Why does it appear many masters swimmers are taking USMS so seriously?
What's the difference between the typical "selfish train all day", "it's all about me" triathlete and a masters swimmer who seriously trains as hard as they can.... particularly to focus on setting masters records?
Seems like there is a growing parallel between triathletes and many masters swimmers these days.
Isn't it just "masters swimming" for health and fun in the end?
Does a masters record really mean that much?
Is this a good thing? ..... or a turn off for those who look on with amusement.
The only legitimate point that one could make along these lines is that hyper-competitive jerks hurt the sport because they drive people out of it.
Hyper-competitive is not a synonym for jerk. One can be the former without being the latter. I race against a lot of guys who I would consider hyper-competitive (I consider myself to be such in practically all aspects of my life ... just ask my daughter about our last backgammon game!), but none of them are jerks. A jerk will be a jerk whether they are competitive or not, fast or slow.
... but I think in swimming what you do when you are at your peak is more important than when you are not (due to age, lack of fitness, etc.)...
I think otherwise. I'm far more impressed that my 63 year old father is still in the pool now still cranking out times and competing at the elite of his age group than I am with the fact that he once swam at USC in his late teens/early 20s. For those of us who were serious/hard core swimmers in our youth, we mostly were able to dedicate ourselves to our sport with little other distraction than school. Competing at an elite level in your 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s ... 90s requires balancing sooo much more that, to me, it's a more impressive feat.
The only legitimate point that one could make along these lines is that hyper-competitive jerks hurt the sport because they drive people out of it.
Hyper-competitive is not a synonym for jerk. One can be the former without being the latter. I race against a lot of guys who I would consider hyper-competitive (I consider myself to be such in practically all aspects of my life ... just ask my daughter about our last backgammon game!), but none of them are jerks. A jerk will be a jerk whether they are competitive or not, fast or slow.
... but I think in swimming what you do when you are at your peak is more important than when you are not (due to age, lack of fitness, etc.)...
I think otherwise. I'm far more impressed that my 63 year old father is still in the pool now still cranking out times and competing at the elite of his age group than I am with the fact that he once swam at USC in his late teens/early 20s. For those of us who were serious/hard core swimmers in our youth, we mostly were able to dedicate ourselves to our sport with little other distraction than school. Competing at an elite level in your 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s ... 90s requires balancing sooo much more that, to me, it's a more impressive feat.
