The bleachers at this meet are setup about 18 inches from the edge of the pool. If you are sitting on the bottom row you will get splashed as the swimmer in lane one goes by. So, 1st heat of boys open 400 IM. The young man in lane one is an older boy--maybe 17 or 18 and very well built... He is a big boy who was struggling a bit with the fly. He swims past as his mother and other swim moms from his team cheer him on. He turns, and as he is backstroking past the bleachers and his cheering fans he says, "THIS SUCKS!" The bleachers erupt into laughter. His poor mother was mortified! All she could say was, "Only my son, only my son!"
What other funny things have you heard at swim meets?
When I was coaching in Oklahoma about 20 years ago there was a notorious parent from another team who would loudly repeat, "Go Robert, go Robert, kick Robert, kick Robert" while cheering for her son at various meets. We were at a small pool in Tulsa (I think) where there was hardly any deck space on one side of the pool for the coaches. The 13-14 boys' 100 backstroke started and Robert was in lane 8 (right next to us coaches). Robert's mom commenced her usual screaming from the upper level seating across the pool. At about the 60 yard point of the race, as Robert's mom screamed her usual "Go Robert, kick Robert," Robert stopped, stood up in his lane and shouted, "I AM!!!" He then finished his swim. I can't remember now if Robert's mom got the hint or not... :)
I was cheering for my team from the sidelines during the postal challenge this year, walking along the sides and ends trying to encourage them. One of the ladies was a bit grumpy from coming in late and starting a bit late so I tried to get her to lighten up a bit. I started doing the Dougie and sprinkler dances on the side (which got a laugh from one of the other ladies), but all she did was look me in the eye on a breath and flip me off mid stroke. I died laughing. Thankfully, she loosened up a bit after that.
College dual meet where the anchor of our relay dove in for either a 50 or 100 (I cannot recall which) and realized far too late that he had not tied his suit. I can't remember if we won, I doubt anyone remembers the time because all you could focus on was the perfectly executed moon shot on the turn.
One I still remember from my age group days. A kid on my team swam poorly and blamed his mom for it because she moved to a different seat in the stands. Still the greatest excuse I've ever heard. :)
At a Masters Meet,a friend of mine(who is an excellent backstroker) was swimming the 100 IM. At the back to breaststroke turn he turned on to his stomach,like a back to back turn.Realizing his error he kept turning back on to his back,but in frustration,as his mouth came out of the water he yelled "Oh S***" loud enough for most of us to hear.
This happened at an open water swim event (The annual Save The Bay Swim in Rhode Island) several years ago, when Patrick Kennedy was one of our U.S. Representatives. He’s always been an active supporter of the event, and several years he actually swam it. One year, minutes before the swim was set to begin…I saw him struggling to get his wetsuit on. He was off to the side, all alone, with none of his “people” around. Then I thought…that’s strange…most swimming wetsuits have the zipper in the back. He was trying to zip up the front. Immediately I realized that he was putting the thing on backwards. So I walked over and whispered in his ear “Congressman, the zipper goes in the back.” He looked at me and said “Oh, thanks! Vote for me in November.”
Dan
After decades of youth coaching, I saw this at my first LC masters meet. Another coach of a medium-sized team dutifully paced the length of the pool closest to whichever lane any of his swimmers were in. Taking splits and notes, he'd occasionally give a well-placed hoot or holler of encouragement. At the 125 mark of a women's 200 back, his middle-aged, middle of the pack swimmer looked straight at him and yelled, "Where are they?" It wasn't a particularly loud moment, so we heard his reply, "What?" She then asked more clearly, "How far ahead are they?" After a quick look he told her, "About 10 meters." The conversation then ended with a polite, "Thanks." She didn't make any changes or swim differently after that, she was just curious.
That's the moment I new I'd entered a new swimming world.:banana:
