Loved the home page feature on the USMS website today...
www.usms.org/features.php
Since the NCAA Championships are all around us these two weeks, who hasn't thought about our outstanding collegiate swimmers?
But have any of us considered inviting them to join us at masters in their near future?
Masters Swim Clubs in college areas could do all kinds of great things to inspire a retiring collegiate swimmer to join them.
Invite them to talk to the team at a social event would be an easy no-brainer.
But even beyond.
How about asking them to hold a clinic for your club?
And pay them since now they can accept the cash - and probably need it?
What else can we do to entice them to join our clubs (rack up points at the championship meets) and begin the rest of their healthy fit lives?
Yes - burnout is big. Graduating varsity swimmers usually want to be nowhere near a pool, and if you go after them too hard, you'll scare them off. In my experience, it often takes several years before these types want to be back in the pool at all.
One great way to spread awareness is to get these varsity swimmers to work at masters meets. It can be setup as a fundraiser for the varsity team (or their "friends of" group)... i.e., the kids work the meet, and money goes to the team, not individually. We've done this a bunch, and then these varsity swimmers get to see first hand that there is swimming life after college, and that there are even fast swimmers in masters.
-Rick
Yes - burnout is big. Graduating varsity swimmers usually want to be nowhere near a pool, and if you go after them too hard, you'll scare them off. In my experience, it often takes several years before these types want to be back in the pool at all.
One great way to spread awareness is to get these varsity swimmers to work at masters meets. It can be setup as a fundraiser for the varsity team (or their "friends of" group)... i.e., the kids work the meet, and money goes to the team, not individually. We've done this a bunch, and then these varsity swimmers get to see first hand that there is swimming life after college, and that there are even fast swimmers in masters.
-Rick
