2010 SCM Zone Championships

Consider a guy who, for a living, bills his client $XXX an hour for services. Every hour spent in the pool is an hour not spent billing a client - and, for most professionals, every hour not spent in the pool has a dollar cost that's greater than the cost of a fancy suit. I guess when I'm retired - or if I could figure out how to find one of those jobs where time doesn't matter, where salary is a certainty and tenure is not a funny joke - I could reach beyond the idea that the biggest advantage in all of swimming is the time and money that some swimmers have to train regularly and for as long as they need, and with great coaches and teams. For many professional people, however, time is much more dear than the cost of a suit - or the impact of the suit. I'm sorry, this is complete BS. Using your logic, lawyer A who bills more than lawyer B should be given a handicap because s/he worked harder on the job. They might earn more money, and that's as it should be. They don't also get to earn time off their performance in the pool. USMS is for adults who are "dedicated to improving their fitness through swimming." Buying a speedsuit doesn't instantly increase your fitness, it just allows you to pretend that is so. Speed is earned in the pool or in the gym or by having the right parents. Why are we having this argument exactly? Your side lost. Time to move on and live with it.

Consider a guy who, for a living, bills his client $XXX an hour for services. Every hour spent in the pool is an hour not spent billing a client - and, for most professionals, every hour not spent in the pool has a dollar cost that's greater than the cost of a fancy suit. I guess when I'm retired - or if I could figure out how to find one of those jobs where time doesn't matter, where salary is a certainty and tenure is not a funny joke - I could reach beyond the idea that the biggest advantage in all of swimming is the time and money that some swimmers have to train regularly and for as long as they need, and with great coaches and teams. For many professional people, however, time is much more dear than the cost of a suit - or the impact of the suit. I'm sorry, this is complete BS. Using your logic, lawyer A who bills more than lawyer B should be given a handicap because s/he worked harder on the job. They might earn more money, and that's as it should be. They don't also get to earn time off their performance in the pool. USMS is for adults who are "dedicated to improving their fitness through swimming." Buying a speedsuit doesn't instantly increase your fitness, it just allows you to pretend that is so. Speed is earned in the pool or in the gym or by having the right parents. Why are we having this argument exactly? Your side lost. Time to move on and live with it.