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
My :2cents::
As Moses (not Ed) said, "Let my people go!" Swim for whoever you want, train wherever you want and compile whatever relays you want for whatever team you want.
In an age where many of us have a "home pool" for and a "home team" for training, but spend time working out by ourselves or on the road while traveling on business and pleasure, limiting oneself to a team simply because you live there and train some portion of your time there seems, well, limiting.
As for regional teams like SCAQ, I think they are great. I happen to train with one, Sun Devil Masters, which offers workouts at multiple pools and times in the Tempe/Scottsdale area. The coaching level has improved dramatically since they "took over" the old Masters program we had at our pool at Cactus. I don't think a "team" has to workout and train at the same pool. I've never done a single workout at Sun Devil's main facility at ASU, but I still consider them to be my team. Extending that out with my relatively libertarian view of the world, why should I then care if people who happen to live in different parts of the country or world assemble themselves into a team?
My long term vision is to assemble a "Brundage Masters" relay team at the 2020 Nationals when my Dad should still be young enough and my older 2 daughters old enough to assemble a multi-generational mixed relay. Not to set records, but to have FUN! So, I certainly don't want rules in my way ... will just have to convince the old man to give up his allegiance to those cohesive Virginia Masters:)
I never realized that anyone seriously paid attention to the team titles at Nationals. It's basically a volume game. If we wanted team titles and scoring that had more meaning, we'd impose some limits akin to NCAAs.
As for relays, while they're fun and good, since they rarely have a real relay (e.g., 800 free relay), they just don't matter beyond fun to a non-sprinter like me.
Because Walnut Creek has won a lot of titles I'd like to chime in on that one.
We live in a huge swimming region (the Bay Area, more specifically the East Bay). I think the only sport more popular among kids is soccer. Most of us grew up doing either summer rec swimming or USA-S, or both. Because of this we have a large "pool" of potential teammates in Masters. Obviously, the weather helps (90s-to low 100s from June-Sept) considerably with swimming (although the winters SUCK in an outdoor pool, with snow on the mtn and temps in the hi 20s and low 30s).
That being said, I don't know of anyone on our team that has EVER mentioned winning the team title. We know we won, but it's not a bragging thing at all. In fact, the one thing we were talking about today was how pathetic we feel in the water after tapering!
The only time I ever see our titles mentioned is when Kerry is being interviewed for the newspaper, or he hangs the banner in the office. And it doesn't stay up for long. Actually, come to think of it, where are all of our banners?! They have never been displayed for more than a week or so, where does he put them? I'll have to ask!
So, I for one, think that the titles help build the program even more and that is all. It not only builds our team but also Pacific and in turn USMS.
:2cents:
Not to suck up, but, unlike some, Smith would be the first one to congratulate someone breaking a record of his.
Actually my reactions are usually:
1) If I'm in the race when it happens to kick, pull on or do any other possible thing to throw them off so as to take the win/retain the record...this would include strategic suit malfunctions on/behind the blocks before the race.
2) If at home a vodoo doll works nicely
3) If at the event but on the deck watching...the stand up and scream "die, die die" is always nice
3) If at the event but on the deck watching...the stand up and scream "die, die die" is always nice
Niiiice! Is that an urban myth?
Gull, I'm with you on the Nitro love. I like my small local team too, and enjoy swimming relays with them on the rare occasion when we have enough swimmers to do so. And we were quite pleased, even gloating for a nanosecond or two, about winning the medium team category at Zones for the first time in years.
I think the key is swimming with friends or, in Patrick's case, :), family. I'd love to do relays with friends. Not so much strangers though, just to set records. That doesn't rock my world at all.
Just a clarification to an earlier post- any USMS registered masters swimmer is welcome to compete at our Canadian champs; as I was saying in another thread, they are sometimes used as an alternative by US swimmers when your Nats are on either edge of the continent, also frequently used by aging-up to seize SC meter records. We would even let Paul Smith and any group of associated fossils he brings with him compete. Mind you, he'd probably miss his events after being felled by real Canadian suds.
