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
I thought the warm-up facilities at Clovis were super - nothing like a 50 m pool just for warm-up. I found both Austin and Atlanta to be difficult to get a good warm-up due to the number of participants. Very few venues can accomodate 1800-1900 swimmers trying to warm-up.
Another problem that I had in Austin and Atlanta is with breathing. I was fine the first 3 days, but the last day was a problem. I talked it over with the Aquatic Director at local pools. She says the air handlers were never designed to work for some many people in the pool and in the pool area. The chemicals churned up by so many swimmers are never completely cleared and get a little worse each day. I have asthma so am more sensitive that many people. Savannah was bad also. I have found that I can't hang around the pool all day to watch my friends and team; I need to get out of the environment for awhile.
It's a real problem for the championship committee and future hosts. We don't want to limit entries any more, but how many swimmers can the facility handle for warm-ups?
I thought the warm-up facilities at Clovis were super - nothing like a 50 m pool just for warm-up. I found both Austin and Atlanta to be difficult to get a good warm-up due to the number of participants. Very few venues can accomodate 1800-1900 swimmers trying to warm-up.
Another problem that I had in Austin and Atlanta is with breathing. I was fine the first 3 days, but the last day was a problem. I talked it over with the Aquatic Director at local pools. She says the air handlers were never designed to work for some many people in the pool and in the pool area. The chemicals churned up by so many swimmers are never completely cleared and get a little worse each day. I have asthma so am more sensitive that many people. Savannah was bad also. I have found that I can't hang around the pool all day to watch my friends and team; I need to get out of the environment for awhile.
It's a real problem for the championship committee and future hosts. We don't want to limit entries any more, but how many swimmers can the facility handle for warm-ups?
