2008 Convention

It's one thing to be a great teammate and encouraging but that is vastly different from going on the inside and doing the unpleasant work of cmte's and the minutiae of service. The way to make change is to get involved, get on the cmtes. It's hard work and often thankless but that is where you can make the biggest difference. I respectfully disagree, anything on the National level is going to take a LONG time and proceed at a slow pace. Some good ideas may come up during the course of the year and at Convention, just don't hold your breath when it comes to implementing anything. Now on the local level, you can make a lot of changes in a fraction of the time. LMSC boards are smaller than USMS committees and meet more frequently. Local is where the action is and where changes can be put to the test. Plus, there is a great need to focus on the grass roots of swimming in order to sustain the National organization. If teams are whitering on the vine, pools are closing, and swimmers not registering *in your local community* don't expect a USMS committee to do much about it. Take action locally and devote 95% of your available energy to your LMSC, it will yield much more than serving on a USMS committee. This is my approach and don't expect anybody to agree with it. However, both my strategy and tactics come from personal experience and observation. YMMV so proceed accordingly ;-)

I'm pretty sure we are saying the same thing about pace of change, locally versus nationally. Personally, I do believe a commit at the national level is generally a bigger deal and requires more dedication, and patience.

I respectfully disagree, anything on the National level is going to take a LONG time and proceed at a slow pace. Some good ideas may come up during the course of the year and at Convention, just don't hold your breath when it comes to implementing anything. Now on the local level, you can make a lot of changes in a fraction of the time. LMSC boards are smaller than USMS committees and meet more frequently. Local is where the action is and where changes can be put to the test. Plus, there is a great need to focus on the grass roots of swimming in order to sustain the National organization. If teams are whitering on the vine, pools are closing, and swimmers not registering *in your local community* don't expect a USMS committee to do much about it. Take action locally and devote 95% of your available energy to your LMSC, it will yield much more than serving on a USMS committee. This is my approach and don't expect anybody to agree with it. However, both my strategy and tactics come from personal experience and observation. YMMV so proceed accordingly ;-) Well stated Doug. Bottom line is the people who make up the organizational framework of USMS come from "local" clubs and if we don't recruit and develop people at that level first we won't have anyone to draw on to be part of committee's. Generally speaking, if you remove competition from the discussion what does USMS do which impacts masters swimming on the local level? I don't mean this as a criticism but a legitimate question? There is the new club mentoring program which I think will be very helpful if coaches take advantage of it (Doug tapped into it for AZ right out of the gate). The insurance situation would seem to be one of the more challenging things to be addressed, as I noted earlier one of the main reasons that people are members of USMS is that a local club requires it to cover their insurance needs. However a number of teams have self insured and found it to be more cost effective so a problem then is created for USMS as teams like Sun Devil and Dallas with very large numbers of swimmers are no longer requiring membership....only the handful of swimmers who compete register. From my discussions with a number of coaches across the country most feel that when you take away the insurance benefit the big question becomes what does USMS provide them at the local level to make their business more profitable? Remember, as much as USMS prides itself on the voluntarism of its members the bottom line is the bottom line and that means clubs grow or die...or drift along in no mans land and turn coaches over frequently...or don't have coaches. USMS can grow if it remembers this and if it indeed can move from a "bottom up" management system to a "top down". UMHO of course!

It's one thing to be a great teammate and encouraging but that is vastly different from going on the inside and doing the unpleasant work of cmte's and the minutiae of service. The way to make change is to get involved, get on the cmtes. It's hard work and often thankless but that is where you can make the biggest difference. What have you done with the Geek? I am notifying the authorities.

Paul and Doug, I applaud getting involved at the local level and it sounds as if your LMSC and its swimmers are well served by your efforts. In his Vision & Action Plan, Butcher points to the coach as the single most important person in the member experience and it is hard to argue. How much more local can you get than for the LMSC to support good coaching for everyone who wants it? All you have to do is look at the many views of Ande's advice/blog threads to see that there is a lot of hunger for such information, and I don't think it comes only from those who want to compete. But negative comments towards the national organization do a great disservice to many people like Rob Copeland, Mark Gill, Mary Beth Windrath and many many others who put in A LOT of time and whose efforts that directly benefit all USMS members. You act as if your LMSC is not beholden at all to USMS and it just isn't true. (And if USMS can and should serve you better, help make it happen.) Do you like USMS Swimmer magazine? This web site and the fora? Online registration? Top ten lists? The list goes on and it isn't just about competition. What's more, I really like the way Butcher writes in his document about how USMS can better serve ALL of its members (not just habitual competitors), and good energetic people are needed to make it happen, acting at many scales not just the local. Fine if you don't have the patience or mentality to contribute at the national level but don't denigrate the efforts of those who do by statements like "there are some good ideas that get implemented at glacial speed" (forgive the paraphrase, but that is the essence of the two of your comments).

Paul and Doug, I applaud getting involved at the local level and it sounds as if your LMSC and its swimmers are well served by your efforts. In his Vision & Action Plan, Butcher points to the coach as the single most important person in the member experience and it is hard to argue. How much more local can you get than for the LMSC to support good coaching for everyone who wants it? All you have to do is look at the many views of Ande's advice/blog threads to see that there is a lot of hunger for such information, and I don't think it comes only from those who want to compete. But negative comments towards the national organization do a great disservice to many people like Rob Copeland, Mark Gill, Mary Beth Windrath and many many others who put in A LOT of time and whose efforts that directly benefit all USMS members. You act as if your LMSC is not beholden at all to USMS and it just isn't true. (And if USMS can and should serve you better, help make it happen.) Do you like USMS Swimmer magazine? This web site and the fora? Online registration? Top ten lists? The list goes on and it isn't just about competition. What's more, I really like the way Butcher writes in his document about how USMS can better serve ALL of its members (not just habitual competitors), and good energetic people are needed to make it happen, acting at many scales not just the local. Fine if you don't have the patience or mentality to contribute at the national level but don't denigrate the efforts of those who do by statements like "there are some good ideas that get implemented at glacial speed" (forgive the paraphrase, but that is the essence of the two of your comments). Chris, I have been very careful to be critical of the organization and the process and not the people so I take a bit of offense at your suggestion that I'm merely making "negative comments" and "doing a disservice" with my posts. The bottom line is that I pay to be a part of this organization and just as in any "service" industry I believe my dues allow me to be critical of the "product" which gets delivered if it isn't what I think it should/could be. And simply saying things like "get involved" if you don't like it is a cope out...so I should shut up and take what I'm given if I'm not going to join in the process? In other words if you don't like the food you're served at a restaurant go back in the kitchen and make it yourself? Not quite sure what your talking about with regard to an LMSC not being beholden to USMS...other than the (mainly) competitive benefits you cite what (other than a nice mission statement from the ED) is USMS providing the 90% of its membership? I challenge you to show me that the majority of those people would not forgo a USMS membership if it was not required by the club or facility they train at. Finally you use the word "denigrate" when I describe a process that I have participated in...interesting. So what have I described inaccurately?

But negative comments towards the national organization do a great disservice to many people like Rob Copeland, Mark Gill, Mary Beth Windrath and many many others who put in A LOT of time and whose efforts that directly benefit all USMS members. If my comments strike some as negative, that is an inference that the reader draws, not what the writer is implying ;-) You act as if your LMSC is not beholden at all to USMS and it just isn't true. (And if USMS can and should serve you better, help make it happen.) I don't know where that came from but... USMS is working with us on membership development. Ask Mel Goldstein how many years I have been pestering him about this. The answer is two years, a process I started in Dearborn as the then-Vice Chairman of our LMSC... The result is that he is coming to AZ to work with our teams and coaches. Do you like USMS Swimmer magazine? Its good for the most part. The recent publication delays though were not welcomed. This web site and the fora? Website needs a serious revamp IMHO. I am sure Mark G. and Jim M. are aware of this and are working on improving it. Slow updates really hamper timely posting of event listing (2-4 weeks is not cutting it). Online registration? Long overdue, very welcomed by our LMSC. What's more, I really like the way Butcher writes in his document about how USMS can better serve ALL of its members (not just habitual competitors), and good energetic people are needed to make it happen, acting at many scales not just the local. I think Rob Butcher is on the money in many ways, he will take us forward in many ways. Huge win in getting him as our ED, plus he is a fellow breaststroker! What Paul and I are saying (correct me if I am wrong Paul) is that the vast majority of effort should be concentrated at the LMSC level. That is where one can make a difference in a short period of time. Plus, if our LMSCs/Teams/Clubs are healthy, doesn't it make USMS healthy? It is a matter of emphasis on where to place finite resources, I choose to devote mine to AZ LMSC. Others are free to choose otherwise, we are all adults and capable of deciding what is best for us. My opinion is that USMS is better served in the long-run if leaders focus on their LMSC first, then (once the LMSC is healthy and vibrant) turn their attention to the National level. Fine if you don't have the patience or mentality to contribute at the national level but don't denigrate the efforts of those who do by statements like "there are some good ideas that get implemented at glacial speed" (forgive the paraphrase, but that is the essence of the two of your comments). Speaking for myself, what I offer are my observations from attending Convention and being a part of USMS. I call it like I see it, regardless of who is involved or what others think. It is tough but fair, which is a key to being open with the membership of USMS. We are all individuals who are free to speak our minds and (respectfully) disagree on the issues that come before us. I choose to exercise that right when called for. By the way, there are other people who share my opinions. Not that it matters but just sayin'...

Chris, I have been very careful to be critical of the organization and the process and not the people so I take a bit of offense at your suggestion that I'm merely making "negative comments" and "doing a disservice" with my posts. The bottom line is that I pay to be a part of this organization and just as in any "service" industry I believe my dues allow me to be critical of the "product" which gets delivered if it isn't what I think it should/could be. And simply saying things like "get involved" if you don't like it is a cope out...so I should shut up and take what I'm given if I'm not going to join in the process from a different level? In other words if you don't like the food your served at a restaurant go back in the kitchen and make it yourself? Not quite sure what your talking about with regard to an LMSC not being beholden to USMS...other than the (mainly) competitive benefits you cite what (other than a nice mission statement from the ED) is USMS providing the 90% of its membership? I challenge you to show me that the majority of those people would forgo a USMS membership if it was not required by the club of facility they train at. Finally you use the word "denigrate" when I describe a process that I have participated in...interesting. So what have I described inaccurately? Paul, I don't mean to give offense. But I do think that criticizing the organization is tantamount to criticizing those who participate in it. Nothing is wrong with criticism, sure. But what I am reacting to was the sense I get from both you of you that (a) USMS isn't serving its members and (b) serving at the national level is not worth the effort. The latter is a defeatist attitude: if USMS isn't serving its members then how will that change unless people are willing to make the effort for it to happen? I don't think it is a "cop-out" to say that. The examples I used were: USMS Swimmer, the web site (and content like "Places to Swim" and the fora), online registration and Top Ten. All took vast effort to implement and maintain but only the last is overtly and completely geared to the competitive swimmer.

My opinion is that USMS is better served in the long-run if leaders focus on their LMSC first, then (once the LMSC is healthy and vibrant) turn their attention to the National level. Doug, I guess ultimately where you and I disagree is the notion that these choices are mutually exclusive, or that they have to be done sequentially. In other words, I think it is possible to serve your LMSC by representing them at convention, participating in the national decision-making process, while at the same time serving at the local level. I agree that if one's LMSC is "unhealthy" then there is lots of work to be done at the local level to fix that. Maybe USMS (as an organization) can even help with that... :)

Chris Stevenson...probably deserves a beat down too. The gridge beers that I will win at the GMUP meet next month will taste all the sweeter. (Amazing how trash talk can even permeate pretty much any thread on this forum.)