I recently joined an LA fitness near me in VA because they said the pool, which has only a few lanes but seldom crowded, is 25 meters. But when I swam at the rec center, which I know has 25 yard lanes, it felt like the lanes were longer than those at the gym, and wonder if anyone has had experience with this chain and its pools. I figure you don't tell a bodybuilder a 50 lb. weight is 60, and you don't tell a swimmer a lane is 25 meters when it may only be 20 yards at best. Aside from going in with a length of rope and measuring, I don't know how to figure it out. The staff has a persistent deer in the headlights look when you ask them a question that's outside their comfort zone.
It's also the only gym I've been to where there is no air circulation in the spin cycle room, but that's off topic.
My LA Fitness told me 25 meters as well, but my intervals are closer to my yards times. My location also has a salt water filter, which is well worth ignoring the discrepancy.
I think the person at the desk just repeats what they were told and no one really knows except the guy who built it. They didn't seem to understand the difference between 25 meters and yards pools. Throw a 100' tape in with your pool toys and measure it, unless you can tell from stroke count or splits. Ours is not salt and dead-on 75'. I think their design drawings are "canned" and most of their pools thus the same length. Its possible that there salt water pools are different (meters?) and of course their could be variations due to site conditions.
UPDATE:
We showed up with a measuring tape and it's 25 yards. Thank you to those of you who gave me the nerve to go in there with a tape measure. :afraid:
I noticed I didn't feel covered with chlorine or have that chlorine smell all over me when I got out of the pool, so I wonder if this has a salt water filter.
I heard some lady bonked her head pretty hard the other day doing backstroke because there aren't any ceiling flags. Anyway, it's a decent alternative to the craziness of the rec center especially in summer when I am forced to schedule my swim around the multiple camps and rude people who cross lanes in front of me. You're right, Sojerz. The kids at the desk just repeat what they're told. Shame on corporate.
I belonged to LA Fitness here in Indy for 3 years or so and I can almost promise you the pool is 25 yards. When I joined they also told me the pool was meters, but I swim intervals very consistently and I can tell by my times it is definitely yards. LA Fitness is a large Corporation; I've swam in several of their pools in different states and they are all the same 3 lane structure and 25 yards long. I liked being a member @ LA until they increased the water temp to 88-89 degrees. the noodle classes were extremely popular at my location and I knew those swimmers were the impetus for the increase in temp. so instead of fighting it I just quit.
Yeah, my pool has no flags either, so I do back stroke for 1/2 a lap and turn around. Not optimal training, but my head doesn't hurt.
Our LA doesn't have backstroke flags or a pace clock and its only 3.5-4' deep and 4 lanes. Swimming bk I can pick up a ladder or the hoist and flip over - you just can't forget to look, or ouch! As Denise indicated, one can almost always get a lane. Its a good pool for kick sets on fr or bk with arms extended.
I heard some lady bonked her head pretty hard the other day doing backstroke because there aren't any ceiling flags.
Years ago I had a membership at a Bally fitness center. They had a 4-lane, 25-yard indoor pool but it had no backstroke flags. It drove me crazy because even when I tried to keep track of where I was by remembering certain "landmarks" (such as ceiling tiles), sometimes I still messed up.
One day I wrote a letter to the facility manager. In the letter I described what backstroke flags were (I included photos) and emphasized that they are a SAFETY device that can help prevent injuries. I offered to buy the flags for the facility, if they would just agree to install them.
Instead of mailing the letter, I took it to the facility and spoke with the manager. He had never heard of backstroke flags. I showed him the photos and I think we may have even walked back to the pool area so I could show him what I was talking about. I told him that in true competition pools the flags are mounted on poles that are a specified height above the water, but for lap swimmers it would be adequate to just install the flags up near the ceiling. I think I also explained that they needed to be 5 yards from the end of the pool, and showed him how the lane lines change color (to all one solid color) for those 5 yards to correspond to the placement of the flags.
The facility manager was very receptive (note that I continued to emphasize the SAFETY aspect of the flags) and agreed that if I bought the flags, his maintenance man would install them. I offered to be there when they were installed but he was confident that from my letter and explanation they would be able to do it.
I bought some cheap plastic pennant flags, like these:
www.storesupply.com/pc-11847-451-pennant-string-assorted-color-105l-15165.aspx
I delivered them to the facility and they installed them. It was great - most of the patrons probably never noticed the flags at all, but I guarantee that anyone who did backstroke saw those flags!
Today if I were to do this I would also emphasize that swimmers can actually get concussions if they swim into the wall. If a simple set of $10.00 flags prevents even one concussion, it's well worth it.
LA's I've been in are 25 yards. FWIW; LifeTime indoor = 25 meters, outdoor = 25 yards (sample size of 3).
My Lifetime (Cary,NC) is meters for both indoor and outdoor.
Years ago...
I bought some cheap plastic pennant flags, ...
I delivered them to the facility and they installed them. It was great - most of the patrons probably never noticed the flags at all, but I guarantee that anyone who did backstroke saw those flags!
Today if I were to do this I would also emphasize that swimmers can actually get concussions if they swim into the wall. If a simple set of $10.00 flags prevents even one concussion, it's well worth it.
You are my hero! Backstroke flags should be mandatory.
