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.)
SFTOM, go to a local site & post a line to see who will "talk" to you. Many people like to hear themselves, but a lot of us have real questions & want to talk to others in the swim area. I hope that you find some on line friends. Good luck
Seriously though, there's no exclusive group, some folks have just met at meets and become friends. If you contribute and comment, you're as much a part of anything as the rest of us...especially if you enjoy a good yuck!
Aside from meeting people at meets, which is fabulous, I've "met" people on this forum who I swam against in meets as an age grouper, grew up practically next door to, and who are swimming in my age group pool in my home town with my old coach. It's a small world. :)
Someone just sent me this photo from a meet I swam in when I was 13:
I'll allow colour, but if Stud starts discussing the "tyres" on his car, that's where I draw the line.
Oh don't be so dramatic...maybe you should try the theatre instead?
;)
new species of orchid pollinated exclusively by squirrel monkeys.
i'm gonna get drunk tonight and work this phrase into every conversation i have. (i will, of course, credit the author as my conscience requires)
As a neighbour, I harbour some humour towards a dispute over spelling colour.
I'll allow colour, but if Stud starts discussing the "tyres" on his car, that's where I draw the line.
In any endeavor, one will always find those who are obsessive-compulsive in their approach and those who slip in and out of the current with little thought to commitment of any kind.
These postings are a mirror of my Masters team: Some babble endlessly about their times as if they were still in college, while the vast majority are just happy to be swimming in their lanes with their lane buddies. And that is why I love swimming. It is a cross-section of some of the most honest people I know. Take em as they come on your terms and you will be just fine.
After all, it is pretty hard to keep any real secrets when we see each other in our underwear every day.
Rob
Is this really the face USMS wants to project to the public, and, more alarmingly, its own members? Do any of you who have responded to my original inquiry feel any sense of obligation to the organization at large, and do you think the content you add here furthers the purposes of USMS?
Are you Dolphin 2 or Michael Heather in disguise? What gives? I feel a lot of obligation, as do most of the regular posters on this forum. Did you bother to read the thread about how many meets the regulars attend? I've never met a more welcoming group of people in my life. There are people I've met on this forum that are like old friends the first time we ever come face to face.
I've recruited many many people to USMS, some have even stayed despite that. What are you doing for USMS besides telling us all we are doing wrong? Out of curiosity are you a USMS member or just using the forum for free? Either way, we welcome you warmly.
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.(I won't give examples at this point, although I could.)
All true...and we tend to think "lurkers" are people who spend to much time alone, playing videogames and abusing small animals...then again that describes Geek pretty well also.
Mr. Couroboros and Mr. Sftom are both relatively new here.
One has come to save us. He is the One.
One has come to send us to perdition. He is the Other One.
To me, it is clear which is which.
There is a quality of a Stephen King novel to this thread.
Mr. Couroboros, we will meet you in Boulder.
Mr. Sftom, your minions will meet you in Las Vegas.
Then we shall see which serpent's tail is ultimately devoured.
