Had a great time at the Atlanta Short Course Nationals event, however what was up with the lack of pool etiquette in the warm-up/down pools? I have competed in triathlons and open water swims and this event by far was the most dangerous swim experience in terms of etiquette. I spoke with many swimmers who felt the same.
In the warm-up/warm-down pools, I had someone actually jump in as aggressively as they could on top of me, pushing me under. The one time I tried to warm-up in the competition pool during a break, I was pushed in the head and told "Move" & when it was completely crowded with no where to go, I had someone pull my leg, push on my lower back, push me under the water and then they actually swam over top of me to get in front, which was pointless as everyone was touching? Really? I was also very disappointed to hear that younger swimmers were not only crowding the 65+ designated lanes, but were actually just as dangerous and argumentative with the older swimmers. Really?
Perhaps we need a revised USMS Pool etiquette for Nationals and similar type events in addition to the following,
www.usms.org/.../pooletiquette
Nobody ever seems to like what I say, but I am going to say it again. There is no substitute for good manners. I don't care how young or old you are; how fast or slow you are, you get my humble respect in the warm up pool. All I ask is that I receive the same from you. My Atlanta experience as well as the subsequent scrapes and bruises would indicate otherwise. If this is a problem for one participant, it is a problem! Enough of the "just live with it or stay home" attitude!
Then what do you want everyone to do? A person can't get a good warm-up by stopping every 25. If people are crowding the wall and don't give the approaching swimmer a place to either stop or turn, then they become part of the wall for turning. If you have been swimming long enough, that is part of warm-ups. Swimmer don't do it intentionally but when given no other choice to continue their warm-up, they do what is best for them.
Nobody ever seems to like what I say, but I am going to say it again. There is no substitute for good manners. I don't care how young or old you are; how fast or slow you are, you get my humble respect in the warm up pool. All I ask is that I receive the same from you. My Atlanta experience as well as the subsequent scrapes and bruises would indicate otherwise. If this is a problem for one participant, it is a problem! Enough of the "just live with it or stay home" attitude!
Then what do you want everyone to do? A person can't get a good warm-up by stopping every 25. If people are crowding the wall and don't give the approaching swimmer a place to either stop or turn, then they become part of the wall for turning. If you have been swimming long enough, that is part of warm-ups. Swimmer don't do it intentionally but when given no other choice to continue their warm-up, they do what is best for them.
