How many of you are planning on renewing your USMS membership in 2012? I know those of you who enjoying going to meets will but what about those of you that don't plan on going to meets?
As of right now, I am not planning on going to meets. I had a blast last summer during the lcm season but have struggled with motivation for meets. Spending several hours in car or plane to go to a two day meet has really lost the appeal. There aren't meets close to me, so all of mine are at least 2 hours or more away.
Times don't motivate me. Competition itself doesn't motivate me anymore. The only reason I primarily went to meets is to see friends but the hassle of getting to the meets plus nerve issues in my back and arm have really killed my desire to put any effort in finding meets to go too.
So, for those of you who don't compete, why do you keep your membership?
I have a meet calendar with entries up to three years into the future. Some of the more exotic destinations include (dates sometimes approximate),
* Nov. 11-15, 2011 Pan American Masters Championships (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
* Jun. 2-16, 2012 FINA World Masters Championships (Riccione, Italy)
* Aug. ??-??, 2013 World Masters Games (Torino, Italy)
Of course I'm not going to go to all of these meets, but I'd really would like to go to at least one. I can't go to Rio this year, but maybe PanAms will be in a cool place in 2013? I really would like to go to Riccioni.
Looking forward to cool adventures down the road keeps me interested in going to meets. I am not going to win or place in any of these high-level meets, but I would like to show up. I'll swim as fast as I can, and then have fun drinking wine on the beach. I'm grateful to be able to do it, and USMS is my gateway to this world. The first step is the local meet 2 hours drive down the road ...
Good luck with your chronic back pain. That alone would kill anyone's interest in anything. I suspect if that issue were resolved, your love of racing would come surging back.
I have a meet calendar with entries up to three years into the future. Some of the more exotic destinations include (dates sometimes approximate),
* Nov. 11-15, 2011 Pan American Masters Championships (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
* Jun. 2-16, 2012 FINA World Masters Championships (Riccione, Italy)
* Aug. ??-??, 2013 World Masters Games (Torino, Italy)
Of course I'm not going to go to all of these meets, but I'd really would like to go to at least one. I can't go to Rio this year, but maybe PanAms will be in a cool place in 2013? I really would like to go to Riccioni.
Looking forward to cool adventures down the road keeps me interested in going to meets. I am not going to win or place in any of these high-level meets, but I would like to show up. I'll swim as fast as I can, and then have fun drinking wine on the beach. I'm grateful to be able to do it, and USMS is my gateway to this world. The first step is the local meet 2 hours drive down the road ...
Good luck with your chronic back pain. That alone would kill anyone's interest in anything. I suspect if that issue were resolved, your love of racing would come surging back.
