Pool Snob!

I live in Bloomington, IN. Home of Indiana University. The place where Doc Counsilman, the greatest swim coach ever, the innovator of modern swimming, coached the likes of Mark Spitz to Olympic gold, world championships, NCAA championships. No place has more swimming history than IU. But you would never know that by the state of age group and masters swimming here. Bloomington is a small town, yet we have bickering parents and coaches who have splintered the age group program into two programs. And they have yet to produce great swimmers, in the tradition this town warrants. And I have lived here for almost 20 years, and am still waiting for the year when I can get excited to go watch an age group or high school meet just to see a new superstar.

Masters swimming is even worse. There is an IU Masters team. They are mostly faculty members at IU. Their workout is over the noon hour, 12-1:30. This is doable for faculty who generally who have very flexible schedules, they just fit things around their class and research schedules. I, however, am just a measley staff member, I work 8-5 generally, and I don't have 2 hours over the noon hour to go swim. And even if I did, I would not choose to swim with the IU Masters team. I like to think I'm a pretty easy going person. I don't really dislike people, and I try hard to find the positive in others. But the members of the IU Masters team are this close knit group of swimmers who have been here forever. They are the most unwelcoming group of people I've ever been around. There have been several days in the summer when I've been able to swim at noon, days off, or weekend, and only one of their swimmers even says hello to me. Not invited to train with them. In fact, (the lanes they swim in are not exclusively for them), several days I've had someone tell me, as I'm about to hop in a lane with them, that I should watch out, because so and so who is heading back is doing a set on some super hard interval and I should try to stay out of their way. I just look at them and play dumb, like I have no idea what they are talking about. Super hard intervals? Whats an interval? They just infuriate me! But that's old hat. Its been like that for 20 years, so I mainly train by myself. It works just fine for me.

My latest bitch about Masters swimming has to do with the local masters swimming committees (LMSC). Each state or area has one that governs its business. What's the business of masters swimming? I can't really tell. I assumed it was to provide an environment for first timers and highly competitive swimmers the opportunities to train and compete. ok, I get it. But the Indiana LMSC does not. IU hosts a Masters meet every winter in February. In Indiana, its the only SCY Masters meet that is held in a decent pool, one that I would consider worthy of swimming in for a meet. Ok, granted, I am a pool snob. I have swum in a lot of fast pools in my lifetime, and I don't want to swim a meet in some crappy 5 lane YMCA pool that is 82 degrees and has no warmup area, and has chlorine levels high enough to kill off the entire h1n1 virus for the rest of eternity. If I'm going to swim in a meet I want to be in a decent pool, one where I will feel like I can swim fast. If I feel like the opportunity to swim fast is there, then I am psyched to swim. SO, here's where all goes wrong. Miami University (my alma mater) also hosts a meet. There pool is newer and even nicer. Its less than 3 hours away, and I would rank it as the best facility that hosts a meet in the OH/IN/KY area. University of Louisville is the third best facility that hosts a masters meet. So, how awesome would it be to get to swim in 3 meets each winter in nice facilities. well, it would be great! But it doesn't happen, because IU and Miami always have their meet on the same day! Come on! There are 8 weekend days in the month of February, and both pools have more than that one day open to host a swim meet, I know, they both post their closings due to Varsity and Age group meets (which of course have priority, and should). SO, last year I emailed the head of the IN and OH LMSC and asked them if they could try to coordinate their schedules in the future so these meets could be on separate days. Its to the benefit of their athletes to give them the best opportunities to swim fast times, in fast pools. You'd think I asked them to give me a million dollars! They both had a million excuses, and the IN pres even said that IN offers lots of great meets in great facilities! If I had been sitting in front of him drinking coffee, I would have spit it all over him as I laughed my ass off. YMCA and little high school pools do not make great facilities!

SO, 2010 rools around, meet dates are posted, and IU and Miami are on the same day again! Feb 13. Sooooooooooooo mad! I emailed USMS and asked them if they could encourage regional LMSC's to communicate and try to coordinate schedules to do something positive for the athletes. I have yet to hear back from them.

So, I keep training. I want some meets where I can go and swim my favorite events. Looks like I have one meet so far this winter :-(

I know, you are thinking, I should just get over my pool snobbish self, and swim anywhere. I wish I could. I cannot. I will not. I am a pool snob. And proud of it!