As a swimmer from a backwater LMSC that virtually never has enough people at USMS meets to field even the slowest of relay teams, I would like to see team orphans like myself be allowed to aggregate with others of my ilk to form a rag-tag band of misfit style "Pick Up" relay teams at masters meets.
I personally believe this would foster camaraderie and new friendships as people like me, who practice in Amish mudholes, would be able to swim on a relay team with, say, Cayjuns from Baton Rouge, who swim in oil-slickened bayous littered with oxygen-starved crawdads.
I would furthermore and personally like such relays to "count" for Top 10 consideration, provided they were made up exclusively of unattached swimmers--or people who are the sole representatives of their "teams"--i.e., bona fide hardship cases, like me, who truly have no other options for swimming relays at most meets.
What say ye? Please take my simple poll; USMS bigwigs, please take note of my simple poll, especially if it comes back (as I hope) with a resounding and enthusiastic endorsement of the hopes and aspirations of mud-and-oil-coated misfits throughout the nation!
Swim for Nitro, Jim. Free team shirt, and I'll throw in a Starbuck's gift card. We were the only team in Atlanta (to my knowledge) that assembled on deck for every teammate's event. We plan to send more swimmers to Mesa.
Does Nitro stand for Nitroglycerine?
How about a relay team made up of angina sufferers?
The Angina Aquanauts: We swim with heart (problems)!
Free team shirt, and I'll throw in a Starbuck's gift card. We were the only team in Atlanta (to my knowledge) that assembled on deck for every teammate's event. We plan to send more swimmers to Mesa.
There were only 4 of us there. Aside from swimming on relays that didn't place, we tried to watch each other's races as much as possible. And the ragtag Team Hottub group was superb in this respect -- tons of cheering and support.
Polls, declaration of strong opinions: those things are nice. But if you want to actually DO something, you've got the following problem in the Rule Book:
102.9.1 Relay teams shall not compete unattached. In all cases, relay teams must be composed of USMS members of the same club, which is a member of USMS.
Proposed rule additions/amendments are also due July 10, barely a month from now:
www.usms.org/.../gto_conv_rulesamend.pdf
According to 601.2.1, proposal for rule changes come from the LMSC, a standing committee, the Board of Directors or the Executive Committee.
So it seems to me that there are two logical options here (others with more knowledge can correct or add to this):
-- get your LMSC board/chair to propose some change to 102.9.1
-- ask the chair of the championship committee to add a rules in 104.5 (Conduct of National Championship Meets) allowing "pickup" relays such as you describe, perhaps as exhibition. I seriously doubt you would ever get these approved for records or top ten consideration, but maybe there is a chance they could be approved for placing in the championship meet.
If the Championship Committee won't recommend your desired proposal (or feels the committee is too busy to consider it...the chair is, after all, a notorious slacker :)) then get your LMSC board to consider proposing an addition to 104.5 directly to the Rules Committee.
Contact Kathy Casey if you have questions about rules. She isn't all that busy. :)
at one of our yearly Masters meets in southern sweden, I've seen a few pick up relay teams. two guys from one team, and the other two from two other teams.
the addition of the extra relay didn't add time to the meet, there was no extra heat, and every was able to enjoy the relay portion of the meet.
and their time was posted last on the results list as an extra race.
Most of my teammates also watched and cheered on each others swims, including figuring out when to get out of the cooldown pool to watch, then get back in and finish. I didn't get to see swims when the others were at the opposite end from me (in a heat or 3 earlier). Otherwise, I watched and cheered. And one of my fellow age group members made a point of letting me know she was going to enjoy watching me race, as we often swim the same events in the same heats - compare thoughts afterwards, but rarely get to spectate and cheer.
Swim for Nitro, Jim. Free team shirt, and I'll throw in a Starbuck's gift card. We were the only team in Atlanta (to my knowledge) that assembled on deck for every teammate's event. We plan to send more swimmers to Mesa.
Gull throws Starbucks cards around like candy on Halloween.
Swim for Nitro, Jim. Free team shirt, and I'll throw in a Starbuck's gift card. We were the only team in Atlanta (to my knowledge) that assembled on deck for every teammate's event. We plan to send more swimmers to Mesa.
Funny!
True story: A few years ago I had to leave practice early with one of my teammates after he began having chest pain in the next lane. I wasn't swimming well anyway, so it was all good.
