Poll on competitive history pre-Masters

Started sport as a skier aged 17, became an international, then went into triathlon, won national age group champs x 2 with my first time learning to swim frontcrawl - became my strongest discipline but never did much training, just a mile x 3 a week. Won a few senior international triathlons, then as I was based in France turned to cycle racing. I became an international in 2 years and then after another 5 turned a professional cyclist and toured all over the world in various teams including rep. GBR. Got very close to Olympic selections, but didn't get the place. I also did cross-country skiing and won 2 national titles in between the cycling. Retired from full time sport in 2003 - no money and was (and still am) VERY disappointed by the drug culture, hence felt I was having to compete with cheats which ruined the sport for me. Moved to Scotland to get a job, get married, and presently start a family...and now I'm swimming - this is the first time I have put my mind to swimming and presently on a 22:30 pace with 4 months swimming - but this is just training and not done a 'meet' yet! LOVE SWIMMING to bits, but only do it x 3-4 a week to keep hungry to train. Interesting to read other's backgrounds!

Margery Meyer Jean Durston Both started late in life. michael You see this in women 85 to 89 for example, with a total of 17 listed competitive swimmers to make Top 10 and World Records, but you don't see this in women 40 to 44 for example, with a total of 337 listed competitive swimmers, where starters early in life dominate: www.usms.org/.../eventrank.php How close one late starter's bests get to Olympic times, that's more meaningful to achievements.

How close one late starter's bests get to Olympic times, that's more meaningful to achievements. I'm not quite sure what is meant by this statement, but I am more impressed by Top Ten swims of "never was" swimmers --regardless of age group -- than the WRs of the "has beens." :)

But you don't see this in women 40-44 for example ... How close one late starter's bests get to Olympic times, that's more meaningful to achievements. I'm definitely a "never was" with virtually no collegiate or national experience. Still, I'm doing OK in the 40-44 and 45-49 age groups despite this alleged severe handicap. Let's not discourage people please!!

I swam summer league the summer before my Freshman year and asked my parents why I had never heard of the swim team before? Started USS in the middle of my Freshman year and was shocked how many fast swimmers there were. My HS team wasn't fast, and I was dropped in Sr 2, with Sr 1 kids usually having at least one Jr.'s cut. Man I was scared. Swam USS for 2.5 years and HS for 3 years. Didn't swim for multiple reasons my senior year for HS or USS. Ended up getting recruited by a Div 3 school (CMU), to swim based on my Sophomore and Jr. times. I was recruited because CMU is slow, not because I am fast, and ended up swimming for a week when the coach and I got into an argument that reminded me why I stopped swimming in the first place. Swimming Master's is fun again. I work much harder on all the things I didn't want to work hard on as a kid, because it is for me now. So, 2.5 USS as a kid. No cuts worth mentioning, no college swimming. No top 10 times in Master's yet either :)

To repeat myself, I greatly admire the achievements of masters swimmers (and triathletes) who picked up the sport as an adult.:applaud: It is a difficult and impressive thing to do. Well, on the up side, you don't spend much time worrying about how you'll never be as fast as you were when you were 14. (PS: I was sorry I did not get a chance to introduce myself at the meet. I had the girl muppet point you out then promptly forgot.)

I'm definitely a "never was" with virtually no collegiate or national experience. Still, I'm doing OK in the 40-44 and 45-49 age groups despite this alleged severe handicap. Let's not discourage people please!! Honestly, Fort, I think setting yourself as a "never was" is rather more discouraging. You have a pretty solid background and to discount that and imply that people without it could be doing it too... I don't mean it in a "poor me"/Ionic way but there is a vaster gap between none and some USS than between I swam only one year at college and I swam all four.

Honestly, Fort, I think setting yourself as a "never was" is rather more discouraging. You have a pretty solid background and to discount that and imply that people without it could be doing it too... I don't mean it in a "poor me"/Ionic way but there is a vaster gap between none and some USS than between I swam only one year at college and I swam all four. Could be, but some age group swimming is hardly the equivalent of having "Olympic times" or other credentials. That comment just irked me. Those who have no swimming history whatsoever, like you or rtodd or poolraat, are definitely to be commended.

Could be, but some age group swimming is hardly the equivalent of having "Olympic times" or other credentials. That comment just irked me. Those who have no swimming history whatsoever, like you or rtodd or poolraat, are definitely to be commended. Fair enough. Continue, my momofinned friend.

Continue, my monofinned friend. Chuckle... I think swimming is a pretty unnatural thing for humans, in most ways. Think about it: if you have a footrace between a typical "man/woman off the street" and an 8-year-old who runs track, usually the adult will win (not always of course). But a typical adult will usually lose, probably pretty badly, to an 8-year-old year-round swimmer in a 25 yard race. Heck, I can remember going 15.5 in the 25 fly as an 8-yo (still the pinnacle of my swimming career in my opinion). So I think there is a huge advantage to having swum competitively as a child. To repeat myself, I greatly admire the achievements of masters swimmers (and triathletes) who picked up the sport as an adult.:applaud: It is a difficult and impressive thing to do.