Elitism in Masters Swimming

Perhaps if a masters clubs only wants very good swimmers, they should also offer an introductory program for people who don't yet come up to the standard required for their regular workouts. Exactly! I know that some of the better clubs out there offer (and market) adult learn to swim, private and semi-private instruction and steer these folks into these programs. Dallas is an example of a team that does a VERY good job: www.damswim.com/instruction.htm

How well? Numerous times newbies have posted here asking for advice, and usually at least one person will urge them to "Join a masters club". Someone new to swimming could be too intimidated to come out if the bar is set really high, and they might very well see it as elitist. Perhaps if a masters clubs only wants very good swimmers, they should also offer an introductory program for people who don't yet come up to the standard required for their regular workouts. Good points. I contend that it is a rare occurrence for someone with zero swimming experience to want to join a Masters team. Most true newbies will start with adult lessons before stepping up to a team setting. While I agree all USMS clubs should be welcoming, someone who can't swim a 100 should probably take lessons first. Otherwise the coach can't coach the entire team. Most large clubs (like ours) and many Ys offer adult lessons for true adult beginners.

I was in DC two years ago and swam with Curl-Burke at American University. I did email the coach before my trip (the website says it is desirable to do so, but not required). They were extremely nice--would recommend highly if you are in the area. Gull, surely you would agree that an elite swimmer such as yourself is always going to be given preferential treatment at these high level swim clubs, no? :cool:

Masters swimming is intimidating to those who pick it up as adults. Generally even the slow lanes swim fast compared to a typical lap swimmer, and the workouts are hard if you aren't used to them. Throw in the jargon too, which can be confusing, plus the fact that the regulars all know each other. And have green hair. With such barriers, it doesn't take much to come off as unfriendly to newbies. Just showing up and minding your own business -- ie, trying to get in a good workout, or a coach who is preoccupied with getting everyone else going -- may be enough to come off that way. It takes special effort to bridge that gap.

...Even our least competitive level requires very good swimming skills. I think it probably conveys that you need to be able to swim and swim well... How well? Numerous times newbies have posted here asking for advice, and usually at least one person will urge them to "Join a masters club". Someone new to swimming could be too intimidated to come out if the bar is set really high, and they might very well see it as elitist. Perhaps if a masters clubs only wants very good swimmers, they should also offer an introductory program for people who don't yet come up to the standard required for their regular workouts.

I was in DC btw X-mas and New Years in 2004 or 2005 and wanted to work out. I stayed about 10 minutes from Curl Burke's pool, so I figured I could work out there no problem. I went to website to check up on drop-in swims, and was immediately turned off. They essentially discouraged drop-ins b/c they were a serious club w/ serious swimmers and the coach needed to be appraised of the exact workout(s) you were going to attend at least one week in advance and your level and your times and... Overall it just seemed like somebody needed to just chill the **** out over there. They shouldn't have been surprised by their pathetic numbers. Kinda bummed they've got their numbers up. I got beat in the 200 *** at Indi by a C-B swimmer. If he hadn't been there, I would have dropped the 400 IM and gone for the number 1, but nooooooo. I can't speak to this Club's policies but can say now that I'm spending a significant amount of time on "the other side" getting the Mesa team up and running there may be more to it than what the website would leave you to believe. Again...I don't know the details of Curl-Burke but one major issue in masters is the liability we as coaches/teams incure when someone "drops in". If CB is using the USMS insurance exclusively then they have a pre set format that must be followed to make sure a visitor is covered and it usually is much easier if that is completed before you arive on deck when the coach is trying to get a workout up and running. In case your curious her is how one team does and does it very well: www.indyswimfit.com/.../30daywaiver.pdf We have taken a slightly different approach at MAC...we are a USMS insured club but we have also taken out a secondary "3rd party" policy that pretty much covers the gaps in the USMS coverage (you will never know till you are sued, however our 3rd party waiver has already been successful in court in another state). For example we can have kids under 18 train with us...something we wanted to do because we are working with the age group team to do a 1-2x a month "family" workout. I know USMS is working on improving its coverage and incorporating some basic certifications for coaches, all of which is a good thing. I brought up the concerns I had with liability on an earlier thread and have since gotten even more freaked out to see how little attention is paid to the issue not just by clubs/coaches but also athletes. So I would ask anyone who is interested in visiting a team to not just rush to judgement when you see some simple requirments in place...call or email the coach for a better explanation.

I guess I hadn't really heard that perspective as much as coaches and board members complaining about drop-in swimmers are difficult to manage logistically (pay in cash? check? who holds the money? does the money ever get to the club?) or that many swimmers over-use drop-ins so as to avoid making a commitment to the club and paying monthly dues. Carlos...no doubt those are factors as well, especially for teams that are maxed out on lane space/members (not a bad problem to have in some cases). There is no doubt that in some cases the people who want to utilize drop-in's "cost" more than they make a club...which is why see some teams raise that fee quite a bit or try to discourage the practice. Funny story about that, we have a "new" swimmer that only wants to pay the drop in fee to save money even though they want us to help them prepare for an Ironman event coming up which cost them several hundred dollars for the entry fee...

Having said that, the tone and wording of the drop-in policy as stated at the time clearly made it seem like Curl-Burke was only for serious swimmers, which is what the coach said in the article. Tone is easily misinterpreted in writing. But, I don't have a problem with stating a USMS workout is for serious swimmers because it is. Even our least competitive level requires very good swimming skills. I think it probably conveys that you need to be able to swim and swim well. I'm not sure how many people just drop in for a noodle splash anyway so it can't be that off-putting. With the exception of one club, I've never had any coach discourage me from dropping in during my travels. Most have been very welcoming.

Perhaps I am going way to far out on a limb here, but the very name by which we all go "Master's swimming" has a certain elitist ring to it. I know a lot of non-swimmers assume you need to be "masterful" in your swimming abilities, or otherwise an ex-elite swimmer to compete (kinda like The Masters in the PGA). I don't think you're going out on a limb. I was once told by a triathlete, in all seriousness, that there had to be some kind of qualification standard to join USMS; he thought that you had to have been on a college team.. He insisted that I was wrong when I said there wasn't (which I thought was amusing since I'm a member and he's not).

I can't speak to this Club's policies but can say now that I'm spending a significant amount of time on "the other side" getting the Mesa team up and running there may be more to it than what the website would leave you to believe. Again...I don't know the details of Curl-Burke but one major issue in masters is the liability we as coaches/teams incure when someone "drops in". If CB is using the USMS insurance exclusively then they have a pre set format that must be followed to make sure a visitor is covered and it usually is much easier if that is completed before you arive on deck when the coach is trying to get a workout up and running. In case your curious her is how one team does and does it very well: www.indyswimfit.com/.../30daywaiver.pdf We have taken a slightly different approach at MAC...we are a USMS insured club but we have also taken out a secondary "3rd party" policy that pretty much covers the gaps in the USMS coverage (you will never know till you are sued, however our 3rd party waiver has already been successful in court in another state). For example we can have kids under 18 train with us...something we wanted to do because we are working with the age group team to do a 1-2x a month "family" workout. I know USMS is working on improving its coverage and incorporating some basic certifications for coaches, all of which is a good thing. I brought up the concerns I had with liability on an earlier thread and have since gotten even more freaked out to see how little attention is paid to the issue not just by clubs/coaches but also athletes. So I would ask anyone who is interested in visiting a team to not just rush to judgement when you see some simple requirments in place...call or email the coach for a better explanation. Thank you for the very thorough explanation! It's nice to hear from an admin perspective, and I can see quite clearly how liability is a concern. :) I guess I hadn't really heard that perspective as much as coaches and board members complaining about drop-in swimmers are difficult to manage logistically (pay in cash? check? who holds the money? does the money ever get to the club?) or that many swimmers over-use drop-ins so as to avoid making a commitment to the club and paying monthly dues. Having said that, the tone and wording of the drop-in policy as stated at the time clearly made it seem like Curl-Burke was only for serious swimmers, which is what the coach said in the article.