Yet...... another comment on "elitism" in masters swimming. This ongoing battle of two imaginary groups....... the selfish former elite swimmers and the non elite counter parts.
Yes..... The Evil Smith and I have taken great pleasure throughout the last decade trying to secretly split USMS into these two groups. Our efforts to perpetuate this divide and fuel our intolerance for "learners" is now being undermined..... :-)
One Big Happy Family: Marcinkowski’s Masters
reachforthewall.com/.../
"Butcher, Zerkle and others say numbers have soared because Marcinkowski has tried to strip the elitism from masters swimming, often thought to be populated with former competitive stars who have little tolerance for learners."
Given that the stats I've seen thrown around are that something like 10% (correct me if I'm wrong) of USMS swimmers compete, I don't think we have this elitism problem. I've trained with a number of teams around the country when traveling and I just don't get this vibe. I generally find a bunch of people of widely varying ability who are happy to be able to squeeze in a refreshing early morning swim, chat with their friends pre/post/during workout and stay in shape. Most of them are also pushing themselves in these workouts to get their heart rate up and their times down, whether they are going to race in a meet or not.
If coaches or clubs or other swimmers are creating that attitude at their pool, that's too bad. I admit to being in a place where I'm personally very intense about my swimming, but I hope that doesn't create a negative vibe where I train.
Given that the stats I've seen thrown around are that something like 10% (correct me if I'm wrong) of USMS swimmers compete, I don't think we have this elitism problem. I've trained with a number of teams around the country when traveling and I just don't get this vibe. I generally find a bunch of people of widely varying ability who are happy to be able to squeeze in a refreshing early morning swim, chat with their friends pre/post/during workout and stay in shape. Most of them are also pushing themselves in these workouts to get their heart rate up and their times down, whether they are going to race in a meet or not.
If coaches or clubs or other swimmers are creating that attitude at their pool, that's too bad. I admit to being in a place where I'm personally very intense about my swimming, but I hope that doesn't create a negative vibe where I train.
