What's It All About, April,'73, John Spannuth
What is Masters Swimming all about? Why do we have the program and what is its future? These are the questions that we sometimes hear from people that don't have any idea what we are talking about when we mention "Masters Swimming".
Recently I read an article that was published in the Tampa Times sports section. The article was titled (to be underlined, I don't know how to do it) Beach Comes to Tampa to Get in Swim. The very well written article told about our National AAU Masters Swimming Vice-Chairman, Judge Robert E. Beach of St. Petersburg, Florida. In the article Bob was quoted on four very important points that all of us should think about all the time when we promote Masters Swimming. They are as follows:
1) "The Masters Program is fun and health oriented. We do not want to become overly competitive." If we forget Masters Swimming is a program designed to encourage people to swim on a regular basis and be concerned about their physial fitness, the entire program will "go down the drain". It has been proven through research that swimming is a most beneficial activity that a person can take part in. In swimming, you use more muscles of your body than any other sport. The physical fitness benefits are tremendous and should be our major selling point. The fun aspect is also important. During the time that people are in a city for a swimming meet, including Masters Swimming, they should get together with other Masters Swimmers, get to know each other, and "have a ball". All of us need more joy in our life, and the Masters Swimming program can help us to enjoy life more. Several people have asked why we have a banquet at our National Masters meet. The main reason is that! We want to "break up the swimming meet" with a social gathering where all people connected with the Masters Swimming program can actually sit down and have a good meal while they are talking to other people about items of their mutual interest. Eliminating the banquet would eliminate the social aspect and much of the fun and joy connected with the Masters Swimming program. I definitely encourage all of you conducting meets to plan some type of "get together" where you give the meet participants an opportunity to relax.
2) "If I can get you to swim in one meet, I've got you hooked. The more you swim, the more interested you get". This statement if very true. Once you attend a meet, meet the many people there, and realize how good it is to "get away from it all" you are "hooked to Masters Swimming". During one of my recent visits to Los Angeles, I had a free afternoon and you can guess what I did! Of course, I looked for a Masters Swimming meet and went to see Anne Adams , Bill Damm, Reg Richardson and others compete in a swimming meet held at Venice High School. I "had a ball" just walking around renewing acquaintances and talking about the National Masters Short Court Swimming Championships that will be held at Santa Monica, CA on May 18, 19 and 20, 1973.
3) "The YMCA possibly could rope off two of its four lanes to Masters and other swimmers in training during much of the day", said a Tampa YMCA physical education director. This is being done more and more throughout the country. People are recognizing that individuals definitely want to be able to swim lengths when they come to a swimming pool. It is very discouraging when you get to a pool and find that it is impossible to even swim to the other end of the pool. By roping off lanes for people that are interested in swimming lengths many more people will participate in regular conditioning activities.
4)"The boredom is a blessing, and a time to flush the outside world. It's an excape. Some of my better ideas come out of the pool." Many people say that swimming gets boring and monotonous, however, Bob Beach points out that it does give you an opportunity to just forget things and "flush the outside world". Bob also indicated that he gets many good ideas as he is swimming and I can testify that I have thought of many good ideas as I have been swimming lengths.
Bob Beach is one of our biggest promoters of Masters Swimming in this country. The article
in the Tampa Times served as a tremendous public relations item for all of the people in
one of the largest cities in Florida. Incidentally, Bob recently attended the 3rd Annual
National AAU Aquatics Workshop and Planning Conference held in Indianapolis. Bob
represented Masters Swimming well and gained the respect of all the conference
participants. He spoke up for Masters Swimming and really "helped to sell Masters
Swimming" to the people attending the conference. Bob is a fabulous "backup man" to our
National AAU Masters Swimming Chairman, Capt.
Ransom Arthur
. With two top men like this
"in our corner" we'll win by a knockout!
(from SWIM-MASTER, April 1973, by John R. Spannuth, National Aquatics Administrator)
