Fish Out of Water: The First Club Tribe Masters Dryland Meet
One member of Club Tribe posted on the Team Facebook page Monday morning, “I was asked...What did you do over the weekend?” He stated he had trouble finding an answer. The easy answer would have been, “I competed in the First Club Tribe Dryland Meet.” The real answer is a lot more detailed and a lot more fun.
On the weekend of April 17-20, 2020, Club Tribe competed against themselves in a Team dryland competition. The idea was sparked by an article posted on USMS.org (click here for the story) about a “meet” that the Milford Athletic Club held to replace the cancelled Michigan LMSC state meet. It took Club Tribe Head Coach Rich Williams about 3 seconds to say, “We’re doing this,” when he heard about the meet.
The Team (for the purpose of clarity, “the Team” refers to Club Tribe, while “the team” or “the teams” refer to the smaller groups created to compete in this meet) began planning almost immediately. The first order of business was setting the rules. The Team followed the basic rules of the Milford Athletic Club competition. Activities, which included workouts, multi-sport events, social engagement, team spirit and social networking, were assigned point values. The final point values were as follows:
5K run – 15 points
30 minute walk – 7 points
45 minutes of cardio and/or strength training- 15 points
15 mile bike – 15 points
5000 meter row – 15 points
1200 yard open water swim – 15 points
Yoga for 30 minutes – 10 points
Call any Club Tribe teammate one-on-one for >10 mins – 5 points (both participants score)
Post picture on Club Tribe Facebook of any competition-related Club Tribe activity – 4 points
Post >1 min video on Facebook of choreographed Club Tribe activity (be creative) – 8 points
Refrain from alcohol for the entire day (Friday and/or Saturday only) – 10 points (each day)
Run/Bike/Run duathlon (5K, 12Mi, 5K) – 45 points
Run/Swim(open water)/Run duathlon – (5K, 1000 yards, 5K) – 45 points
Swim (open water)/Bike duathlon – (1000 Yards, 26 miles) – 45 points
Open water triathlon (1000 yards/12 miles/5K) – 45 points
For those who do not run because of injury, you can substitute a 5K row for the run component of any of the duathlons/triathlons
Each competitor was limited to five scoring opportunities per day. With the exception of calling a teammate, posting a picture or video on the Facebook page and refraining from alcohol, the activities could be repeated in a single day for scoring opportunities. So, a 10K run would be two scoring opportunities, each worth 15 points, for a total of 30 points. A competitor who completed a 10K run would still have three scoring opportunities for the day.
The second task was creating teams. To start, several members of the Team were contacted and asked to be “Captains” of a team. Once the captains were selected, the entire Team was sent an invitation to participate. Participation was voluntary. Initially, more than 40 Team members signed up to compete. Ultimately, 51 competitors participated on 9 teams of 5-6 people each. Because the number of competitors on each team was not even, the captains decided that the average points per team member would be used in the final standings. Each competitor was asked to report to their captain at the end of each day and the captains entered point totals into a Google spreadsheet that tabulated the results on a daily basis, including the totals and averages for the day and the cumulative totals and averages for the weekend.
The “meet” began the morning of Friday, April 17, 2020. Except it didn’t. The first sign that this competition was going to be more than just a friendly way to get in a little exercise came late Thursday night when a competitor from Australia reported his first 45 points for an open water triathlon completed (locally) Friday morning, before several competitors went to bed on the east coast Thursday night. From that point, it was game on.
Each competitor participated in their own way. Some had plenty of time and equipment to accumulate points. Some had to balance exercise with work from home, home schooling, childcare, or even essential jobs. Some were more technologically savvy than others. Some were more sane than others. After the first day of the competition, most participants had come to one or more of the following conclusions: 1. THIS IS AWESOME! 2. I miss my team. 3. I miss competing. 4. I can do more. The high point earner for Day 1 scored 165 points, by completing 3 Run/Bike/Run duathlons (45 points each), one 5000 meter row (15 points) and 45 minutes of cardio/strength (15 points). Twelve competitors scored more than 75 points on Day 1.
By Day 2, the competitors seemed to find their groove and participation increased. Teams began using Zoom to virtually train together. The Team Facebook page exploded with pictures, videos and updates. Teammates called each other, started group texts and exercised with family members. Swimmers found open water, and got in despite the cold. Some participants reported running for the first time in years. Others got on a bike for the first time in decades. It was as if a strong breeze had blown the fog of stay at home orders and uncertainty away and cleared the air for some healthy fun and competition. Seven of the 9 teams scored more points on Day 2 than they had on Day 1. Twenty-one competitors scored more than 75 points on Day Two.
By Day 3, some competitors were spent, while others found yet another gear. At the beginning of Day 3, one team had a substantial lead, but five teams were in the running for second place. The competitive juices many Masters swimmers feel while standing behind the blocks, or on the shores of an open water swim, were flowing. Despite two exhausting days, 18 competitors scored 75 or more points on Day 3.
In the end, the winning team averaged 96.4 points per competitor for each day of the competition. Over the weekend, seven competitors scored 300 or more points, with the high point earner scoring 400 points. The competitors averaged 206 points for the weekend, with a median score of 192. To put this in perspective, and as an example, to score 195 points over three days, a competitor would have to: a. Complete 45 minutes of strength/cardio (15); b. Run/walk 5K (15); c. Do 30 minutes of yoga (10); d. Complete a 15 mile bike ride (15); and e. Refrain from alcohol for the day (10), for all three days of the weekend.
As is typically the case with Masters competitions, the Team finished the weekend with a Team party. More than 50 participants joined in a Zoom call to discuss the weekend, announce the winners, and be together. Enjoying a drink during this call was highly encouraged. The Zoom call started with formalities and ended up lasting for hours, with participants leaving when they had to, but everyone taking a chance to enjoy being part of a team again.
Every Masters swimmer has their own personal reasons for participating. Some do it for fitness, some for competition, some for fun, some for motivation or coaching, and most for some or all of these reasons, plus many more. With the temporary closing of pools and gyms and restaurants and the cancellation of local, zone and national meets, these opportunities are also closed. For one weekend, Club Tribe was able to get some of this back, to compete, to motivate, to inspire, (to ignore their families), to be a team again, and to enjoy each other’s company during and after a challenge. The meet also inspired subsequent events. The Team has started regular Zoom workout groups, exercise classes taught by team members and even more text chains. Additional social engagements are planned. And there is no doubt, in anyone’s mind, that if pools remain closed for much longer, the Second Club Tribe Dryland Meet is coming soon and will be even even more competitive.