Frustrated with swimming sometimes!

RE: Frustrated with swimming sometimes!

Former Member — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 10:41:30 GMT

I definitely talk to some other lap swimmers. If you can even get a few of them to make the same complaints your are, the management *should* seriously review the situation at hand. Sometimes it's finding the right person to complain to.

RE: Frustrated with swimming sometimes!

FindingMyInnerFish — Sat, 14 Jul 2012 07:13:32 GMT

Well, whole different story for the Friday evening lap swim--lane ropes to make three sections (which at least gives a bit more help to swimmers). This is followed by open swim at 6:30, and there it was 6:30 and I was thinking they were going to change lane ropes to the divider rope across the middle of the pool (separating the shallow from the deep section), but the lifeguards didn't seem to be making any move to do that, so I figured, I can squeeze in another 100. Then I noticed several minutes later that they still weren't changing the ropes, so I kept going and got a few hundred more yards than I'd thought were possible--the pool was almost empty all this time, which might have been explained by the fact that a thunderstorm seemed imminent. The thunderstorm didn't happen--I was prepared to have the lifeguard empty the pool for that, but no. I'd have happily kept going but was getting hungry, so I thought 20 minutes extra was a good amount and set off. More families with kids showed up as I was leaving but it was overall a less crowded locker room than normal... maybe b/c people thought they'd be pulled due to the aforementioned thunderstorm that didn't happen. I was frankly pleasantly surprised to have lane ropes up that long, but I don't get the feeling that it's a normal state of affairs. However, Friday evening might end up being a good swim time for me! :) Next week, I'll talk to some other lap swimmers and see what their take on all this is--and proceed from there. Thinking I'll also join the high school pool which will widen my options. I'm an irregular member--sometimes I keep up the membership, sometimes let it lapse. Thanks for the support/ideas!

RE: Frustrated with swimming sometimes!

orca1946 — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 12:43:50 GMT

Try the safety issue.. Have you tried to talk to the other swimmers??

RE: Frustrated with swimming sometimes!

Celestial — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 03:32:10 GMT

While you're at it, consider getting a petition started - pointing out that you are not the only person concerned may help. They say that for every letter written, or name signed, there are 6 people who did not sign, or write a letter. So if you get only 10 names - whether these people actually care or not, is not the point, that basically means there are 60 people they have to consider. I'll bet a lot of the other lap swimmers, no matter how leisurely they swim, would also appreciate having the lane lines put back it. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. But, if you squeak and squeak & they don't respond, move on.

RE: Frustrated with swimming sometimes!

FindingMyInnerFish — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 01:04:33 GMT

Try the safety issue.. Have you tried to talk to the other swimmers?? Didn't get a chance to talk to swimmers yesterday--needed to get away and "cool down" somewhere. But on other occasions, lap swimmers and I have discussed problems with having too few lane markers. I'll admit we focused on the convenience issue, but safety definitely should get the attention of the management.

RE: Frustrated with swimming sometimes!

Former Member — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 14:46:30 GMT

At my pool we have lane lines, but the guards typically take a lane from us for every new non masters lap swimmer that shows up, so you'll have four lanes with one or two swimmers each, most dog paddling, and the team has 4-5 per lane.

RE: Frustrated with swimming sometimes!

FindingMyInnerFish — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 08:38:39 GMT

Thanks for the suggestions! Our aquatics director can be very stubborn (don't get me started!), but the point about the safety issue is a good one. Unfortunately, the lap swimmers take third place after (a) kids (camp and day care being cash cows) and (b) those who use the water walking lane exclusively. We had a great masters' group started, which was abruptly canceled while the coach was away with his kids' team at a championship. We were told both that the masters team made things too crowded and that there wasn't enough interest to continue it. (???) The coach then started in a grad program so wasn't able to stay with coaching (wonderful guy--and just had a chance to pursue a career goal that was important to him--not anything related to the team... he still helped us individually whenever we asked). But the masters' team was on hold for a while, so I swam with other masters' groups until my schedule conflicted with the practices, then worked out on my own. They restarted a masters' swim program--at 9 p.m. on a Monday night. And then stopped it b/c there wasn't enough interest... well no... at 9 pm on a Monday night? Surprise, surprise! But we did keep it going for about 8 or 9 months with a terrific coach who helped us each progress at our own rate. When she moved on, a succession of two or three other coaches came in, and they did some good stuff but there wasn't the same level of energy (not that I held it against the coaches--I'm not sure how much support they got either). Emails to the AD and suggestions in person either went unanswered (email) or "we won't be doing that." Or "I'll look into it"--which basically meant the same: "we won't be doing that." I've mentioned the importance of adults staying fit, given the obesity epidemic and the need to provide good role models to kids. Nope. I've suggested keeping a lap lane open during other swim periods as some pools do. Nope. I try to keep a distance from her, but stay polite/friendly/impersonal b/c trying to convince her of anything has proven futile. I wonder if this kind of thing is just something one has to live with in order to keep on swimming. I'm fortunate that I have the running--after abandoning my swim, I headed out for a run, which went much much better! Would love for them both to have space in my life, b/c I love both--but running has the advantage of simplicity and flexibility of scheduling. My daydream: to have a lake or bay in front of my house. But global warming has not progressed to the degree that I will have bayfront property in the near future. ;)

RE: Frustrated with swimming sometimes!

Former Member — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 06:02:43 GMT

Here's a suggestion which may help with the free for all situation: Tell the aquatics director that you would kindly like the lane lines in place as a safety concern. Explain how bumping heads can be dangerous and could lead to accidents and maybe even drownings etc etc... I can almost guarantee that any higher up will listen to your concerns especially when a safety issue was brought to their attention. I have seen some pretty solid head bumps and at the end of the day both the lifeguards and the management have a responsibility to keep the pool safe for lapping. Lanes serve a function in that they keep people in place to allow for proper circle swimming. And they also help separate the varying degrees of swimmers from competitors to the breaststroke ladies who don't like to get their hair wet under their silk scarves. Once some order is established, the lap pool should begin to take on more of the function it was intended for.

RE: Frustrated with swimming sometimes!

smontanaro — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 01:39:49 GMT

How far up the chain of command have you gone to voice your concerns? If you haven't gone past the lifeguard, I'd start there. Maybe a little face time with the aquatics director would help. (I'm fortunate that the Y I swim at has two pools. Most noodlers wind up in the old, warm pool, leaving me to do battle with just a few noodlers and the swim team's practice schedule.)