I have seen on several of these discussion boards several swimmers and coaches questioning why there are so few master's swimmers out there. Here is just a few theories that could be the main cause.
1. Organization - I don't mean the Masters organization I mean the organization of the local clubs. Many of the masters clubs are very unorganized ( at least the 8 clubs that I have been on ), and younger swimmers see this before even leaving high school or college and thus are turned off to Masters before ever giving it a fair shot. Many of those that have never swam in a group setting or training setting don't witness this until its too late.
2. Coaching - Although no one is perfect Masters swimming seems to lack in the coaching area. This pulls away from those swimmers looking to keep there competitive spirit alive. Tri-athletes and others are not affected as much as it is more about the laps then the quality of workouts.
3. Consistency - Nothing is consistent unless its in the rule book and even then there are clubs that get around the rules by not seeking sanctioned meets. There is nothing wrong with non-master sanctioned events, for some its a turn off.
4. MARKETING - It seems that people who didn't grow up in the swimming world or tri-athlete world, have no clue about masters swimming. Granted the budget for high end marketing campaigns is not there and that is unfortunate.
A Resolution:
Seeing as swimming is not a highlight sport unless Phleps or Lochte, Coughlin, or some other super star is at the event, we as masters swimmers must take charge to grow the membership. We must promote the good, work to eliminate the negative, and market the organization as a whole.
We are not all a part of Master's swimming for the same reason. However if we all do not have the drive to promote the organization that we swim under, why in the world then do we donate our membership fees to it. The lack in Master's memberships is directly connected to the members themselves as they are the organization.
:blah:
I have seen on several of these discussion boards several swimmers and coaches questioning why there are so few master's swimmers out there. ...
55,000 members in 2010, and over 11,000 registered in 2011 thus far is nothing to sneeze at. I think in more populated areas, there are plenty of swimmers and teams.
The lack of meets has to do with the expense and logistics of such an undertaking, more than lack of desire. Smaller clubs in rural areas have a harder go of it than larger clubs in more populated areas.
Coaching is another matter. Is there a formal set of requirements to be a "USMS masters" coach? I know USAS has very stringent educational, safety and screening requirements to get certified.
I have seen on several of these discussion boards several swimmers and coaches questioning why there are so few master's swimmers out there. ...
55,000 members in 2010, and over 11,000 registered in 2011 thus far is nothing to sneeze at. I think in more populated areas, there are plenty of swimmers and teams.
The lack of meets has to do with the expense and logistics of such an undertaking, more than lack of desire. Smaller clubs in rural areas have a harder go of it than larger clubs in more populated areas.
Coaching is another matter. Is there a formal set of requirements to be a "USMS masters" coach? I know USAS has very stringent educational, safety and screening requirements to get certified.
