Swimming is fun. I love swimming, not for the least because it's comes awfully close to fulfilling
'flying dreams'. That being said there was a point when the effort I put into training meant that
this was not enough.
I'd like to tell a personal story you're free to ignore. The summer of 2000 was an interesting one
for me. I'd been looking forward to watching friends compete in Sydney, a little wistful for not
having a 'ring side seat' but more then anything thankful that it seems a near 2 year long battle
with something mysterious viral aliment never properly diagnosed seemed to be at an end. I was back
training, feeling good and making great progress. Then (I'll avoid the messy details) i managed to
dislocate my knee & collect a handful of fractures. Spent 6 weeks on crutches. Developed tendonitis
in both shoulders and the opposite hip. The precognition, the fear of what was to come is all I
really remember of the actual incident. Shock took care of the rest.
I've broad jumped more then 3m, split sub 26 in my lcm 100fly with less then 6 strokes and dreamed
of the day I'd have all the tools for a world class 100. I've never assembled them but I've felt the
hope and seen the path required to acquire them. This never happened, but it's not what hurts most.
I'm currently trying to 'get wet' again in anticipation for the 2005 (master's) Worlds in Edmonton.
I know that a best time by anything more then 0.12 seconds in the 50 will be enough for a world age
group record but I fear that, despite the advantages of being in my mid twenties instead of my late
teens, mind and body willing I may yet be unable to reacomplish what I've already done, let alone
progress farther. I guess it's a little something like the feeling Tom Ponting (he trained, and now
coaches about 80km south of me) spoke of when he mentioned 'the day I realized I was no longer an
Olympian'.
I wholly agree that enjoyment of the activity, of the sport, should be an important factor but for
those who wish to _compete_ it's never been, and will never be, enough. Winning might not be
everything but the drive and motivations that make it possible are at once gracious in their bounty
and fearsome in their demands.
--Mike
On Tue, 02 Dec 2003 20:37:24 +0000, Ross Bogue wrote:
> In <
[email protected]> Larry Weisenthal wrote:
>>
>> And the meet is a disappointment. No championships. No time drops. A whole year has gone by.
>> Memories of how you spent that year go flooding past. And what do you have to show for it?
>
>
> Are you having a bad day, Larry?
>
> You're right. If the only reward you get from swimming is a gold medal every fourth year, you're
> in the wrong sport.
>
> More than 99% of our swimming time is spent in workouts. In a well-run program, that 99% is also
> where most of the fun of swimming is found. The striving for excellence, the fellowship, the
> occasional games, the physical pleasure of flying through the water: all of those are reasons we
> keep coming back.
>
> The big meets are fun. We focus toward them when planning our training schedules. We do our best
> at them. A few of us even win medals. But they're not the reason for the sport.
>
> I know you understand all this. You are "Runnswim", after all. The same arguments can describe
> both of your sports.
>
> I also know you're thinking of all those poor 7-year-olds swimming lap after lap in winner-gets-
> all programs.
>
>
>> To quote Lemley:
>>
>> "Everything"
>
>
> Agreed. Lemley tries to keep the sport fun for all members of his teams
> - not just the few medalists.
>
>
>
> Ross