I think it was Ande that said "it's not how fast you swim, it's how fast you slow down." I read that a few years ago and keep on coming back to it as I have watched my kids grow in their USA Swimming careers. When kids are around 8-10, many of the races are 50s. Lots of kids can swim relatively fast 50s compared to other kids even when their stroke technique is truly awful. But then once the clock strikes 11 (years old), all of the 50s go away (less one) - and magically many of the kids with bad technique who seemed fast start losing to kids in the 100s and 200s with superior strokes. My question is at what age are we masters swimmers when we start thinking 50 backstroke, 50 butterfly and 50 breaststroke are OK to race again? It is not OK. It brings our sport down to a level where people who train only 100s or less and focus on 25s are taking over our pools. No more I say!!! I think USMS rules should only allow these races for people in their 70s and older. Who is with me?!!!
:worms: :bolt:
Parents
Former Member
50s are not real swimming races
Sounds to me like someone either sucks at swimming 50's, or is simply annoyed that people who don't swim 5k a day can be fast.
I can go swim a 500 or mile and make 50 mistakes and you'd be hard pressed to find them because a tenth is near meaningless... let alone i have time to think about all parts of my swim without trashing a race.
The thing i love about the 50 free.... to go your fastest, you can't make one single mistake. A perfect 50 relies on training almost more than a distance event. It's so fast, and there's no time to think. From the start, to the turn, to the technique of each individual arm pull and kick. If you try to think about even one part you're going to mess up another. This entire race of perfection must be done as instinct That's what makes the perfect 50 a thing of beauty.
I've been swimming the 50 my whole swimming career (almost 20 years) and I can count on one hand the amount of times I feel I swam a perfect race. For you to even imply it's not a real race? I don't even know how to correctly respond to that kind of stupidity.
Do you feel the same way about the 100m dash on the track?
50s are not real swimming races
Sounds to me like someone either sucks at swimming 50's, or is simply annoyed that people who don't swim 5k a day can be fast.
I can go swim a 500 or mile and make 50 mistakes and you'd be hard pressed to find them because a tenth is near meaningless... let alone i have time to think about all parts of my swim without trashing a race.
The thing i love about the 50 free.... to go your fastest, you can't make one single mistake. A perfect 50 relies on training almost more than a distance event. It's so fast, and there's no time to think. From the start, to the turn, to the technique of each individual arm pull and kick. If you try to think about even one part you're going to mess up another. This entire race of perfection must be done as instinct That's what makes the perfect 50 a thing of beauty.
I've been swimming the 50 my whole swimming career (almost 20 years) and I can count on one hand the amount of times I feel I swam a perfect race. For you to even imply it's not a real race? I don't even know how to correctly respond to that kind of stupidity.
Do you feel the same way about the 100m dash on the track?
