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."
The one exception is backstroke...I've never figured out a good way to pass that doesn't involve turning over on my front. I usually just avoid the stroke if I'm in a lane with multiple slower swimmers.
I have the answer on backstroke - avoid it at all times as it's Eeeevil. LOL.
Seriously, an open discussion is best. I don't mind a foot tap if I'm swimming with someone much speedier - but it's usually not needed as I know exactly where he is and I'm working very hard to try to finish a swim without being lapped. I'm lucky in that we have 10 lanes available to us and only rarely do I get put in a lane with a big speed difference. The one time I had to share a lane with a super fast guy, we were swimming a mixed free and IM set in a lane with ladders on the side so you could not just split it. He's 6'7", with a wing span to match, so I just stayed in streamline and kicked on fly to avoid crunching when facing him oncoming and he either passed or flipped early when needed. It wasn't ideal, but we never crashed and we got the workout done.
I do know at least one person on my team who absolutely hates for anyone to tap her toes. As always, open and frank discussion helps to avoid misunderstandings.
The one exception is backstroke...I've never figured out a good way to pass that doesn't involve turning over on my front. I usually just avoid the stroke if I'm in a lane with multiple slower swimmers.
I have the answer on backstroke - avoid it at all times as it's Eeeevil. LOL.
Seriously, an open discussion is best. I don't mind a foot tap if I'm swimming with someone much speedier - but it's usually not needed as I know exactly where he is and I'm working very hard to try to finish a swim without being lapped. I'm lucky in that we have 10 lanes available to us and only rarely do I get put in a lane with a big speed difference. The one time I had to share a lane with a super fast guy, we were swimming a mixed free and IM set in a lane with ladders on the side so you could not just split it. He's 6'7", with a wing span to match, so I just stayed in streamline and kicked on fly to avoid crunching when facing him oncoming and he either passed or flipped early when needed. It wasn't ideal, but we never crashed and we got the workout done.
I do know at least one person on my team who absolutely hates for anyone to tap her toes. As always, open and frank discussion helps to avoid misunderstandings.
