Well ever since I aged up from 12 to 13 (which was a while ago), I have always wondered why there is no 100 IM for kids who are 13 and over, at least for short course (Yards) season (you can't really do a 100 IM in a LCM pool >.>). While there are some meets where you can do it, it isn't like a state event or anything. It seems like USA swimming is the only team that doesn't really allow it in such a way. I have looked at info on other countries and their swim teams and they seem to do it, as a state (province for other countries....) and above event even.
Sort of like how women play best of three sets in tennis and men do best of five in all the major tournaments.
This is another outrage, in my opinion. I think it might stem back to the Chris Everett era where women tended to have extremely long baseline rallies and men tended to serve, volley, point over.
But now you get these matches that last 5 hours for men and 37 minutes for women.
Absurd!
I don't pretend to know the answer, but my speculation is that there are so many various swimming events now that to add yet another one to the mix for elite swimmers, who presumably should have more than enough speed and stamina to swim the 200 and 400 i.m.'s, might just be too much.
If you add the 100 i.m. for "pure sprinters" then why not the 800 or 1600 i.m. for "distance" types?
The 100 i.m. is a USMS race, so I suppose if you hang on long enough, you can get back to your 11-12 year old roots eventually.
I think a more pressing need is to add a 1500 swim for women. Having just finished the USMS 2-mile cable championships, where many of the top swimmers (Abbie Nun, Eney Jones) were women, it really seems crazy to me that the Olympics apparently think this distance is too far for our little flowers to motor.
Our little flowers, alas, arranged themselves nicely on my grave at Chris Greene!
I have always thought that adding the additional stokes "50 meter races" into major competition would be good from a viewing standpoint. As a distance swimmer myself I appreciate the effort and training that go into a 1500+ race...but when I tune in to the Olympic games it's all about the relays and sprints.
My best guess is that there is no analog to the 100 IM in long course competition. For every other event there is an analogous event between short course and long course formats. I admit it's not a great reason, but that's probably the reason.
The event I'd like to see added is the 800 medley relay.
The reason for having the women do only an 800 free at the Olympics is historical, I presume. Back in the early 20th century I'm sure it was based in sexism, but I doubt anyone thinks the 1500 is too far for women today. They swim the 800 because they've always swum the 800. Sort of like how women play best of three sets in tennis and men do best of five in all the major tournaments.
I thought about this at practice last evening as I was pounding out a set of 100 IM's...
From each wall, based on good start, streamlining, SDK's and such, upper aged, elite swimmers would only be taking a very few strokes on any given 25 length in the 100Y SC IM event. It would be a start and turns race more than anything else.
... not that my start and turns would put me in that class, mind you. There is always plenty of strokework for me in any event (especially that evil stroke where frog legs abound!). :D
I thought about this at practice last evening as I was pounding out a set of 100 IM's...
From each wall, based on good start, streamlining, SDK's and such, upper aged, elite swimmers would only be taking a very few strokes on any given 25 length in the 100Y SC IM event. It would be a start and turns race more than anything else.
... not that my start and turns would put me in that class, mind you. There is always plenty of strokework for me in any event (especially that evil stroke where frog legs abound!). :D
You would think that is true and this would seem to confirm it:
YouTube- All Star Individual Medley
.
But, look what happens when they get older:
YouTube- Aaron Peirsol, Ian Crocker, Rogers, Chapman - 100 IM Encore
I think the 50 fly, back, and *** and the 100 IM (for short course) should absolutely be added to USA swimming meet line-ups. Sprinting is FUN. When our sport is 'competing' against soccer, football, baseball, etc. for participation among teenagers, why not add these events? For those kids already excelling at the 200 strokes or the 400 IM, great. No need to make any changes. But those events are very daunting for many, especially 13-year-olds that have just aged out of the 50s.
My son has been swimming for two years and is almost 13. He's enjoying it and doing pretty well. But the idea of swimming a 200 fly (in lieu of the 50) or 400 IM (instead of the 100) in a few months just makes him laugh with scorn. So, he'll have fewer options for races in meets in the foreseeable future. Is this anyway to encourage participation in the sport?
