2009 USMS Long Course National Championships

I swam two days in Indy, including relay day today. Swam the 100 free (first time LC) yesterday. Today I swam three relays. Our team entered 25 relay events. It was a great team-building thing. For whatever it's worth, I would not have chosen to participate but for the relay opportunities. I helped score points for my team and got a bunch of great experience in a fantastic facility among talented swimmers. I would do it again for sure. From my perspective relay day was a brilliant idea. Perhaps there is a tension (not to be reconciled) between what makes a great championship meet for elite competitors and what grows participation in the event and creates more buy-in for Masters competition more broadly. This meet accomplished the latter for me.

Anyone have any good photos from INDY?? I shot a few with my lame little broken down camera. Jimby appears somehow in 75% of them! Guess shooting inside won't create some of the gorgeous shots we had in California, but here are some for the record anyway! If you aren't here... we miss you! I have loads of photos. I like this one, Ahelee! And who can get over the fact that Eney actually gave me an engraved spit cup!

1 Ross, Michael S 41 MESC 2:17.50 2:15.75 26.49 58.44 (31.95) 1:40.70 (42.26) 2:15.75 (35.05) Ouch - I can feel for a fellow Breaststroke disabled swimmer :badday: These are the kinds of swimmers I love racing! Let them wear themselves out in the opening half then reel them in. Mike should come to Long Beach this December and race Erik and me in the IMs.

I'm not sure they've ever done a relay day at Nationals before. I was not at all fan of the relay day. I don't like the extra day, which is expensive and a hassle (and tiring to do four relays). And how about those on v small teams who can't field relays? I think some of them just left and skpped the Sunday events. BTW I noticed a LOT of empty lanes in races on Sunday. The heat before me in 100 fly had only TWO swimmers out of eight who showed up. Coincidence? I don' know. As far as doing the "extra" relays (400s and 800s), I would rather do them at Zones when we have many more teammates on hand so we can put together better relays. Nice to experiment but I hope they don't do it again.

I noticed Ion Beza swam. I haven't seen him in a few years. Anyone talk to him?

I thought the relays were great fun but it would have been better to have them follow the individual events. After 450m of fast swimming on Saturday, I wasn't at my best on Sunday. In this case, I definitely took one for the team.

I was talking to some more swimmers who liked the relay say in concept but not in application(adding an extra day to the meet and leaving people exhausted for Sun.)One idea was have relay day the last day,that way if you couldn't afford the extra day you could leave and they wouldn't mess up individual events.Also if you had some friends for who wanted to swim only relays they could just drop in for the last day.

that seems truly agonizing 58.44 1:17.31 that is a very wide split difference bet he could have easily given up 4 or 5 seconds on the 1st 100 & gained 7 or 8 on the 2nd 1 Ross, Michael S 41 MESC 2:17.50 2:15.75 26.49 58.44 (31.95) 1:40.70 (42.26) 2:15.75 (35.05) Ouch - I can feel for a fellow Breaststroke disabled swimmer :badday:

I noticed Ion Beza swam. I haven't seen him in a few years. Anyone talk to him? I talked to him after he finished one of his races. Perhaps my hearing is getting worse, but his accent seemed much more pronounced that it did when I last saw him in Cleveland six years ago. He looks good but, perhaps somewhat predictably, was not all that happy about his swimming performance. When I suggested he get a B70 or something akin to it, he shook his head and said that he wants to judge himself against himself consistently. I could not tell if he had taken my recommendation to try Prozac. I always suspected he might have a touch of remediable swimming obsessionality; the same aflliction in those whose times are perhaps a little closer to national caliber times, seem often be overlooked, excused, and sometimes even admired. Not so for the likes of Ion. Or me, for that matter. I say: let Ion back on these forums if he will have us! We have much to learn from him.

I say: let Ion back on these forums if he will have us! We have much to learn from him. Can we put that up for a vote?