I know I can't be the only person who is not at Nationals who is nevertheless keeping track of how many people in my age group are beating my best times of the season.
I am happy to report in this inaugural edition of Beat Watch 2009, that in the 400 IM, two guys have beaten my time--
1 Gilchrist, Donald 55 NCMS 4:55.00 4:41.09
29.32 1:01.98 (32.66)
1:39.57 (37.59) 2:16.63 (37.06)
2:56.44 (39.81) 3:36.93 (40.49)
4:09.45 (32.52) 4:41.09 (31.64)
2 Clemmons, Jim 59 MAM 4:44.50 4:43.38
29.59 1:02.58 (32.99)
1:41.09 (38.51) 2:18.06 (36.97)
2:58.68 (40.62) 3:40.31 (41.63)
4:12.70 (32.39) 4:43.38 (30.68)
The good news: both these fellows had ALREADY beaten me with swims earlier in the season, so nobody new at Nationals has thus far dislodged my precarious hold on a possible top 10 in this event...
I invite anyone to post their own "Beat Watch" results as they filter in...
Glenn--it looks like you are reasonably close to moving up an age group to terrorize the next set of your elders! Good luck.
Tom--in terms of women, I think that for those who are around 50-ish + now, most did not get the benefit of Title iX, and I do think that it is probably relatively easier to make the top 10 for them. However, Rob Butcher told me that 62 percent of the USMS swimmers now registered in the 20-29 age groups are women.
The competition in years to come will be increasingly brutal for the distaff gender.
Our Leslie is one of the most competitive people I know! She's in a brutal age group, the vanguard of things to come.
It would be interesting to see where the No. 1 woman in each age group would place in the men's Top Times listings. I would bet that the younger you go, the closer to the top the women will rise.
Glenn--it looks like you are reasonably close to moving up an age group to terrorize the next set of your elders! Good luck.
Tom--in terms of women, I think that for those who are around 50-ish + now, most did not get the benefit of Title iX, and I do think that it is probably relatively easier to make the top 10 for them. However, Rob Butcher told me that 62 percent of the USMS swimmers now registered in the 20-29 age groups are women.
The competition in years to come will be increasingly brutal for the distaff gender.
Our Leslie is one of the most competitive people I know! She's in a brutal age group, the vanguard of things to come.
It would be interesting to see where the No. 1 woman in each age group would place in the men's Top Times listings. I would bet that the younger you go, the closer to the top the women will rise.
