As an "outsider" to the world of "hardcore" swimming ...
Former Member
I swim a lot and really enjoy it. It's something I've done all of my life, growing up in Southern California, and it's my main form of exercise. I'm good at it, but I do it primarily for health and enjoyment.
I've noticed from lurking around this board for several years that there seems to be a very self-congratulatory, cliquish tone to many threads and posts. It seems like it's often a small group of people who post relentlessly, as if they are engaged in some sort of private conversation where they're trying to outdo each other.
Maybe I'm the only one who feels that way. Maybe that's part and parcel of the world of "hardcore" competitive swimmers. Or maybe it's because there wouldn't be anything else to talk about, unless there weren't a constant focus on who's the "best" at this or that.
A race is something that happens once in a while, whereas a lifetime of swimming lasts, well, a lifetime. Yes, it's great to break a certain time in a certain race, but it's also great to have the self-discpline to keep at a daily swimming program and work on improving one's technique and endurance. Both are valid, and, to my mind, neither is more worthy of praise than the other.
Jim Thornton, if I recall correctly, noted a while ago that there were a lot of people lurking around the board and not really participating. If that is the case, I would propose that may be due to the general off-putting tone of things on here. (I won't give examples at this point, although I could.)
Parents
Former Member
I'm new to swimming, but I'm not new to the internet and certainly not to messageboards. I'm definitely "inside" at the forum I consider my home on the internet (not this one, but who knows, maybe it will be someday), even though I don't actually feel "inside." Just consider that all these people who appear "clique-ish" aren't actually all in on all the same stuff, jokes, etc... When in Rome, do as Romans do, but that doesn't mean all the Romans like each other or they're all part of the same conspiracy to murder the latest Caesar or what have you... So it might sound ridiculous to some of these fine swimmers around here when you say they're all part of the same herd.
As for a stickied special thread just for lap swimming and fitness... what. Special "stickied" threads have been brought up from time to time at my home base and the big strike against them is that it's very easy to miss or ignore a sticky thread. And when you start stickying threads that aren't about rules or official announcements, then enters the question of where the line is drawn and that's a whole other headache right there. Plus, I tend not to like that "big block of bolded threads" up at the top of the forums that nobody ever clicks on. It's harder to tell when the latest response was and so on.
I'm new to swimming, but I'm not new to the internet and certainly not to messageboards. I'm definitely "inside" at the forum I consider my home on the internet (not this one, but who knows, maybe it will be someday), even though I don't actually feel "inside." Just consider that all these people who appear "clique-ish" aren't actually all in on all the same stuff, jokes, etc... When in Rome, do as Romans do, but that doesn't mean all the Romans like each other or they're all part of the same conspiracy to murder the latest Caesar or what have you... So it might sound ridiculous to some of these fine swimmers around here when you say they're all part of the same herd.
As for a stickied special thread just for lap swimming and fitness... what. Special "stickied" threads have been brought up from time to time at my home base and the big strike against them is that it's very easy to miss or ignore a sticky thread. And when you start stickying threads that aren't about rules or official announcements, then enters the question of where the line is drawn and that's a whole other headache right there. Plus, I tend not to like that "big block of bolded threads" up at the top of the forums that nobody ever clicks on. It's harder to tell when the latest response was and so on.
