Aloha!
I just recently found an entire disscussion thread pertaining to my choice to swim for a team in France at Worlds in Perth and other meets. I find it very interesting to read all this stuff WAY after the fact.
To clear things up a bit, here is a brief history of why I swim for a Athletic Club Boulonge Billancourt (ACBB), a mulit-sport team located in Paris, France.
In early 2007, I was looking for a international meters meet since I had just aged up to 45 and wanted to get a jump start on some FINA WR's. At Worlds in Stanford in 2006, I had met many of the ACBB team members through Duncan McCready (a UK swimmmer and friend that swims for ACBB) and had fun hanging out with them during that long meet. The French are VERY social (like me!) and we hit it off right away.
When I told Duncan I was looking for a meet, he suggested I swim the French SCM nationals in Angers and asked if I would like to join ACBB since you HAVE to have a FRENCH swimming registration to compete in the meet. I agreed since USMS cards are not accepted in France.
I had a great meet, experienced a lot of team spirit with ACBB, set a few WR and was a member of a ACBB relay team setting WR (a first!). I truly love being a part of a team and I miss this aspect the most when I travel to meets far and away.
Fast forward to four months prior to Perth, 2008. My regular USMS team San Diego Swim Masters (SDSM) is only sending 6 swimmers, all over 60 meaning no relays for me. ACBB had asked me if I would like to swim for them and since San Diego has no younger swimmers going to the meet I say yes knowing that this will cause controversy. The other option is to switch USMS teams to Mission Viejo, or NOVA and these are San Diego rivals. I know some really great people and coaches from those teams, but I would rather not.
In Perth, my husband Eric and I have a blast with our 30 neon orange and black clad teammates. If you were there, ACBB were the ones with the chicken heads on and crazy flag colored face paint. ACBB has a great coach, Ollivier (gets splits, videos each race...the whole nine yards as a coach) has awesome team spirit, and we have team dinners and tons of fun.
I returned to France in March of 2009 to compete in the SCM French Nationals in Dunkirk and the fun and fast swims continue with ACBB (43 teammates!). Yes, I set a few more personal WRs, but I was also a part of ACBB relay teams that set three WR records as well. In one relay we lowered our own WR record, but we accidentally took down two WR previously owned by Japan GOLD. Heck, we were only going for European records. Anyway, I could not be more proud!
After the meet, Eric and I traveled to Switzerland, UK and Germany where we hosted 10 clinics and then I spent a week in Paris hanging out with my teammates training and playing, as well as hosting a stroke technique clinic with the team.
I am lucky to say I have over 100 teammates in Paris I call friends. I have not been paid to swim for ACBB, however, the team is subsidized by the city so NO team member pays for entry fees or for a hotel at nationals.
That is the long and the short of it. I plan to swim for ACBB for as long as they will have me.
To clear things up even further...
When swimming under my French card the times I swim DO NOT count for USMS top ten or USMS National records. This means that I often swim the same events at a USMS meet to make up for it. They do count towards FINA Top ten. Before I swam a stroke in France, I made sure that USMS, Traci Grilli and others were aware of my situation and what I was planning on doing. The rule book was checked and I was given the OK.
I do not earn any French Records as I am not a French citizen. In fact, at French nationals I share the podium with the fastest French swimmer and she is the national champion.
I choose not to accept any European records (except for relays), but I could do so since I have been a member in good standing of a European Federation team (ACBB) since 2007. However, I prefer NOT to accept the recognition or record (like I did in Illinois) and to prevent this I have been in contact with both Walt Reid and the LEN records chair and truly hope that my wishes have been honored. I feel that setting WR is enough and do not wish to take away European records from deserving swimmers.
Yes, I am a professional swimmer because I teach other people how to swim fast at my swim technique clinics (www.aquaticedge.org) and make a living from it. However, I am NOT paid to swim by any team or sponsor.
Yes, I do like to set records but I am also a fair person. Back in 2007 in Illinois I had no idea that the state records were being given to me and when I found out, I quicky declined the honor. The reason for my registering with Illinois Masters that year was to be able to swim on relays with the amazing Nadine Day at YMCA Nationals...no other reason and certainly not to set Illinois State records.
For those of you who stood up for me and presented the facts, thanks! For those of you who were quick to jump my case, shame on you. You do not even know me. I am an OPEN BOOK.
That's all, folks. Questions? email me at aquaticedge@hawaii.rr.com
BTW At YMCA Nationals this past April I swam for MID DELMARVA YMCA- also known as the Maryland Crabs- in honor of my courageous friend Nancy Sterling who is fighting a battle with ALS. My USMS reg. is still with SDSM
Ahhh....but that is exactly what many people here are arguing!
I guess the bigger question here is what is more important to the majority of USMS swimmers who compete at Nationals...records or involvement?
By allowing people such as myself to harass old farts to get of their butts and train again for a meet it grows our membership and IMHO is good for the sport...regardless of who they swim for.
Why? What does it matter to me or the people I recruit to swim for my team whether your friends swim or not? No one I know is going to Nationals cause of Rowdy or Geoff Garberino or whomever, and most people aren't training or going to set records: that is a very small number of people at Nationals, which in itself is a small number of USMS members. So I get that you like a rule for your friends, but is it really in the interest of the bigger organization? I'm unconvinced.
As far as the club divisions, yeah, including SCAQ is pretty BS: they are the equivalent of Metropolitan, which *is* a regional team. I guess I would say there is a difference between training at different pools because that is the only way your team can get enough pool time and just being an essentially regional team: one way to help define it might be to look at how many practice times overlap at different pools. I'm not losing sleep, but it is against the spirit of the rule change.
And don't worry, I am capable of both training and whining. In fact, my teammates can attest I do both at the same time nearly every day.
Ahhh....but that is exactly what many people here are arguing!
I guess the bigger question here is what is more important to the majority of USMS swimmers who compete at Nationals...records or involvement?
By allowing people such as myself to harass old farts to get of their butts and train again for a meet it grows our membership and IMHO is good for the sport...regardless of who they swim for.
Why? What does it matter to me or the people I recruit to swim for my team whether your friends swim or not? No one I know is going to Nationals cause of Rowdy or Geoff Garberino or whomever, and most people aren't training or going to set records: that is a very small number of people at Nationals, which in itself is a small number of USMS members. So I get that you like a rule for your friends, but is it really in the interest of the bigger organization? I'm unconvinced.
As far as the club divisions, yeah, including SCAQ is pretty BS: they are the equivalent of Metropolitan, which *is* a regional team. I guess I would say there is a difference between training at different pools because that is the only way your team can get enough pool time and just being an essentially regional team: one way to help define it might be to look at how many practice times overlap at different pools. I'm not losing sleep, but it is against the spirit of the rule change.
And don't worry, I am capable of both training and whining. In fact, my teammates can attest I do both at the same time nearly every day.
