Elitism in Masters Swimming

My experiences are... * Our pool is set up long course April through August when training for long-course meets. September through March the bulkhead is in to train for short-course meets and to make life easier since we share with high school teams that only swim short-course. It also provides more lanespace short-course and it's easier to manage a group with diverse skill levels... We don't have long course/short course seasons in Canada. The population is too small and spread out, so there are both 25m and 50m meets from early November through June. I can see where 25m would be better for different skill levels, I was just hoping they'd have some 50m workout times. I guess I'll just have to gently insist on going ahead of the two swimmers who are slower and have to stop more.

Swimming is no different than any other adult endeavor for fitness, you wonder how you will fit in or if you are good enough. You look at the Cat for a group ride. You ask about the skill level of the other players for a basketball league. You want to know the handicap expected for a golf tourney. Are you church league softball teammates all ex-collegiate players? There is always some apprehension about joining a new group and 99% of the time that is the fault of the participant, not the team. Most adult fitness groups are overjoyed to have new members.

many of the experienced swimmers are also there to have fun, myself included. Absolutely. The game faces behind the blocks can be rather intimidating though. Fun or no fun. I've seen people in their black apparel, all jacked on andrenaline, hufffing and puffing, swinging their arms, jiggling their legs. That'll put the fear into any newbie for sure. :) But wait, ...isn't that what most swimmers do afteralll? Elitism might be confused with being serious minded about one's performance.

If you are starting from scratch without a swimming background I would say a 6-8 year progression would get your times down to within 10-20% of where they could/will end up. That's with about 10 to 15K of training a week. If you had a good swimming background and it's not a techique issue, it should happen maybe 2-4 years with steady training. Of course this is my guess. A typical progression always shows tremendous gains initially, with a gradual plateau. I started swimming in 2005. My progression in the 100 SCY free is this: date 100 free 4/2/2006 1:10.24 4/30/2006 1:08.76 1/21/2007 1:04.00 3/11/2007 1:03.22 4/28/2007 1:01.75 11/4/2007 1:03.98 2/9/2008 1:02.52 4/5/2008 1:01.04 10/26/2008 59.31 1/25/2009 58.01

I recently joined a masters club & am finding it a bit disappointing in some ways. First, because the bulkhead is always up (dividing the pool into two 25m pools), and the whole reason I joined this particular club was that the sessions were held in a 50m pool. If I'd known, I probably would have just joined up with the master-type class at the YWCA, registered as an "unattached" and saved my money. Second, because there doesn't seem to be any actual coaching in the form of stroke correction so far, just workouts. (It is only three weeks so far, admittedly.) Third, because the intervals are really short and for the most part not very strenuous. I find the kick sets strenuous, but not the actual swimming. The one night there was a tougher one - 200m on 4:00, which is eye-balls out for me - I couldn't swim continuously because there were always people clinging to the wall or bulkhead at the end of each length. I'd have to wait for them to leave, let them get a few meters out, then start the next length. Flip turns, not that I do them well anyway, are impossible in this situation. Supposedly, the ability to swim 200m continuously is the only swim requirement for joining this club, but I suspect there are a few people in my group who don't quite meet it. I don't know if I should move up to the next fastest group and use fins for the kick sets, or just insist on going ahead of the two swimmers in my current group who are slower than me. The others seem to be about the same speed as me. I'm sort of hoping they take us aside at some point and ask what our individual goals are, because this doesn't seem to be great training for moving up to 5k distance in open water, which is what I'm hoping to do. Not having any experience with swim clubs, I have no idea if this club is typical or not. Rhoda, move up to the next lane and use fins for awhile for kicking.You will improve, and not be as frustrated. As for goals, you may have to push the point with the coach. Also technique, start asking questions, or request for feedback.

A few times each year I get asked by random people if I'm a professional swimmer. I'm not saying that to brag - I'm nowhere near the level where I could ever get paid to swim, but the newbies have probably never seen an elite swimmer in person, so they don't know. I get this too--but I swim at a 24 hour fitness pool where there aren't many people who do more than a few laps here and there. It's clear to me that those asking have never really seen elite/professional level swimming. I did swim at the national level years and years ago and I find that I have a real love for the newbie. I coach a lap swim class and enjoy each swimmer. The new ones, though, are often the most fun because they benefit so easily from beginner stroke information and drills. They're so eager to learn and seem to see vast improvements fairly quickly so they are probably my favorites to work with, if I had to choose. Sometimes my newer swimmers are overly concerned with others in their lanes being upset by them not keeping up. I try to explain that, as long as they are conscientious and let people pass, most swimmers don't mind. I've had many newer swimmers tell me how useful explaining basic lane etiquette has been for them to feel comfortable.

I haven't encountered that phenomenon (yet). I am in my first year as a master and as an old man (48), I have swam with some fast swim teams as a drop in and the only qualifier was being able to keep up in the lane I was in, and if I didn't feel like pushing it , just swim in the slow lane. Compared to the rest of the swimming world; I would be a learner. I think the general attitude of "come one, come all" to a masters swim practice is just awesome. Even with my "suck" times, nobody has ever given me that "you don't belong here" attitude at the meets I have competed at as well. The coaches defiantly set the tone, my coach knows I have goals and she pushes me to meet them, however most of the people in our little group only come for a workout and she gladly accommodates them. Ive seen an openness, hospitality and patience in all the coaches I have encountered.

I wish more slower swimmers participated in meets so my times didn't suck so bad. It was a little intimidating signing up for the first meet as I hadn't been on blocks since I was 12, but that was more experience than others would have that took it up as an adult. But I've found Masters swimmers nothing but friendly. No one seems to mind the differing levels and the elite seem to encourage as much as anyone else. I can't imagine doing anything like this where I didn't have some kind of measurable goal. All kinds of people run/walk 5ks and no one cares how long it takes. Then again I guess there is a large percentage of people that are happy just to jog for fitness sake. I have only done a grand total of one Masters team workout. rdtodd those times are somewhat encouraging as I have done a 1:08 and then 1:05 so far in six months. I want to break a minute this season or at least before I die.

I try to explain that, as long as they are conscientious and let people pass, most swimmers don't mind. I've had many newer swimmers tell me how useful explaining basic lane etiquette has been for them to feel comfortable. Lane etiquette is key and it has to be something that is agreed upon (ie, discussed openly) if there is going to be an issue due to a speed disparity. For example, there was some disagreement in a thread on this forum about whether it is the responsibility of the faster swimmer to pass (which is my own preference) or the responsibility of the slower swimmer to slow/stop and let the other swimmer go by. They should also decide whether a foot tap is okay. I don't do it b/c it offends some people, but on the other hand sometimes the swimmer I'm passing has not been paying attention and doesn't realize I've caught him. He'll start pulling to the middle to do a flip, pushing me into an oncoming swimmer or into the lane-line. As long as the slower swimmer is paying attention to that sort of thing, everything usually works out. 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.

Interesting the number of years of hard work and discipline it takes to swim fast and be an elite swimmer. It's got to be much less fitness related and more a learning experience. This is a relief for me, I was expecting too much too soon. Very linear progression despite the the nonlinear dates for times, Rtodd. Thank you for the info! I attached a graph I used to show advanced progression. What happened from April to November 2007?