Yesterday I swam in a pool I had never been to before. The pool is 30.5 meters (33.3 yards) long X 20 yards wide. Starting blocks were on the 20 yards.
Why would a pool be built at 30.5 meters? Would you change your workout to accommodate this unusual distance?
My normal 4000 meter workout, turned into 4880 meters. I would like to continue to use this pool,however I will have to put in some serious thinking into my workouts.
I ran into one of the pool supervisors who manages this odd length pool, at a different pool this evening. She told me back in the 1950's and 1960's they built some odd pools to discourage competition, and competitive swimming. That the pools were designed for recreational swimming. I told here they are missing out on incoming funds from having a USA-Swimming team and/or a Masters Swimming team. She told me that back in the day they have a different mindset. That would probably not happen today. She also mentioned there is another pool in the area that I have not been to that is 40 meters in length. I'll have to check that one out and report back.
I ran into one of the pool supervisors who manages this odd length pool, at a different pool this evening. She told me back in the 1950's and 1960's they built some odd pools to discourage competition, and competitive swimming.
There's a chain health club near where I live, Lifetime Fitness. My understanding is that their pool was built short on purpose, precisely to make sure it's never considered as a pool in which to hold meets. Might be an insurance thing, or maybe to keep some smart aleck member from ever trying to get management to hold a meet there.
i am currently (sporadically) swimming at LT. they have 2 pools. 1 is a 20yd and 1 is a 25m. the 25m has no gutter system and is flat walls and mostly shallow. no place to put starting blocks. it would be about the perfect pool to NOT go fast in.
I grew up swimming in a 33.3 meter pool that was built in the 50s. We actually had NVSL summer league meets there. For 25s, you swam to the red flags and the timers leaned over the edge and judged when you came through the flags. For 50s, you swam down and back to the yellow flags. Same timing deal.
There was also a nearby pool which was 37.5 meters. My USS team trained there for a short time one summer. I got really sick of doing 150s and 300s. :)
There's a pool a few miles from me that was build 200 feet (66.6 yds, 61m) in length. A local team used it for long course training despite the lack of lane lines or gutters. Must have been some really choppy practices. Two years ago, it took a direct hit from an F5 tornado and they have yet to re-open it.
There is pool in an old building on thi IU campus in Bloomington that is 4 lanes and 27.5 yd. It works out to be exactly 64 lengths for a mile. It was the old men's pool. Apparently swimming a mile was a BIG deal then.
...so last evening in this pool I did a 488 IM, followed by a 122 IM. I think I am ready for LCM season. I am feeling real good now about swimming in this pool. The far wall does not seem so far anymore, except for Fly.
On another note it made CalTech seem easy.
There is pool in an old building on thi IU campus in Bloomington that is 4 lanes and 27.5 yd.
It seems like a particularly goofy length until you realize events such as the 220 and 440 used to be commonplace and those distances are 8 and 16 lengths of a 27.5 yard pool.
