Hi everybody,
I am a new contributor to the forum, though I have been reading the threads here for a long time.
I am interested to hear stories from masters swimmers who are competing because of 'unfinished business' from their high school swimming days/college swimming days.etc
I swam in college and graduated in 2006. The college was D1 but one of the slower conferences. I was not close to making NCAA's. I have swam a little bit of masters on and off since then. It's been on my mind for quite a while but recently I realized how much 'unresolved swimming regrets' I have. I have decided to up my training and see what I can do.
So I guess my question is, for all of you who have returned feeling like you have some gas left in the tank, how has your experience been? Any words of advice or wisdom to share? And the ultimate question, have you managed to exorcise any of those swim demons by returning?
Thanks in advance for reading this.
I think of myself as blessed and very fortunate, I'm pretty happy with my swimming experiences but I do feel like I never swam as fast as I could have.
Here's my reasons why, I:
+ had spotty training from ages 8 to 11, then started with the Langley Blue Dolphins in Hampton Virginia which became the Coast Guard Blue Dolphins at a Coast Guard Base new Yorktown.
+ took a break from swimming from Feb 1977 to Sep 1977 after I moved from Hamption Virginia to Austin, Texas
+ didn't really get into a strong swimming program until I started Longhorn Aquatics in Austin in Sep 1977
+ didn't break 1:00 in the 100 scy fr until I was 15
+ didn't move up into the top age group program at Longhorn coached by Paul Bergen until I my High school jr year.
+ was a late bloomer, was 5'4" 120 lbs as a HS freshman, 6'1" end of my HS SR then grew 2 more inches in college to 6' 3 & 3/4ths
+ just turned 18 when I graduated from HS, so I was younger than most of my class.
+ should have kept training for the 200 & 400 IM's & the 200 & 500 fr
+ hurt my back in 1982, the summer after my freshman year at UT, & it kept hurting for 2 years and I didn't improve. Wasn't able to swim as hard or lift.
but finally broke through this slump with My Best Season Ever
+ never got a swimming scholarship & never in NCAAs or Olympic Trials, even though I made cuts for both.
+ wish I would have gotten better sooner at streamline dolphin kicking
+ really wish when I was at UT, that we had 4 x 50 relays & tech suits.
But I did what I did and it is what it is and now I'm having fun in masters.
I think of myself as blessed and very fortunate, I'm pretty happy with my swimming experiences but I do feel like I never swam as fast as I could have.
Here's my reasons why, I:
+ had spotty training from ages 8 to 11, then started with the Langley Blue Dolphins in Hampton Virginia which became the Coast Guard Blue Dolphins at a Coast Guard Base new Yorktown.
+ took a break from swimming from Feb 1977 to Sep 1977 after I moved from Hamption Virginia to Austin, Texas
+ didn't really get into a strong swimming program until I started Longhorn Aquatics in Austin in Sep 1977
+ didn't break 1:00 in the 100 scy fr until I was 15
+ didn't move up into the top age group program at Longhorn coached by Paul Bergen until I my High school jr year.
+ was a late bloomer, was 5'4" 120 lbs as a HS freshman, 6'1" end of my HS SR then grew 2 more inches in college to 6' 3 & 3/4ths
+ just turned 18 when I graduated from HS, so I was younger than most of my class.
+ should have kept training for the 200 & 400 IM's & the 200 & 500 fr
+ hurt my back in 1982, the summer after my freshman year at UT, & it kept hurting for 2 years and I didn't improve. Wasn't able to swim as hard or lift.
but finally broke through this slump with My Best Season Ever
+ never got a swimming scholarship & never in NCAAs or Olympic Trials, even though I made cuts for both.
+ wish I would have gotten better sooner at streamline dolphin kicking
+ really wish when I was at UT, that we had 4 x 50 relays & tech suits.
But I did what I did and it is what it is and now I'm having fun in masters.
