Just a thought/request:
At some point in the future, it would be nice to have workouts posted by someone who specializes in LONG distance coaching with an eye on open water distances (1 mile "death sprints" to ??? miles). The workouts provided are generally excellent, but since open water distances basically start where pool distances leave off, it would be great to have something a bit more specific. This is especially true since there is a relatively small body of printed work on longer distance/open water training and coaches for LONG distances seem few and far between.
Would anyone else be interested and would this be possible?
-LBJ
Parents
Former Member
I am not a member because I don't have access to a coach/team and can not see an advantage to becoming a member, so maybe I don't have a right to offer this criticism, but sometimes someone on the outside can shed light on what is going on.
I believe more people DO NOT HAVE ACCESS to a coach or Masters team than do. (I am one of them again as the coach who worked with me privately is moving) If USMS wishes to continue to grow its membership then something has to be done for the newbies and other swimmers, who do not have access to coaches and teams, to get them to feel successful, to continue to swim and to want to join the organization. Not being able to do ANY of the posted workouts does not promote these feelings. In fact, it is down right discouraging. When I first started back swimming I definately got the impression that the coaches did not care about any swimmer who could not do the workouts, and that USMS was for more proficient swimmers than myself. However, I'm not the kind of person who would let something like that stop her from doing what she wanted to do, but there are many others who do not share my kind of temperament and probably write off USMS as something that does not meet their needs (which at this point it doesn't) and is not worthwhile. It was the private one-to-one sessions that motivated me in the beginning.
While this does not address the stroke mechanics issue, perhaps a partial solution to the problem is to get a coach to write a series of progressive workouts that would help bring a newbie up to a point where he or she could use the other workouts. At least that would give a newbie a starting point and make them feel 'welcome.'
Elaine
I am not a member because I don't have access to a coach/team and can not see an advantage to becoming a member, so maybe I don't have a right to offer this criticism, but sometimes someone on the outside can shed light on what is going on.
I believe more people DO NOT HAVE ACCESS to a coach or Masters team than do. (I am one of them again as the coach who worked with me privately is moving) If USMS wishes to continue to grow its membership then something has to be done for the newbies and other swimmers, who do not have access to coaches and teams, to get them to feel successful, to continue to swim and to want to join the organization. Not being able to do ANY of the posted workouts does not promote these feelings. In fact, it is down right discouraging. When I first started back swimming I definately got the impression that the coaches did not care about any swimmer who could not do the workouts, and that USMS was for more proficient swimmers than myself. However, I'm not the kind of person who would let something like that stop her from doing what she wanted to do, but there are many others who do not share my kind of temperament and probably write off USMS as something that does not meet their needs (which at this point it doesn't) and is not worthwhile. It was the private one-to-one sessions that motivated me in the beginning.
While this does not address the stroke mechanics issue, perhaps a partial solution to the problem is to get a coach to write a series of progressive workouts that would help bring a newbie up to a point where he or she could use the other workouts. At least that would give a newbie a starting point and make them feel 'welcome.'
Elaine
