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."
Isn't Shaq from Duke?
Please! All Duke bball players are whiny little boys. The mind just boggles at the thought of Shaq in their company. My mind begins to unravel at the image of Coach K trying to teach Shaq to flop properly.
Yes, a friend's son swims for them at present.
Dook still sucks, however, in all aspects.
I think my fellow Dook haters will appreciate this article. Check out #2.
men.style.com/.../landing
Of course it pleases me to no end that UVA is also on the list. :agree:
What is the definition of "elitism" or an "elite" in masters swimming?
Are you an elite if you have one or more Top 10 times, National records, World records....?
Is elitism a negative behavioral or personality trait?
We inquiring non-elites want to know.
Who really cares? I don't know why this needs to be discussed. Enlighten me if I am wrong please. :blah:
I did enjoy your attached article. I swim on a team that is similar to the Curl-Burke Master's. If you're not happy with the attitude of your current team why not start a revolution and recruit more members that you wuld enjoy swimming with.
I think this is a very valid point for discussion. It's sometimes hard for us in our little town to recruit new members because they will say they are not good enough. We have a wide variety of abilities in our little team and once we get them to a practice or two, they see there is a place for them. The problem is getting them to come the first time. Some still won't go to meets, but, again, get them to one meet, swim a few relays, and they are hooked.
Is it marketing in general, or just individual situations?
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.
Our efforts to perpetuate this divide and fuel our intolerance for "learners" is now being undermined.
I think as long as the triathletes and learners are kept in the shallow end, all is ok.
