnaugh to name two) who can usually thump me in the backstroke but haven't bothered to race lately, so the "champ" business is a bit much...two weeks ago was the very first time in my life I ever shaved or tapered for a SCM meet so getting PBs wasn't really too hard. I don't think I ever swam SCM in college. But even with the old turns and the lack of underwater SDK, I was still a much faster backstroker in college (heck, even in high school).
My college times were decent, second-tier stuff, please don't make too much of them. The fly WR was in the 53s (Matt Gribble) until Pablo broke it around the time of the LA games (though he got beat by Michael Gross that time). I missed finals there by 0.2 and ended up 12th -- like I said, second-tier stuff. I am happy with my college career but please tone down the hyperbole, okay? :)
All this talk of people who may be hypothetically faster is redundant... Until they actually break your World Records, you are the CHAMPION. You might think of yourself as second-tier, but that sounds more like a rationalization, a way to accept your accomplishment(s) without actually having to take any credit for those performances... It's easier being 12-16th place, you might tell yourself... I've heard that before, but now you went and swam faster than anyone else, in all history for your age category... You can't simply dismiss this fact as meaningless....
Being fast once is admirable, but continuing to be fast as we age is astonishing.
The fact is, most people lose something with age, and to be able to continue to perform at an elite level propels you further ahead of the curve in terms of athletic ability... This is not second-tier stuff...
When looking at athletics from a purely physical perspective, having the ability to maintain performance over longer periods of time can be arguably seen as an even greater accomplishment... Not to mention the sheer will-power it takes to continue to train at an elite level... This can only be done if there is at least some level of joy gained from the process. A process that is equally enjoyable regardless of the place you are on the scoreboard.
Masters, especially swimming, could become even more popular in the public mind. With the aging demographic and our mutual obsession with youth and vitality, to be able to show an alternative, one where you actually stay healthy and strong; this is bound to draw a larger interest.
Happy Swimming,
Sigh...there are people out there my age (Sean Murphy, Ron Karnaugh to name two) who can usually thump me in the backstroke but haven't bothered to race lately, so the "champ" business is a bit much...two weeks ago was the very first time in my life I ever shaved or tapered for a SCM meet so getting PBs wasn't really too hard. I don't think I ever swam SCM in college. But even with the old turns and the lack of underwater SDK, I was still a much faster backstroker in college (heck, even in high school).
My college times were decent, second-tier stuff, please don't make too much of them. The fly WR was in the 53s (Matt Gribble) until Pablo broke it around the time of the LA games (though he got beat by Michael Gross that time). I missed finals there by 0.2 and ended up 12th -- like I said, second-tier stuff. I am happy with my college career but please tone down the hyperbole, okay? :)
All this talk of people who may be hypothetically faster is redundant... Until they actually break your World Records, you are the CHAMPION. You might think of yourself as second-tier, but that sounds more like a rationalization, a way to accept your accomplishment(s) without actually having to take any credit for those performances... It's easier being 12-16th place, you might tell yourself... I've heard that before, but now you went and swam faster than anyone else, in all history for your age category... You can't simply dismiss this fact as meaningless....
Being fast once is admirable, but continuing to be fast as we age is astonishing.
The fact is, most people lose something with age, and to be able to continue to perform at an elite level propels you further ahead of the curve in terms of athletic ability... This is not second-tier stuff...
When looking at athletics from a purely physical perspective, having the ability to maintain performance over longer periods of time can be arguably seen as an even greater accomplishment... Not to mention the sheer will-power it takes to continue to train at an elite level... This can only be done if there is at least some level of joy gained from the process. A process that is equally enjoyable regardless of the place you are on the scoreboard.
Masters, especially swimming, could become even more popular in the public mind. With the aging demographic and our mutual obsession with youth and vitality, to be able to show an alternative, one where you actually stay healthy and strong; this is bound to draw a larger interest.
Happy Swimming,
