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.
I don't know what swimming culture you guys grew up in ... our coaches actively encouraged us to idolize and copy (with our weak imitations) the likes of Goodell & Salnikov (we were aspiring d-guys), as well as the regional and state-wide "heroes" who we could learn from. Pursuing, admiring & learning from excellence is always a good thing, IMHO. Call me a swim-nerd, but I find this sport wonderful to cheer about, study and obsess about ... AT ANY AGE.
This reminds me of something I see cropping up in interviews with swim coaches nowadays: ownership. Coaches will often talk now of a swimmer showing great "ownership" of their training and racing. Generally, I think it means being involved in their own training. But a big part of that is swimmers logging training sessions, breaking down tape, and studying the sport to find out what works for them and what doesn't.
A public blog is a great way to take ownership in your training, especially for master's swimmers, who likely don't have the resources that large club teams have. A blog is more a communication tool than a platform for bragging. Is there even a tiny bit of ego involved in blogging? Sure, because you're putting your activities and ideas out there and giving others a glimpse into part of your life. But the benefit of useful feedback far outweighs the consternation of the egotism gendarme.
I don't know what swimming culture you guys grew up in ... our coaches actively encouraged us to idolize and copy (with our weak imitations) the likes of Goodell & Salnikov (we were aspiring d-guys), as well as the regional and state-wide "heroes" who we could learn from. Pursuing, admiring & learning from excellence is always a good thing, IMHO. Call me a swim-nerd, but I find this sport wonderful to cheer about, study and obsess about ... AT ANY AGE.
This reminds me of something I see cropping up in interviews with swim coaches nowadays: ownership. Coaches will often talk now of a swimmer showing great "ownership" of their training and racing. Generally, I think it means being involved in their own training. But a big part of that is swimmers logging training sessions, breaking down tape, and studying the sport to find out what works for them and what doesn't.
A public blog is a great way to take ownership in your training, especially for master's swimmers, who likely don't have the resources that large club teams have. A blog is more a communication tool than a platform for bragging. Is there even a tiny bit of ego involved in blogging? Sure, because you're putting your activities and ideas out there and giving others a glimpse into part of your life. But the benefit of useful feedback far outweighs the consternation of the egotism gendarme.
