Masters Swimmers Acting Like Triathletes

Chris...I'll assume that the "less is more" comment was directed at me. Not entirely no, though your recent post did remind me of the phenomenon. It seems pretty clear that your open water experience is limited. Most events are just as competitive as those swam in a pool; Olympians and the like. Times are very important, and recorded. There are All Americans and rankings. I admire your unorthodox style of backstroke and your speedy times, but you won't do squat swimming that way with the big boys. Um, I've been in a few OW races and I have done okay, having been a LD All-American multiple times. I even hold two USMS OW records, though I don't kid myself that they would survive contact with the likes of Erwin or Kostich, or other "real" OW swimmers. Probably because OW races can be very competitive. The competition is different from the competition in the pool but it isn't less serious, in my experience. For one thing, it's head-to-head, direct competition, every time. In Pacific Masters, some of the fastest swimmers rarely or never go to pool meets. They train hard, and focus on the summer-fall OW series, and take it seriously in a healthy, fun way. I like it, but I don't think someone who was really burned out on competition would find an OW swim any more fun than a pool meet unless the swim was in a really special venue. I'm aware they are serious but time is important mostly in context. In one ocean swim I sometimes do, the winning time can vary wildly from year to year depending on current/conditions. This sort of thing means the competition for top spots within the race itself can be fierce but makes it harder to compare times across competitions based on distance alone. My wife is a former college swimmer and now does mostly OW swims...she doesn't swim as much as she would like and gets depressed by her pool times but feels more accomplishment out of completing a tough OW swim and doesn't worry about her time (or her placement much, either). For myself, I mostly find OW races valuable largely as training swims for "real" (ie, pool) competition.:) (Just having fun.) YMMV, obviously. Added in edit: I am not trying to get into an OW vs pool thing. Maybe it seems obvious, but if someone is well and truly burned out on competition, then racing in ANY venue is not going to be very attractive. But the behavior that Mr Neg complained about (obsessing about times, Top Ten, records) seems to me to be less a part of OW competitions and culture. That isn't to say that people don't take the races seriously. There is also a "man vs nature" element to some arduous swims that can supplant "man vs man" (sorry for the sexist wording.:)) A former elite pool racer may find OW races different enough from NCAA/USS competitions to ignite his/her interest in competing in the sport again.

Chris...I'll assume that the "less is more" comment was directed at me. Not entirely no, though your recent post did remind me of the phenomenon. It seems pretty clear that your open water experience is limited. Most events are just as competitive as those swam in a pool; Olympians and the like. Times are very important, and recorded. There are All Americans and rankings. I admire your unorthodox style of backstroke and your speedy times, but you won't do squat swimming that way with the big boys. Um, I've been in a few OW races and I have done okay, having been a LD All-American multiple times. I even hold two USMS OW records, though I don't kid myself that they would survive contact with the likes of Erwin or Kostich, or other "real" OW swimmers. Probably because OW races can be very competitive. The competition is different from the competition in the pool but it isn't less serious, in my experience. For one thing, it's head-to-head, direct competition, every time. In Pacific Masters, some of the fastest swimmers rarely or never go to pool meets. They train hard, and focus on the summer-fall OW series, and take it seriously in a healthy, fun way. I like it, but I don't think someone who was really burned out on competition would find an OW swim any more fun than a pool meet unless the swim was in a really special venue. I'm aware they are serious but time is important mostly in context. In one ocean swim I sometimes do, the winning time can vary wildly from year to year depending on current/conditions. This sort of thing means the competition for top spots within the race itself can be fierce but makes it harder to compare times across competitions based on distance alone. My wife is a former college swimmer and now does mostly OW swims...she doesn't swim as much as she would like and gets depressed by her pool times but feels more accomplishment out of completing a tough OW swim and doesn't worry about her time (or her placement much, either). For myself, I mostly find OW races valuable largely as training swims for "real" (ie, pool) competition.:) (Just having fun.) YMMV, obviously. Added in edit: I am not trying to get into an OW vs pool thing. Maybe it seems obvious, but if someone is well and truly burned out on competition, then racing in ANY venue is not going to be very attractive. But the behavior that Mr Neg complained about (obsessing about times, Top Ten, records) seems to me to be less a part of OW competitions and culture. That isn't to say that people don't take the races seriously. There is also a "man vs nature" element to some arduous swims that can supplant "man vs man" (sorry for the sexist wording.:)) A former elite pool racer may find OW races different enough from NCAA/USS competitions to ignite his/her interest in competing in the sport again.