Master's Swim Teams!
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andforpoise
Posts: 185
Hey all. I'm a new member of this group, looking to join a master's swim team after taking a few swim lessons to work on strokes, etc. Just wondering what other peoples' experiences are with master's swim teams 
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I've never been on a master's team, but I swam in high school and lifeguarded as well. From what I observed of the master's team when I guarded, I would categorize it as more of a social thing than a competitive thing. In high school, the social element was definitely there, but everybody was also very serious about competition. It seemed to me that the master's team was less serious about the competition and more serious about the social aspect. The master's team where I swim now is mostly made up of tri-athletes. There are other master's teams in other parts of the country where I've lived who were serious competitors, too. You can probably get what you're looking for in a master's team if you do your homework. I guess it all depends on where you plan on going.0
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Interested to hear what others say. I can't afford it.0
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I have been swimming on a masters team for a long long long time. I love it! Yes, partly because it's social - I go to see my friends - but we work hard, and my friends don't let me whine too much, and they make me keep trying. Where I live, it is not very expensive. Masters workouts are included in our public facility membership, just like land aerobics, spinning, water aerobics, yoga, etc. There are more triathletes than there used to be. There are fewer people interested in typical masters competition (myself included). There is a wide variety of people and abilities. There are 2 workouts each weekday, and one on Sat and Sun. Our biggest problem is finding consistent coaching. Our lane usually manages 3000 meters in an hour. For MFP, I usually consider that to be 450 cal. But I'll up it a little for a hard day, and take a little off if I don't get to 3000m. I don't have a HRM, but that has worked for me. I would not do nearly as well swimming by myself!0
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The masters group at my pool is very welcoming. I have slacked off for the past 6 months so I am working hard to catch up. Our group leader posts four different plans for each week. Level 1, 2 , 3 and 4- 4 is for the most novice or slowest- I am on this and it usually consists of 1500-1800 for an hour. I am not there yet.....I did 1000 today and yesterday. Rebecca, the leader, divides it into sections with the slowest group doing a 300m warm up and then 125 speed trying to be out of breath. Her work outs are clear and involve kickboards, ladders. Most swim only FS, and as said before the majority are triathletes.0
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I agree, I can do more when I work out with a friend and in the masters group.0
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I wish you luck! It depends on where you live, The masters swim team is called "fit swim" at my local YMCA. it is included in membership, they have a coach. It doesnT work well for me because the couch just puts a workout on a board and stands there. Sometimes sn isn't even there.
Most of the members seem to do their own thing anyway.
I found easier to generate my own workout on swimplan.com and follow that ate go when the pool is not crowded with the fit swim peeps. The were not welcoming and they did not hav a "slow" lane for those that couldn't yet complete 3200 or more yards in an hour. As I am just getting back into swimming, I swim about 1500-2000 yards per hour.
That said, my older brother swims masters swim team at his local YMCA in another state and they are much more organized, friendly, etc. when I visit him I join him and all of those members and the coach ar welcoming. His coach is more interested in actually coaching.
Good luck.0 -
Masters Swim teams vary from community to community and even within an area if there is more than one team. Most cater to people who are serious about swimming and competition, although the social aspect is important as well. I would think that most teams would accommodate people of all speeds but prefer people who are serious about swimming and competing. You need to be committed to attend, though, because they are costly.0
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We generally have at least 4 lanes (50 meter pool) ranging from fast - mostly ex-collegiate swimmers - to not-as-fast. The coach modifies each lane as needed. The fastest lane probably gets in 3200-3500m in an hour, the slowest lane, maybe a third to a half of that. We try to be welcoming. We used to have more serious traditional competition-oriented swimmers, but now we have more triathletes. Our most popular practices can have more than 50 people attend. For new swimmers, I usually recommend the less crowded practices to start. I'd say most coaches are happy to give tips and hints, if asked, but most swimmers are there for a workout and just want to get going. Some coaches are better than others... So - give it a try!0
