Comments on: Give Us A Break Mate http://www.swimwatch.net/2010/07/give-us-a-break-mate.html Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:24:38 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: NZswimmingfan http://www.swimwatch.net/2010/07/give-us-a-break-mate.html#comment-756 NZswimmingfan Thu, 04 Nov 2010 21:41:55 +0000 http://www.swimwatch.net/?p=477#comment-756 As expected, the absurd scheduling chickens have come home to roost with regard to SC Opens. If you haven't seen the psych sheets, they make for tragicomic reading - I am embarrassed to be known as a NZ swimmer when I see that the New Zealand SC champion in the Women's 400 IM will be decided by default! Many other races don't make up more than 1 heat - it is just a farce and we're lucky that SPARC are too ignorant to pay attention to this kind of stuff. To a lesser extent, I'm concerned for the racers trying to qualify for Dubai - a) because of lack of competition, b) because of the punitive SNZ qualifying standards and c) because anyone who raced at 2008 Springs will tell you that Baywave is a substandard competition pool. Sophia Batchelor is a prime example. She would be far better off for having Melissa Ingram to race in the 200 BK and has already bettered the qualifying time at Springs in Wellington, but the poor pool, poor competitors and one shot qualifying may conspire to scupper her chances of racing in Dubai, despite proving herself worthy of a place on the plane. I'm still confident she will make it though, that's the kind of racer she is. As expected, the absurd scheduling chickens have come home to roost with regard to SC Opens. If you haven’t seen the psych sheets, they make for tragicomic reading – I am embarrassed to be known as a NZ swimmer when I see that the New Zealand SC champion in the Women’s 400 IM will be decided by default! Many other races don’t make up more than 1 heat – it is just a farce and we’re lucky that SPARC are too ignorant to pay attention to this kind of stuff. To a lesser extent, I’m concerned for the racers trying to qualify for Dubai – a) because of lack of competition, b) because of the punitive SNZ qualifying standards and c) because anyone who raced at 2008 Springs will tell you that Baywave is a substandard competition pool.

Sophia Batchelor is a prime example. She would be far better off for having Melissa Ingram to race in the 200 BK and has already bettered the qualifying time at Springs in Wellington, but the poor pool, poor competitors and one shot qualifying may conspire to scupper her chances of racing in Dubai, despite proving herself worthy of a place on the plane. I’m still confident she will make it though, that’s the kind of racer she is.

]]> By: Yura http://www.swimwatch.net/2010/07/give-us-a-break-mate.html#comment-194 Yura Sun, 29 Aug 2010 03:34:39 +0000 http://www.swimwatch.net/?p=477#comment-194 I think it's not just traditions, but a simple understanding of how human bodies and athletes work: they change, for better or worse, during the season and during the years. Or, they keep their level up for a while. So it's unreasonable to force a single fixed set of rules on a variety of people and a more balanced approach needs to be used to take most of the factors into account for the maximum results It'd be a hell lot easier, if there were more slots for people from the same country, too, of course, but I don't think it's a point of this discussion. The sad truth is that all the selection can be useless by bad accommodation at the place of the event, but it's another story, too. This doesn't even mention wasting efforts on national meetups. As usual, by looking at one event, it's possible to see all the global problems of the sports in general, regardless of the country. (Un)fortunately, I haven't yet met with any clueless sports officials to affect my life, but simply looking at sportsmen performance, official reports and preparation (doing 10h flights 4-7 days before important meets, for example) tells me that nothing's perfect in the Dutch country. I think it’s not just traditions, but a simple understanding of how human bodies and athletes work: they change, for better or worse, during the season and during the years. Or, they keep their level up for a while. So it’s unreasonable to force a single fixed set of rules on a variety of people and a more balanced approach needs to be used to take most of the factors into account for the maximum results

It’d be a hell lot easier, if there were more slots for people from the same country, too, of course, but I don’t think it’s a point of this discussion. The sad truth is that all the selection can be useless by bad accommodation at the place of the event, but it’s another story, too. This doesn’t even mention wasting efforts on national meetups.

As usual, by looking at one event, it’s possible to see all the global problems of the sports in general, regardless of the country.

(Un)fortunately, I haven’t yet met with any clueless sports officials to affect my life, but simply looking at sportsmen performance, official reports and preparation (doing 10h flights 4-7 days before important meets, for example) tells me that nothing’s perfect in the Dutch country.

]]> By: David http://www.swimwatch.net/2010/07/give-us-a-break-mate.html#comment-189 David Wed, 25 Aug 2010 02:38:22 +0000 http://www.swimwatch.net/?p=477#comment-189 I think your point is well made; that it is the rules that are the problem. We insist on USA type controls without USA type circumstances. Clearly a foreign model has been imposed on NZ without taking into account our situation, history or traditions. I think your point is well made; that it is the rules that are the problem. We insist on USA type controls without USA type circumstances. Clearly a foreign model has been imposed on NZ without taking into account our situation, history or traditions.

]]> By: Yura http://www.swimwatch.net/2010/07/give-us-a-break-mate.html#comment-182 Yura Sun, 22 Aug 2010 08:57:11 +0000 http://www.swimwatch.net/?p=477#comment-182 Pardon me, but if you are one of the 10 elite swimmers, wouldn't it hamper your progress, if you had to take a start in the wrong part of the training schedule, especially between the other starts? Of course, with the current state of NZ swimming (I'm talking about the most recent Pan Pacs 4x100m relay non-results for NZ, at least), you might as well ignore them, but still, overall, do you think it's worth to always ignore the 10 top athletes and risk their current/probable results and appease to the less probable, but possible future results of the school/uni swimmers? Forgive me, if this sounds rude, but I'm simply curious about training/racing planning and how top management can interfere with what athletes can go through (I'm in diff country, diff sport, but still). In Russia track&field, for example, current top athletes may not participate in the national comps and are still included in the national teams for international meets (though there were many other exceptions as well, where necessary, such as current season best holder going to the Olympics instead of the 1st or 2nd place national holder). So maybe it's not the event planning that's the big issue, but the rules that determine athletes' admission to international competitions (I do believe you've mentioned it sometime earlier). P.S. This blog needs a "Send replies to email" checkbox for comments. Though I might as well subscribe to the comments feeds in this blog, I guess. Pardon me, but if you are one of the 10 elite swimmers, wouldn’t it hamper your progress, if you had to take a start in the wrong part of the training schedule, especially between the other starts?

Of course, with the current state of NZ swimming (I’m talking about the most recent Pan Pacs 4x100m relay non-results for NZ, at least), you might as well ignore them, but still, overall, do you think it’s worth to always ignore the 10 top athletes and risk their current/probable results and appease to the less probable, but possible future results of the school/uni swimmers?

Forgive me, if this sounds rude, but I’m simply curious about training/racing planning and how top management can interfere with what athletes can go through (I’m in diff country, diff sport, but still). In Russia track&field, for example, current top athletes may not participate in the national comps and are still included in the national teams for international meets (though there were many other exceptions as well, where necessary, such as current season best holder going to the Olympics instead of the 1st or 2nd place national holder).

So maybe it’s not the event planning that’s the big issue, but the rules that determine athletes’ admission to international competitions (I do believe you’ve mentioned it sometime earlier).

P.S. This blog needs a “Send replies to email” checkbox for comments. Though I might as well subscribe to the comments feeds in this blog, I guess.

]]> By: David http://www.swimwatch.net/2010/07/give-us-a-break-mate.html#comment-128 David Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:21:22 +0000 http://www.swimwatch.net/?p=477#comment-128 Thank you for the comment. We don't have any University age swimmers qualified for the Open meet and I did not realize the conflict with that level of education as well. The question you pose is well made and certainly relevant. Thank you for the comment. We don’t have any University age swimmers qualified for the Open meet and I did not realize the conflict with that level of education as well. The question you pose is well made and certainly relevant.

]]> By: NZswimmingfan http://www.swimwatch.net/2010/07/give-us-a-break-mate.html#comment-123 NZswimmingfan Tue, 27 Jul 2010 22:03:00 +0000 http://www.swimwatch.net/?p=477#comment-123 SC Opens being close to NCEA is definitely a problem, but the even greater stuff up by SNZ is that Opens is scheduled right in the middle of the last week of Uni exams- the kind of people that this 'Open' meet is meant to be catering to! Even if you don't have any exams in that last week, swimmers' training will be massively hampered in the weeks leading up to the meet. I emailed SNZ and they say it's because it fits the cycle between Comm Games and World SC so I guess the question is whether SNZ's responsibility is to those elite 10 or so guys or to growing the sport and retaining swimmers after they leave school - an area where we lag horrendously behind the rest of the world SC Opens being close to NCEA is definitely a problem, but the even greater stuff up by SNZ is that Opens is scheduled right in the middle of the last week of Uni exams- the kind of people that this ‘Open’ meet is meant to be catering to! Even if you don’t have any exams in that last week, swimmers’ training will be massively hampered in the weeks leading up to the meet. I emailed SNZ and they say it’s because it fits the cycle between Comm Games and World SC so I guess the question is whether SNZ’s responsibility is to those elite 10 or so guys or to growing the sport and retaining swimmers after they leave school – an area where we lag horrendously behind the rest of the world

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