what percentage of active swimmers are members of USMS?
Former Member
I have thought about joining, but can`t come up with a good reason why I should. My schedule conflicts with every team in my area and I really don`t have a strong desire to compete anyway. Already a member of the NRA and the discounts trump anything USMS can offer. Not a whole lot of equipment needed for swimming, so store discounts don`t really seem all that important. I wonder what percentage of active swimmers are members of the USMS?
MJGOLD, I was reading this thread, saw your question about the Statue of Liberty start, wanted to hear the answer myself, wondered why no one answered, saw you ask it again, then saw the answer!
No wonder the phrase seemed to have such an odd resonance in the back of my mind!
I had no idea I had been forever equated with the symbol of our Nation.
As far as feeling stupid, one of the nice things about USMS is that there is NEVER a need to feel stupid about such items. I told the judge that I didn't hear the start--they were using a beeper, I pulled my cap over my ears, etc.
Anyhow, they let me go in the next heat, and I got my best time in a couple years, so all's well that ends well.
As far as USMS membership goes, I think it really varies around the country. In the Pittsburgh area, there is a long and deeply established history of Y masters swimming. We have a league that has been keeping Top 10 records since at least 1982. There are meets every other week or so from September to our regional championships in April. None of these meets "count" for USMS top 10 consideration, though one year I did go through incredible hoops to get our 1650 meet recognized for USMS consideration. Some of the better swimmers do join USMS so they can go to nationals or Colonies Zones, etc. But for the most part, USMS offers very little (other than these forums) for your typical Y masters swimmer around here.
I think it would be good if the two organizations could join forces in a more coherent way. I know that at Y nationals, you can get your times to count for Top 10 USMS consideration if you join USMS. But most of our folks aren't close to making that, so they see no reason to join.
One idea I think might help--widen the Top 10 to keep track of more swimmers, maybe the Top 25 or even the Top 50. I know it would be a bureacratic and data collecting challenge, but I think a lot of swimmers would consider joining if they could claim, for example, to be even the 47th ranked swimmer in an event in the nation.
As far as having a tough skin goes, I think we all need to practice what we preach, eh?
MJGOLD, I was reading this thread, saw your question about the Statue of Liberty start, wanted to hear the answer myself, wondered why no one answered, saw you ask it again, then saw the answer!
No wonder the phrase seemed to have such an odd resonance in the back of my mind!
I had no idea I had been forever equated with the symbol of our Nation.
As far as feeling stupid, one of the nice things about USMS is that there is NEVER a need to feel stupid about such items. I told the judge that I didn't hear the start--they were using a beeper, I pulled my cap over my ears, etc.
Anyhow, they let me go in the next heat, and I got my best time in a couple years, so all's well that ends well.
As far as USMS membership goes, I think it really varies around the country. In the Pittsburgh area, there is a long and deeply established history of Y masters swimming. We have a league that has been keeping Top 10 records since at least 1982. There are meets every other week or so from September to our regional championships in April. None of these meets "count" for USMS top 10 consideration, though one year I did go through incredible hoops to get our 1650 meet recognized for USMS consideration. Some of the better swimmers do join USMS so they can go to nationals or Colonies Zones, etc. But for the most part, USMS offers very little (other than these forums) for your typical Y masters swimmer around here.
I think it would be good if the two organizations could join forces in a more coherent way. I know that at Y nationals, you can get your times to count for Top 10 USMS consideration if you join USMS. But most of our folks aren't close to making that, so they see no reason to join.
One idea I think might help--widen the Top 10 to keep track of more swimmers, maybe the Top 25 or even the Top 50. I know it would be a bureacratic and data collecting challenge, but I think a lot of swimmers would consider joining if they could claim, for example, to be even the 47th ranked swimmer in an event in the nation.
As far as having a tough skin goes, I think we all need to practice what we preach, eh?
