Opportunity to Grow Masters Swimming?

keith bell and the ASA should be commended for filling a void in fun/competitive swimming. USMS is not necessarily the answer to everything.... sorry folks. the ASA puts on quite a few OW events in and around the Austin area and due to USMS politics, none appear on USMS OW calendars... i believe that only a USMS club can request a listing in TX (how many are sponsored by USMS clubs?...... zero) ASA also maintains a higher level of integrity in their OW events.... no tech suits, no drafting, etc.

This has to be my favorite part of the story.... "Keith Bell spoke of one other instance that he said he had never heard about in more than 50 years in competitive swimming. "In the 400 IM, two of their swimmers were DQ'd (for unsportsmanlike conduct) for rolling over on their backs on freestyle and waving to everybody," Keith Bell said. "It's as if they were mocking the event. You don't see that kind of thing happening at (USA Swimming) nationals." He compares his "ASA National Championship" to USA Nationals...:laugh2: Because I would go and say that allowing stand up starts for backstroke and breaststroke flip turns allows you to be on the same level as USA Swimming. :censor: I think it would be really nice to see USMS open up a college division championship.

many of the posters above poo poo'd the ASA for allowing certain variations (flip turns in short axis strokes, block start for backstroke) that have the potential to increase speed but cling to their their tech suits. Amen. USMS is not necessarily the answer to everything.... sorry folks. Here in Virginia we have two USMS teams that are actually college clubs. I know that one of them only registered for insurance/liability reasons: they couldn't get coverage through their school (they can't practice in their university pool). At the Univ of Richmond, where I work, we have a masters group comprised mostly of older working stiffs like most of those on this forum, and we have a club team consisting of college students. I have tried to get the two together for practices and the like -- pool time can be scarce -- but the culture is VERY different for the two groups. The masters group are interesting in working out and struggle to fit it in between the demands of job and family. The students want to be fit too, but a huge reason they swim is for socializing. They are usually not as serious in the water. They do compete a lot: against other club teams. They are not at all interested in masters meets, not even in the city. Half of their posts on the team listserv (I am the faculty advisor so I am copied) concern parties. I am not saying this is a bad thing at all, just that the cultures are different. I couldn't even get the groups to agree on practice times (the masters people wanted morning and lunchtime, the students wanted evening). I often get queries from younger swimmers who move to the city, asking about workout groups. Almost always, one of their questions is, "how old are the masters swimmers in each workout group?" I can relate: when I first started swimming masters (in my early 20s), there was a group of 20-somethings on the team and we went out often. I very much doubt I would have stuck with the swim group if everyone else had been over 40 (ie, ancient). USMS should definitely try to reach out to these people -- if only to remind them that opportunities for swimming in a fun environment exist post-college -- but it is not simply a matter of getting them to send in their membership fees. Mostly what they want is an opportunity to swim with other young people, not with old farts like me.

I like the concept of co-ed teams. I think it innovative to create a league that has its own set of rules, but, I wouldn't have considered attending a school that didn't follow NCAA guidlines. Comparing times is part of the joy I find in swimming competition. Had they had a fun event like the one depicted here, I would have attended in a second. I might have waved to the crowd also. Why not? I wonder, are these athletes on a scholarship? Why would they choose to follow a set of rules that don't have a history and aren't comparable to the current standard? The man sounds like a charlatan.

ASA also maintains a higher level of integrity in their OW events.... no tech suits, no drafting, etc. WHOSE integrity? Not mine... And certainly not anyone who happens to be in training to compete on the international or Olympic open water swimming stage.

WHOSE integrity? Not mine... And certainly not anyone who happens to be in training to compete on the international or Olympic open water swimming stage. do you take issue with events that impose their own set of rules regarding uniform and/or cooperative support? many of the posters above poo poo'd the ASA for allowing certain variations (flip turns in short axis strokes, block start for backstroke) that have the potential to increase speed but cling to their their tech suits. i think its just a matter of time before we see fina adopt these variations (and more... once times flatten out due to lack of fabric technology advancement)..... remember the bucket turn? and the "don't break the surface with your head" rule?

The students want to be fit too, but a huge reason they swim is for socializing. They are usually not as serious in the water. They do compete a lot: against other club teams. They are not at all interested in masters meets, not even in the city. Half of their posts on the team listserv (I am the faculty advisor so I am copied) concern parties. USMS should definitely try to reach out to these people -- if only to remind them that opportunities for swimming in a fun environment exist post-college -- but it is not simply a matter of getting them to send in their membership fees. Mostly what they want is an opportunity to swim with other young people, not with old farts like me. OK, so we offer to let them swim in the suits, hold a kegger afterward, and promise them that their old fart faculty advisor won't be there to embarass them by beating them soundly?

OK, so we offer to let them swim in the suits, hold a kegger afterward Whither beer relays? They need to make a comeback. Strictly from the standpoint of broadening appeal, of course. As far as the suits, the members of the college club team around here could care less. (Actually, they'd probably prefer the more revealing suits of yore... :)) I think some of the ASA rules sound fun. I know some meets that have 25s as unofficial races; we should have some others. Some possibilities (besides beer relays): -- anything goes: any and all equipment and swimsuits allowed, including fins, and no 15m rule -- odd distances (eg, 75 fly...everyone dies on that last 25 of the 100 anyway, might as well get rid of it) -- IM races where the swimmer can pick the order of strokes

Having been a victim of a college swim program that was cut, I would have loved to have been able to still compete with my peers. Luckily for me Kerry O'Brien was lurking nearby and rescued me from lap lane hell :bliss: I think it would be really cool to have a college division at USMS Nationals. Just seed them like us and let the points fall where they may in their own division. Old fart or not, Nationals is a big party, at least afterwards :D I dare say we need to de-stress a little more than college kids!

Mostly what they want is an opportunity to swim with other young people, not with old farts like me. More like they don't want to get beat by an old fart like you... :cane: