Wondering what some of the unofficial records are at short-course nationals:
Most consecutive meets attended ?
Most meets attended and estimated travel mileage for all those meets ?
Most consecutive wins in an event ?
Most Titles ?
Swimmers winning a "dceade" in an event - meaning winning a race every year in their 40ies, 50 ies or so on ?
Has anybody won every event (over several years of course) - if not who has won the most different events ?
Any other mosts you can think of ... ?
Ted Hartz has attended all but one (maybe two) national championships. Not only does he come and swim in them all, but you will also find him officiating on the deck at nationals.
Graham Johnston is tied for breaking the most FINA Masters World Records. Many of those swims have been at our nationals.
I don't know for certain, but I would bet that Laura Val and Jim McConica have won their events for an entire age group if not for a decade. Rich Abrahams would be in that category too, but he misses nationals occasionally.
Skip Thompson would know the answer to all these questions except for the swim suit one.
The most consecutive meets attended by a US Masters swimmer is by June Krauser. She had attended every masters nationals from 1971 to 2007. The first Nationals she missed was the 2008 Short Course Nationals in Austin. There was not a Masters Long Course Nationals in 1970, 1971, and 2006. That is 73 straight national meets and I don't think anybody has a streak like this. Ted Hartz will probably be a close second. The only other person that I can think of that had a streak like this was a guy named Art Welsh from Oregon. At one time he had gone to every Nationals and he and June were written up in Swim Magazine about this because they had gone to every Nationals for over 25 years in 1996. June has also gone to every USAS Convention that masters was involved in. Ted Hartz probably has also.
Graham Johnson would probably have the record for most National Records because he has been very consistent is his swimming for almost 37 years. Jim McConica joined USMS around 1982 and Laura Val joined in 1986, so they have some catching up to do but both could eventually pass Graham.
I remember the first Nationals that I attended was in Fort Lauderdale in 1983. At that meet, Jim McConica won every event except the last one he swam, which was the 400 IM. He lost to Tim McKee, who was from Fort Lauderdale and was the sliver medalist in that event in the 1972 Olympics losing by two-thousands of a second to Gunnar Larson of Sweden. This was the closest race decision in the history of the Olympics and resulted in an International rule change in that swimming races would be decided by a hundredths of a second and if the times were the same they would be declared a tie. There have been two ties since 1972. Jim McConica almost caught McKee on the free leg and lost by a very small margin.
I would not know the suit question. Wall lanes would the most boring question to answer. You would have to go thru every heat book of all of the 75 National Championships to figure that one out. I would feel real sorry for someone forced to figure that one out.
Ted Hartz has attended all but one (maybe two) national championships. Not only does he come and swim in them all, but you will also find him officiating on the deck at nationals.
Graham Johnston is tied for breaking the most FINA Masters World Records. Many of those swims have been at our nationals.
I don't know for certain, but I would bet that Laura Val and Jim McConica have won their events for an entire age group if not for a decade. Rich Abrahams would be in that category too, but he misses nationals occasionally.
Skip Thompson would know the answer to all these questions except for the swim suit one.
How about most yards swum preparing for a nationals?
Ahelee- I will tell you when I meet you in Clovis. Is that OK? I just don't want to post it, 'cause I don't want to come across as drama.
Although? Hmm. We could have most serious injury/physical ailment at a Nationals?
I DO NOT want to enter that category again!
Here is a stat for you about my friend Bob Strand. Since 1991 (missed three years in early 2000's) 50,100 200 *** SCY Nats 36-5, LC nats 31-2 and World's 17-1 84 wins and 8 losses in his career.
On the blocks? What did you do?
After thinking about it, I remembered it wrong. It was a false start. After the heat got back, I was singled out for moving during the set. I did not see it the same way, but to no avail. I think I was standing behind the block when the DQ was announced (to my shock), hence my initial report.
Ask Andy Macpherson - 100 IM
:)
I saw Andy get deeked in a 100IM at the Davis Pentathlon a couple of years ago. Dolphin kicking during breaststroke - the entire length. Bad knees. I see he's entered at Clovis in it. Hopefully the knees are in order now.
